Philmont
Trek
622-K,
July-Aug. 1999
The common refrain from scouts and adults who attend Philmont Scout Ranch is
"I want to go back to Philmont". Well, thirty one years after my
Philmont trek as a scout with Troop 68 in
Philmont crew 622-K for 1999 really started in April 1997 when I spent several hours dialing and re-dialing Philmont for a reservation. At that time trek reservations were being taken for 1998 but when they filled up, provisional reservations could be made for 1999.
Since many boys in Troop 201 (and myself, as well) were attending the 1997 National Scout Jamboree, a 1999 trip was just about right. We were lucky to get through and have a reservation accepted for a trek beginning June 22, 1999 with 20 slots – two crews of 10 each.
Then, it was up to us to get enough bodies to fill the crews. Three other
adults from the troop, Dave Machala, Bob Ledinsky and Bob DuMound said they’d
attend, as did 12 scouts. We weren’t sure we could fill the other four spots
until Kevin Kittrick, the scoutmaster of Troop 401 in
Kemme brought along his son and two other 14-year-olds. Now we could start
planning in earnest. With a two-year lead, we got together at intervals and
organized the crews. Then the problem of getting 20 people and all their gear
to
Round trip tickets to
In late 1998 the five advisors got together to plan a series of training camps/backpack trips. Finally, after one training trip in March 1999 (boy was it COLD!) and three backpacking trips of increasing difficulty, we hoped we were ready.
Sunday, June 20, 1999
Today we’re off to Philmont. Everyone met at
Arriving at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport on time, we de-planed
and headed to the gate for the flight to
We arrived in
Monday, June 21, 1999
The whole bunch rose early and, of course, they were HUNGRY. We’d been told the base enlisted mess, the Thunderbird Inn, served a great meal for a cheap price. So, we left on the four-mile hike across base to breakfast a little after 6am. We saw a lot of prairie dogs and burrowing owls and heard a bit of grumbling about the hike but finally arrived at the mess hall a little after 7am.
The grumbling stopped soon after the boys got in the mess line. Fresh omelets, biscuits and gravy, hash browns, cereal, juice, and hot chocolate, the WORKS! The boys (and adults) ate their fill – then came the bill. We ended up paying $40 to feed 20 people! We also found out that the Thunderbird had won the trophy for the best dining facility in the Air Force this year. Several boys wanted to enlist on the spot.
We walked off breakfast a bit on the way to the
Just about every nuclear device the
It was a unanimous decision of the boys to go back to the Thunderbird for lunch. Again they ate their fill and it cost us a whopping $38. At this rate, we were going to be under budget for the trip.
After lunch we caught the Number 9 city bus for downtown
Old town was a bit of a tourist trap – lots of stores with trinkets to buy. Most of us got ice cream and some visited the rattlesnake museum. Chip passed on the museum. Mr. Machala again called the transit authority and, lo and behold, the backpack had been found. It was agreed he would meet the bus back at our transfer point in a half-hour. Dave left on his mission and said he’d see us back at base.
We caught a later bus and just missed the ol’ #9 back at the university. So we waited nearly an hour for another and just beat a thunderstorm we watched roll in from the southwest. The rain had stopped by the time we got back to the Air Force base and it was a good thing. We had to wait until a women’s aerobics class finished before we could enter and re-claim our turf. Some of the boys played cards on the steps while others went out in search of prairie dogs of which there is an abundance.
Once back inside, both crews divided the crew gear among the members so we’d
be packed and ready the next day. Then everyone got $10 apiece and we walked
out the base gate to search for dinner across the street. Most of the boys
opted for Taco Bell or McDonalds but Mr. DuMound found a fine southwestern
place tucked into the end of a shopping center. Mssrs. Ledinsky,
Everyone trooped back to the gym and bedded down by 10. Tomorrow, PHILMONT!
Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Everyone was up by 4am and dressed and packed by 4:45. Then we sat out on the porch and watched out bus driver blow by in the darkness without even slowing down. Mr. Kemme chased him toward the end of the base and he finally ran out of road and turned around. Kemme finally caught him and directed him back to the group of people with big piles of gear he somehow missed seeing.
We hit the road on time at 5am, headed north on I-25 for
Once off the interstate in
After eating it was back up I-25 to the
Just south of
We unloaded the gear quickly and made a final check throughout the bus before bidding bussie adieu. Chip and Matt, the two crew leaders, went into the reception area. Soon both crews had rangers and we were off to complete the long and often agonizing check in process.
If nothing else, our ranger, Dan Terlizzi, was an ace at shortcutting check in. The advisors first went to administration to finalize payments and such. We had done everything in advance so all there was to do was confirm things and pay for one extra photo for the troop library. On leaving admin we found Ranger Dan had gone ahead and got us a spot for the group photo. They only do these from 8am-11am because of the sun so he slid us in the nick of time.
We had the photo made of the contingent (both crews) together but they still had to shoot individual crew photos. This was for identifying the bodies in case there was a problem on the trail we were told. We then found our tents and dumped our gear before heading back "downtown" again.
Then Matt, Chip, Mr. Machala and I were off to logistics for final trip planning. This was the only place where we had any problems. Our trip planner didn’t seem to have much information for us and couldn’t answer many questions about out itinerary. It WAS a new trek for this year, but several crews had already gone before us. Hopefully this guy will never be made a ranger…he’d probably get lost in the shower house.
It turns out the maps of the Valle Vidal we were sent (and the additional one we bought) were last year’s edition and didn’t include the territory where two of our camps were located. We were told the trail camp at McCrystal Creek was anywhere along the creek in about a 1.5 KM area. Whiteman Vega was marked on the new maps but the actual camp was now about a mile and a half south. Luckily I got the UTM coordinates of Vega off the map. After lunch we’d have to buy new maps of the Valle.
We finished up the trip planning – scheduling our pickup 12 days hence and our meals once we returned – just before lunch. Dan had been busy while we were in logistics, getting us in line for medical check right after lunch. So, we gathered by the bell in front of the dining hall until a staffer came out and started pointing crew leaders to a door after taking their meal tickets. We all followed and said the Philmont Grace before entering. I think we had some sort of fake boneless BBQ ribs for lunch….pretty blah. Dan wouldn’t eat much in the dining hall. He said he’d wait for the trail food.
After lunch we gathered for medical checking – the longest part of the whole day. Boy were we glad out Ranger got us on the list early. Anyway, no one was in any danger of dying right away but I had to fake a Social Security number on Ian’s health form. His mother forgot to include it.
After medical, it was off to supply to draw our food and equipment. Even thought we brought our own equipment, they made us take two bear ropes, a sump frisbee, water purification stuff, a shovel and more bear bags. We locked up all Philmont’s gear except the ropes and went back to our tents.
Dan had everyone take his mattress out of the tents and spread out all our personal gear. He then read off each item that we SHOULD have and had us pack them back in the pack. Whatever was left was deemed unnecessary. We didn’t leave much for the locker. Everyone had packed very carefully realizing we’d have to carry everything for 11 days.
Some boys went back to the trading post of snack bar and I went to buy new maps. Matt couldn’t find his rain gear back home and we went to buy him a jacket. The only thing we could find was $95!
After another forgettable dinner at the dining hall, some went to church
services and the rest back to their tents. Some boys found a baby rattlesnake
next to a small sapling in the middle of
The day ended with a hike across the road and up the hill for the "New
Mexico Story" campfire. It was not a bad production but really a
historical pageant and not a typical Scout campfire. Walked back in the
twilight and the boys went to bed. I went to the advisors cabin for a late cup
of coffee and hear some tales from the advisors coming off the trail. Tried to
call Terry in
Wednesday, June 23, 1999
We were up at 5am for a last shower before hitting the trail. The boys up a bit later and headed for the 6:30 breakfast. Since our bus was scheduled to pick us up until 8:30 we had plenty of time for final packing. Matt and I went to logistics a final time to check on trail conditions and water supply at our camps.
Everyone finally got his pack over to the pavilion at reception to wait for the bus. We filled all our water bottles and weighed our packs. Matt’s and Ian’s were 45 pounds each. Mine was 55 and Dave Kemme’s was the heaviest of the crew at 62 pounds. The bus arrived and we loaded up for the hour and a half ride to our trailhead.
This is said to be the
longest bus ride at Philmont. We took a winding gravel road through the Vermeho
Ranch (now owned by Ted Turner) and finally into the
After our rangers ran out of gas (their standard talk only takes about a
half-hour) the driver filled us in on some of the history of the area. At one
point he stopped so we could watch a herd of elk up the hill from the road. Of
course we had to stop for a "clear and copious" break. An
explanation: The rangers drum into camper’s heads the need to drink plenty of
water in the dry, thin,
Finally we arrived at the turnaround, got off the bus and grabbed our packs
– forming the first of many pack lines at a wood fence. Crew
So, away we went, across this meadow with wildflowers blooming. In true low impact style we walked random paths, not in line, to minimize damage. After turning west, we stopped under a grove of pines and ate our first trail lunch. Back on the march again, we passed a large camp of horsemen and skirted around their camp. Corrals, piles of wood, a pumping station at a small creek to provide water to their shower house – some low impact camping.
Soon we spotted the old Ring cabin at the side of the meadow and made a
beeline for it. On beyond was the staff cabin and we could see someone on the
porch – wearing an Indians cap! We were welcomed by Bob Mosher, from
We were directed to the north, where
After camp went up, about 70 horsemen visited us – the folks at the plush camp we passed on our way in. This group goes by the name of the New Mexico Trail Riders and they were on their annual outing. They spend the day exploring the backcountry on horseback then return to camp for a catered meal, showers, etc. Tonight there were having bar-b-que and the next night, steak and lobster. Tough living.
Our first dinner was a lesson also. Because of a potential problem with haunta virus – a disease transmitted by deer mice – special precautions had to be taken. After bringing the proper amount of water to fix the dinner to a boil, everyone dips his eating gear in the boiling water to sterilize it. THEN the food is prepared in the hot water. Cleanup is done in cold wash and rinse and the dishes stored overnight by the sump. Sterilize immediately before using and cleanup cold – I like it!
Dan taught us a different method of "sumping" our wastewater. We were used to digging a hole about 8 inches deep, straining our dish water through the frisbee and letting the water percolate into the ground. Dan showed us how to make a sump with a pile of rocks. Then, you take a Ziploc bag and put in a layer of pine duff and poke small holes into the bottom. Strain the dishwater through the frisbee but put it through the bag of pine duff and drain the water onto the rock pile. Zip up the pine duff in more plastic, scrape the food particles off the frisbee into the "yum yum" bag (another Ziploc) and pee on the rocks to hide the food odor.
The frisbee, yum yum bag and Ziploc of pine duff go into the bear bag overnight and get re-used in succeeding days. In the morning, before leaving camp, we scatter the rocks so it looks like no one was there and fluff the grass where the tents were.
The advisors went back down to the cabin for coffee (and cake) and met a
coed crew who was just about dead. They had come from Rich Cabins (about 15
miles), got lost and were supposed to be at Whiteman Vega (a couple more miles
north) for the night. They begged to stay at
The coed bunch made dinner at
Thursday, June 24, 1999
Matt got us up at 6am to try and get an early start. Most everyone else was up by 6:30 but after breakfast and breaking camp it was 9:20 before we hit the trail. Our crew leader was not happy.
Matt and the boys then
proceeded to get disoriented and walked in a circle, ending up at the National
Forest campground that was across the road from where we camped. Finally
getting their bearings, we headed up McCrystal Creek on a jeep trail. After
meeting a work crew (stringing fence to keep the cattle away from sections of
the creek) we stopped for lunch. It was only about a quarter mile to the end of
the fence where we crossed the creek and made camp. We are set up on the
opposite side of the meadow from
Camp is in a grove of Ponderosa Pine where Can Creek runs down to McCrystal. The ruins of the old McCrystal homestead is up the meadow about a quarter mile from camp. The bark of the Ponderosa Pine in the area smell like butterscotch. It took a very long time to rig the bear ropes this afternoon. The boys kept getting the lines tangled in the trees. Dan was aghast. They finally got camp set up in time for a short rain.
Dave Machala came over to visit and he, Dave Kemme and I walked up to look at the ruins of the homestead. After we came back built a basin with rocks and a plastic garbage bag and rinsed out some clothes. Matt and Bryan joined in and Matt admitted to learning something new. After dinner Dan told ghost stories, mostly about Uracca Mesa, and the Anasazi, and we hit the sack for a good night’s sleep.
Friday, June 25, 1999
We are up early again (5am) and on the trail by 6:15. Re-crossed McCrystal Creek and humped up the hill to a ridge to the east. A lot of the area looked to have burned recently. Lots of charred trees on the ground, but others that were just burned around the base and otherwise healthy. We hit a north-south fence at the top of the ridge that is not on the map and found a gate. After continuing south along the ridge and then dropped down to the meadow and stopped for breakfast. Dan hiked with us as he hoped to get to try the mountain bikes at the camp and then catch a ride back to base.
After breakfast we
worked the edge of the meadow then made a beeline toward Whiteman Vega,
arriving at 9am. Matt got us an 11am slot for mountain biking so we set up camp
on a little wooded rise out of site of the staff cabin. Everyone went biking
except Matt who wasn’t feeling well. The staff lives in a high-tech metal and
plastic yurt – kind of a domed, pre-fabbed cabin. The mountain biking was
tiring but really cool. We aren’t used to the altitude yet and the first part
of the ride was all uphill. We stopped next to a deep ravine that was nothing
more than a deep ditch caused by water erosion.
Then our two staff leaders took us up into the rocks, then back down and across a meadow back to the road. This is where it got really interesting. Back up we went and then stopped at a sharp downhill through a big rock outcropping. Everyone went one at a time through the rocks, over the rocks and through some trees before stopping at the bottom. It was pretty hairy for us first-time mountain bikers. The it was back down to the gravel road and a long, flat ride back to the yurt.
After the program we went back and had lunch and napped. Dave Kemme and I took the opportunity to wash up too. Ranger Dan had gone back to base for a few days off before taking another crew out. He really got us started off right.
After dinner, we went down for advisors' coffee and the boys took down the trash. You can leave trash at staffed camps but they really want it compacted as sometimes weeks pass before the trash can be hauled out of the backcountry. The boys took it as a challenge to get the most trash in the smallest package. Coffee was really stout (the way I like it) but I had too much of a good thing and had trouble sleeping that night. We noted that our younger scouts should be taking part in the Pipestone ceremony at summer camp about the time we were hitting the sack.
Saturday, June 25, 1999
Up at 5am and on the trail at 6:15. I had information from another crew that
when leaving Whiteman Vega to just take a bearing on
After about a half mile
we came upon a group of cows and calves and one ol’ bull making a lot of noise.
We soon saw why – a pack of coyotes was skulking around in the trees bordering
the meadow. There were about 4-5 of them probably trying to get a calf away
from the rest of the herd. The coyotes finally gave up – either because we were
there of because of the bull’s bellowing – and we moved on.
Our line of march took us across the lower end of McCrystal Creek, up over a ridge and right down into the Forest Service campground. Here we stopped and heated water for our breakfast of oatmeal and the ever-present beef stick. There were bear-proof trash containers and a latrine which we took advantage of. This is the way to go, by the way. Get up, pack and hit the trail then stop for breakfast along the way. Making breakfast in camp first seemed to cause more of a delay as the boys fooled around after eating when they were supposed to be packing up.
We headed down to the
Here is where it got interesting. We crossed a pretty good gravel road where there wasn’t one marked on the map. We were actually further west than we thought. So, we continued on uphill before stopping for a rest to reconnoiter. Dave Kemme and I went a bit further and flushed up a pair of elk feeding on the hillside. After the boys came up, I took a reading with the GPS and found out where we actually were. The road should swing around below us and if we headed south we’d hit a creek and follow it to the left to the road.
The creek was right where it was supposed to be but in a 30 foot deep gully. Boy I’d like to see the rainstorm that did that. We hit the road and Drew decided he was done bushwhacking for the day and we’d take the road, even if it meant hiking an extra mile. We did just that, but the boys got anxious and turned up the wrong jeep trail and we found ourselves one valley north of Iris Park. So, it was a quick bushwhack up and over and we saw the solar-powered pump at the head of the valley. We’d made it by 11:30 – just in time for lunch.
Since we were the first ones into this trail camp, we took the upper end and
camped in the trees in lush grass. I know why this is called Iris Park as we
had beds of wild mountain iris growing in between our tents. Lunch was Jalapeno
squeeze cheese, crackers, beef stick and raisins.
Later, some of us decided to hike back over the ridge and go to
Dinner was the best so far…beef stroganoff and corn. So far we’ve had dehydrated green beans and corn for dinner and found the secret of preparing them. Boil up some water well ahead of time, put in the veggies and let stand a couple of hours before preparing the rest of the meal. Then re-heat them before serving. The beans were better than some fresh one’s I’ve had back home. We didn’t have to make a rock sump as there was a real one by a small building near camp. Iris Park was a staffed camp last season so this must be the reason.
K2 came over for coffee and hot chocolate (there’s so much hot cocoa in the meals we always have a bunch left over) at about 8pm. Even with the boys moving around and making noise, two small mule deer bucks came grazing into camp. Both were still in velvet and came within about 50 feet before working their way back uphill to the north. Mr. Kemme and Pat sneaked into their tents and grabbed cameras then tried to stalk the deer for pictures. It was pretty dark by that time. Another good night’s sleep.
Sunday, June 26, 1999
We were again up at 5am and on the trail by 6:15. I’ve given up hope for
these boys getting going in less than an hour or so. We hiked a wet trail down
the meadow to the jeep trail. A ways down the trail we stopped for breakfast.
This was the end of the meadow of the largest of the
We took the trail
southeast and planned on taking a right on another trail up to a windmill where
we’d take a bearing direct to Rich Cabins. Somehow we missed what must have
been a faint trace. Down the trail another half mile or so we figured out we’d missed
the other one and took off on a westerly bushwhack. The boys got us right to
the windmill (I thought we’d hit the jeep trail a bit to the north of it) and
we stopped for a break.
After about a half-mile uphill we broke out on top of a steep cliff. There below us was Rich Cabins…way below us. The view into the valley and to Baldy was so good we stopped to have lunch. Then there was the problem of getting DOWN. Matt led us along the ridge until we found a trail down. This eventually went down a rocky, drainage that took a half-hour or more to negotiate. We finally broke out into the valley across the creek from the cabin.
After a rest we checked in and immediately took the tour of the homestead.
There were two male and two female staff dressed in period clothing. The Rich
family had prospered ranching in the area until one of the brothers gambled
away all their profits in
This camp was our worst in the Valle being at the far end of the meadow on a hillside. There wasn’t much room to spread out and we were about 400 yards from the cabin. After Ian and I cooked dinner, we went down for advisor’s coffee. The coffee was extremely WEAK. I’d been hoping for more of the rocket fuel like we had at Whiteman Vega. They did have a bunch of oranges and we were urged to eat as many as we wanted. The boys came down for the evening program and brought the trash.
The staff was impressed with the compactness of our trash; they kept showing it around to other crews in camp, much to the delight of our guys. The evening program involved chasing chickens, donkeys, feeding the cattle and, finally, getting to milk one of the cows. We opted to miss the campfire and turned in early. Everyone was in the sack by 9pm. Tomorrow will be our toughest day.
Monday, June 28, 1999
Matt got us up at 4am and everyone hit the trail at 5:15. (It appears an hour and 15 minutes is the fastest this crew will ever get going). We hiked down the road to the jeep trail leading up to Wilson Mesa and stopped. Matt had everyone take off his pack and did some stretching exercises. Then we donned our packs and started up the steep trail.
Not long after starting
the climb, we spotted three mule deer feeding on the side of the hill. They
ignored us as we continued up the winding trail. It was a steep climb and every
so often you could get a look back down into the valley where we started.
Finally, near the top Drew scared up a turkey and just as we broke out of the
trees on top of the mesa, we saw a hen turkey and a polt run off through the
woods. We had climbed about 900 feet in altitude.
On top of the mesa is a large meadow stretching to the west and containing
several ponds. We stopped under some trees near the largest for breakfast. What
a beautiful sight with Baldy to the west reflected in the pond and yellow
wildflowers blooming all around. Behind our breakfast spot we found a large
ring of stones surrounding a wooden marker with the word "Cutter" cut
into it. We don’t know if this is the grave of a person, horse or what. Dave
Kemme vows to try to find the answer at the
After breakfast, we skirted the end of the pond and crossed the fence into Philmont property. From there it is a pretty steep downhill, rocky trail to Middle Ponil Creek. We lost all that altitude we struggled to gain earlier. We hit the creek and trail just above Pueblano and turned right. We could see latrines from the various campsites at intervals as we hiked up the valley. The trail is about a foot wide at times and cut very deep by all the feet that have hiked this trail over the years. Shortly we came into Pueblano Ruins camp (although we didn’t see any ruins) and stopped for a break.
During the stop the boys broke out the water filters and pumped more water
from the creek. Then, we hit the trail to the left toward our camp at
Just when everyone was about ready to drop from the climb, we topped out at the end of a meadow that marks the camp. In our hurry to grab a spot and rest we didn’t spend much time checking out the sites and picked a site in a grove of trees in the middle of the meadow. This wasn’t such a bad site, except for all the downed trees around it. It was very windy up here and we had to re-rig the dining fly once after it blew over. Camp went up in a hurry and we had our lunch.
After resting a bit, everyone except Mr. Kemme hiked to French Henry for the program. It was about a two mile hike with a lot of up and downhill on dirt jeep trails. At French Henry the boys got a history of the area and panned for gold. Finding no gold they then got a blacksmithing demonstration and made a J-hook. Eric convinced the staff member to let them make some tent stakes to replace ones he and Drew had lost. Then we hiked up the creek valley to the Aztec Mine.
The creek that rushes down from Baldy through French Henry is clear, fast and cold. It runs through pretty lush vegetation even at that high altitude. We got to the mine as another group was leaving and got right in. Everyone had to wear helmets for good reason. The low-ceilinged tunnel and the support beams caught everyone a few times and yours truly more than a few times. Mr. Kemme would have had a concussion had he been along.
We only went into the mine about 200 feet to where it had been closed off.
The shaft runs clear through the mountain to
Of course, we knew the guide was going to hide somewhere and try to spook us. He let us pass there in the total darkness of the mine and pulled Eric off the end to see if he was missed. He wasn’t which led him to believe the impression he made on his crew mates the past few days wasn’t the best. The guide finally yelled and nobody jumped so we walked the rest of the way out. Going from the darkness and 50 degrees of the mine to bright sun and 80 degrees outside was a shock.
After that we hiked a different trail back toward the
Tuesday, June 29, 1999
Today we climb
The combined crews minus Drew and Big R started up the mountain trail at
6:45am. The two boys decided they’d guard our stuff back in
The saddle had some
scrub growth on the east side and patches of snow but the top and west was
almost completely bare. The fierce wind whipping up from the west probably had
something to do with that. After a break on the grassy saddle, we started up
the rock-covered side of Baldy itself. This was a very tough go and luckily was
on the lee side of the mountain. The first boys reached a spot just below the
summit and we all decided to wait on the rest of the crew and all summit
together.
It was warm sitting in the sun behind the rocks and out of the wind. With everyone finally assembled, we started to the last few feet to the top – and got lashed by 70 mile per hour winds. It was a clear day and you could see for miles, but hardly stand up in the high winds whipping over the summit. Everyone finally made it up to a rock wall someone at built at the top to block the wind and we made pictures. It turned out we were at the lower of the two high points so we trucked over to the other one – about 50 yards away – but it was even windier on that side. I don’t remember it being windy in 1968 when I was there before.
After about a half hour we started down the north side, intending to take
that trail down into
At the bottom there was a well-worn trail which we followed back down to
Alas, no root beer (despite what the PEAKS book says) and the showers were
not working. We met Drew and Big R, got a snack in the trading post and I mailed
a post card there to see how long it would take to get home. Matt grabbed
several boys and we got our next three days food at the commissary and headed
back to
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
We slept in this morning until 6am and hit the trail at 7:15 (yep, an hour and 15 minutes just like always). We hit the Baldy Skyline trail and had breakfast in a small clearing a little after 8. Several other crews passed us on the trail to Head of Dean and at a major intersection, we chose the northerly route and arrived in camp before 10am.
There were a lot of
crews there already – many were just passing through and stopped for the
program and to do their conservation project. We formed a pack line and got the
porch talk from Nancy and Sara. The boys really listened to this one. We were
just in time to head up and do our conservation project and were advised to
leave our packs and take lunch.
We were able to eat our lunch while we got an extensive talk on forestry practices by Doug. Doug is a forestry student about to enter his senior year and was really into fire as a means of insuring the health of a forest. Philmont has a full suppression policy in regards to fire and none of the property had been burned for 80 years or so. The layer of duff (old pine needles and debris) was very heavy and if not burned off in a controlled manner could really mean any real forest fire would be a bad one.
Anyway, our three hour project turned into an hour and a half of Doug talking and about a half hour of actual work. Some of us cut small scrub trees in this stand of timber while other carried out and stacked logs that had been previously cut.
When we got back to camp, we saw our sister crew,
After dinner we went down to the cabin for advisor’s coffee. We met a man
from
Thursday, July 1, 1999
We were up at 6am again – it’s impossible to sleep later. The boys had the option of doing the C.O.P.E. course this morning before hiking to our next camp, a trail camp with no program. They blew off the program and headed out. Again, there was some confusion about which way they needed to go. First we marched up to the staff cabin, but once there the boys realized they were going the wrong way. So back down they went to a trail junction….and right past the sign.
Matt stopped them and
they came back to confer. Mr. Kemme and I decided to keep quiet and let them
figure it out on their own. They finally picked the trail that said "
Following breakfast we saddled up and headed down the canyon, arriving at New Dean camp about 10:30am. Since we were first there we took site #4 under a big pine tree next to a dry creek bed. Our other crew rolled in a half hour later. We made some leftover soup with lunch (squeeze cheese AGAIN) and explored some old steam engine parts that were left sitting around the meadow. In 1968 our troop camped at this site but it seemed more closed in now. I guess the trees encroached on the meadow in the past 30 years.
After lunch, Mr. Kemme, Matt, Ian, B.J. Bryan, Pat and I climbed the hill behind camp and up on a big rock outcropping above. From there we watched another crew hike through the camp on there way elsewhere. Mr. Kemme has this wild, savage yodel he can do and scared the daylights out of the crew down below. There’s been very little rain on the entire trip but very windy at times. Today was one of those days. The boys built a windbreak out of rocks to shield the stoves when cooking dinner.
Friday, July 2, 1999
Matt had us up by 6am and we heated water for oatmeal while everyone packed up. WOW, we got on the trail by 7:10 today even having a hot breakfast in camp. The other crew pulled out ahead of us. The first part of the trail was a long uphill climb to the Dean Skyline. The boys then had to choose between two routes. They took the one to the left, which they though would be easier. However, this trail is little used and a lot of trees were down across it. It took us well up the canyon from Ponil then back down above the valley before dropping us right on top of camp. We rolled in at 10:10am, got the porch talk and were taken to a site. We got #18 right across from the SHOWER HOUSE! We all had a wonderful, HOT shower before a lunch of peanut butter and jelly squeezers and crackers. Thank goodness this is the last trail lunch we have to eat.
Following lunch we went
back to the cabin and branded hats and boots with one or both of Philmont’s
brands.
The boys spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the trading post and guzzling root beer at the cantina. They would fill a quart water bottle for a buck and several boys, Ian especially, got more than enough. They had to be warned to drink at least as much water as root beer lest they get sick. I ended up in a Euchre game with Drew, Erik and Pat in the old cantina until dinner. Pat and I lost, two games to one.
Our cooks left early to help prepare the chuck wagon dinner. Beef stew, biscuits and peach cobbler. The stew was Dinty Moore, which annoyed Mr. Kemme, and the biscuits and cobbler were burnt. Our cleanup guys had fun chipping the charcoal out of those Dutch Ovens, I bet. We again had an advisor’s coffee at Ponil’s staff dining hall complete with cheesecake, pie and cobbler. The woman who cooked for the staff really could baked up some fine desserts. We went back for the cantina show, which was okay. They did have a piece of cake and sang Happy Birthday for Aaron who turned 15 that day.
The moon was late in rising tonight and some of us stood out looking at the stars a while before going to bed. The boys reported we had a few mule deer walk through camp while we were up having coffee.
Saturday, July 3, 1999
Mr. Kemme and I were up at 6am because the advisors had to cook and clean up
the chuck wagon breakfast. We were the first ones to arrive and started
whipping up pancake batter. Mr. Ledinsky, Mr. DuMound and Mr. Machala from
Since our bus wasn’t to pick us up until 10:30, the boys wanted to wait for
the cantina to open at 9 for a final root beer. We finally took off to hike to
Ponil turnaround at 9:35 and made it by 5 minutes to 10. The bus was early and
we loaded and headed down NM 204 to civilization. Bussie was a real pro and
kept the rear of the bus from sliding off the gravel highway as he fishtailed
through the turns at warp speed. He never even slowed down when a pickup truck
passed us going the other direction. We hit the highway back in
We were pros at this base camp thing by now and blazed through check in, got our valuables, tent assignments, turned in our equipment and cleaned out our storage locker before lunch. Mr. Kemme walked over to the museum and got us a time to tour the Villa Philmonte. After lunch I got our mail – Jeff got five letters from home – and went to the trading post with Matt and Ian to spend some money. Matt remembered he left his rain jacket (the one we had to buy at the outset of the trip) back in the shower house at Ponil. He went and made a report to security but I doubt we see the $95 raincoat again.
We went back to their tents to wait out a thunderstorm, the first real rain we’d seen the entire time. Then Mr. Kemme and I got showers and everyone dressed in Class A’s for the tour of the Villa Philmonte, Waite Phillip’s vacation home.
WOW! What a place this was. Spanish/European upstairs but Native American
and
We all stopped at the Seton Library on the way back. Ian scored a mailing tube (they were out at the trading post) so we could get our maps back intact. Dinner was OK (we longed for some of the trail dinners) and Matt volunteered to do laundry after dinner while Ian went to Mass with Mr. Kemme and some of the other boys. I stayed in the Laundromat and helped Matt with his evaluations.
Because of the threat of storms, they had the closing campfire in the tent drying area. What a bummer. There was no sound equipment and we could hardly hear a thing. The staff gave it their best, though. All the crew leaders lined up in front and were given our Arrowhead patches. Then they called the advisors up and the crew leaders presented us with the American flags they carried on the trek. The fire-less campfire ended with everyone singing the Philmont Hymn. I purchased coins with the Philmont Grace on one side and the bull on the other and gave one to everyone on both crews.
The boys went back to their tents and Mr. Kemme and I headed for the Advisor’s cabin to complete our evaluations for the camp and our Ranger and tell some tall tales to all the advisors who had just arrived at Philmont. We finally went back and got to bed around 10pm. I had to hit the latrine in the middle of the night and found a skunk skulking around the building. I gave it a wide berth and went back to bed.
Sunday, July 4, 1999
The skunk I saw during the night decided to amble through Ian and Jeff’s tent this morning but no mishaps were reported. Ian was awake and said the animal came under the side of his tent and walked under his bunk diagonally, under Jeff’s and out the other side.
We all got up and went for breakfast at 7am then went back and packed up and
swept out the tents. Our bus was due at 9am but he showed before 8:30. So we
loaded up and waited for the driver to finish visiting with some of then staff
he knew. Our driver, Ron Bertschi, was originally from
On the other side of the canyon is the town of
All of a sudden a 700 foot deep gorge slices through this flat land with the
The boys mostly napped the rest of the way. They missed Sante Fe, which is
easy to do. The capital of
We arrived back in
We had to stay in Class A’s because the photographer was going to stop by and take some pictures for the base newspaper. After that little photo op, we ordered dinner and re-packed the crew gear. The boys played basketball and ping pong until dinner - pizza and sodas on the steps outside the gym. We watched fireworks over the city from outside the back doors before bedding down for the night. There were about 150 people sleeping on the gym floor tonight.
Monday, July 5, 1999
We’re GOING HOME! I got up at 5:45 to get a quick shower and the boys were up and packed by 6:30. The Air force bus was early and we made it to the airport by 7:15. Again we had to re-ticket everyone but Northwest speeded things up by putting four people on one ticket. Everyone got a chance to spend the $5 they got for breakfast before getting on the plane.
Ian, Matt and I got the same seats as on the way out. We were also served
breakfast so the boys were really happy in getting to eat twice. Things got a
little dicey as we made our approach to
We made it one the second try and rushed down three gates and immediately
boarded out flight to
There was a small crowd welcoming us when we deplaned in
The trip was great by everyone’s estimation. Both crews came together quickly and helped each other throughout the journey. Everyone was challenged and they all met that challenge. Hopefully our troop will go back in a few years and begin a tradition of attending Philmont. It’s much more than a backpacking trip.