PHILMONT EXPEDITION 717R2 2001 Trek 20

Philmont Journal
by Danny Burke

 

Introduction:
As a boy scout I never got to experience the thrill of Philmont, the following is a journal I kept while on the trail. This being my very first trek it was extra special for me, as I got to experience it with my son Cody.

 

Crew 717 R2
Adults:
Steve Unger
Charlie Dierker
Danny Burke
Bruce Unger

Youth:
Joey Dierker ~ Crew Leader
Chris Gonzales (Gonzo)
Cody Burke
Phillip Zielke
Chris Grenier
Paul Woody
Geoff Jenson

Our sister crew was also from our Troop

Crew 717 R1
Adults:
J.D. Hunter
Bruce Hammons
Len Prisco
Tom Davis

Youth:
Andrew Hunter ~ Crew Leader
Jonathon Miller
Tommy Davis
Jake Hammons
Randall Priddy
Matt Prisco
Matt Yandell

July 15 Sunday ~ Fort Worth to Cimarron

We gathered at the Scout Hut at 5:00 a.m. and got everything packed in the
Troop trailer. After a couple of delays (a couple of the guys forgot some
things) we left at 6:15 a.m. We headed north by northwest up Hwy 287 on a
trip of a lifetime. We stopped for breakfast at the Jolly Truck Stop outside
Wichita Falls, they were very accommodating considering they were busy and in comes 2 crews of Boy Scouts. Breakfast was great, I ordered the Western Omelet, very tasty. The waitress told us they get Scout Troops in all the time and that our boys were well behaved, hopefully a sign of good things to come. We stopped for gas and to stretch our legs in Childress, Bruce H took over the driving duties. Most of the boys in my Suburban either slept or listened to their own music on personal CD players while Bruce H and I jammed to the Doobie Brothers, always good driving music. We stopped for lunch in Amarillo, most of the boys hit the Taco Bell, while the adults hit the local McDonalds across the street. We told the boys to return to the vehicles in an hour. Back on the road, I glanced at the thermometer on the Suburban, the temperature outside was 102*, ah yes summer in Texas. We made a final gas stop and leg stretch in Clayton, New Mexico and headed west on Hwy 56, just outside Gladstone we ran into a heavy thunderstorm, it dropped the outside temperature to 62*.  We arrived at the Ponil Campground outside Cimarron at about 5:45 and checked in. We set up camp along Ponil Creek and the boys went and played volleyball. The adults cooked a steak dinner for everyone and then we sat back and enjoyed the New Mexico evening, the boys headed off once again, up to the pavilion for cards and dominoes. I used Charlie's cell to call home as my phone didn't have signal, the sky was threatening rain so we buttoned down the tents and some headed for bed after a long day on the road.

July 16 Monday ~ Cimarron

An early morning as I was awakened by an owl in the tree above my tent. I
listened to him for awhile, then fell back to sleep, only to be awakened by
some coyotes running up Ponil creek which is right behind and below Cody and my tent. I decided to get up, I rolled out of the tent to a cool morning with some clouds. Bruce H was already up, we walked up to the highway and watched the sun rise, there were 16  deer grazing in a field across the highway from our camp. We sat at the picnic table and enjoyed the early morning, everyone started getting up and it was soon time to head into Cimarron for breakfast at Heck's. Good chow, ordered pancakes and eggs, and sausage. After breakfast we drove out to Philmont, got my first view of the place I've heard so much about but never thought I'd actually get to see. We drove to the parking lot and parked, walked over to the Library and the Museum where we picked up our tickets for the tour of the Villa Philmonte. We headed down to the Villa as the tour was about to begin, our tour guide was from Oklahoma, her name was Alexis Peterson and the troopers were quite taken with her. We looked all through Waite's house, the living room with all the Mediterranean decor, upstairs through Waite and Geniveve's bedroom. Finally downstairs to Waite's hunting room. Alexis was an excellent tour guide, the boys invited her back to camp for supper, she was a no show, but we really didn't expect her to come. After the tour we let the boys go where they wanted, all were to meet back at the cars at 2:00. I headed over to the Trading Post to look around, Steve U and Tom went over to Logistics and got an itinerary change for us, we will not go to Turkey Creek, instead we will go to Vista Grande, a good change for us. At 2:00 we all met back at the cars and drove back out to Ponil campground. The boys once again went up to play volleyball, while the adults looked over the maps and studied the route. I went through my pack and decided to take some stuff out and leave at Base Camp. We cooked burgers and hot dogs on the grill for supper. I found a small tear in our tent fly so had to replace it. I decided I would carry an extra fly on the trail for the crew (my pack gets heavier). The boys played cards and more volleyball after supper, I headed up to the showers, that sure felt good. The coyotes returned
across the creek again. Tommy and Joey came back down from the volleyball match and decided to hang Woody's pack way up high in a tree, it took some doing but they finally got it up there. We sat around the campfire and talked about the next 2 weeks, watched a satellite track across a crystal clear New Mexico sky, shooting stars, and more star gazing. I went to my tent to write in my journal, and hopefully get a good nights sleep. Six of the boys got locked in the shower house and couldn't get out.
Philmont tomorrow!!!!

July 17 Tuesday ~ Base Camp

A little better sleep last night, we were visited again by the owl over our tent, hope
thats a good omen. Joey got everyone up and we broke camp, our fly pole had pushed its way through the fly during the night, cheap tents. We ate a quick breakfast of Pop Tarts and Power Bars and then drove out to Philmont. We went to the Welcome Center and checked in, met our Ranger, Taylor Frame from Macon, Georgia. Seems like a good guy, went to our tents,  Cody and I got our tent assignment (B11). We dropped off our packs and started the check-in process. During the registration, Taylor found out I was an EMT so he asked me to do the first aid talk. While, Bruce U, Steve, and Joey went into Logistics the rest of the crew went over to the health lodge for our medical check in. Medical checks came off without a hitch, my BP was 146/64. After medical we picked up our crew equipment and food, back to our tents where we changed into our Class A
uniforms, and had our crew pictures made. We did shakedown and we were done with check in by 11:00. We divided up our crew equipment and then headed off to lunch at 11:30. After lunch the afternoon was ours, I went to the Trading Post and bought some stuff. I went back to my tent and did a check on my pack, laid down on my cot and took a quick power nap before it got to hot in my tent. Up to the Trading Post again to pick up some things for my wife and daughter. I found Cody and we went and called home. My wife was all excited as she had just got home from having lunch with Aaron Tippin the Country Western singer, she had won another radio contest. (I wish she would buy a Lottery ticket.) After the phone call home Cody went back to card playing with the crew and I went over to the Advisors Lounge until supper. Our Ranger met us at the Advisors Lounge and we went up to the dining hall where the crew talked Taylor into letting them catch him as he fell backwards from the bell. After supper a rain shower during the advisors meeting brought out a double rainbow. Because of the rain they moved chapel inside the equipment area. After chapel, off to opening campfire and the Philmont story. Very Good, everyone remembered their lines. We went back to our tents and I went to bed. Tomorrow we hit the trail.

July 18 Wednesday ~ Six- mile Turnaround to McBride Canyon

Heard another owl this morning as I woke up around 5:45, I decided to get up and
take a shower. After my shower I returned to my tent and started getting ready for
the trail. Off to breakfast at 6:30 and then another gear check. We cleaned out our
tents and went up to the Welcome Center to wait for the bus. Weighed our packs,
mine was 54 lbs, Cody's was 49 lbs. We had an 8:00 bus, when Taylor arrived we
boarded our bus and rode to Six-mile gate to start our trek. After a brief talk about
the Red Roof Inn's and some orienteering we started our hike up Ponil Creek. We
hiked up Ponil Creek crossing it twice, then up McBride Canyon to our campsite.
We took campsite #2, and set up camp. Taylor worked with us on how to hang the
bear bags and set up the dining fly, then it was time for lunch. Lunch was pretty
tasty, chicken salad & crackers. After lunch we sat around and enjoyed a Philmont
afternoon, the thunderstorms were building as we could hear the thunder rolling up
the canyon. Soon the afternoon rains came and most everyone went to their tents.
The showers came and went thru the afternoon. We purified our water and started
supper. Cody and Woody fixed a wonderful 1 pot meal of BBQ beef and mashed
potatoes, we topped that off with a 3 berry cobbler for desert. Taylor topped that
with a blueberry cobbler he made for us, we had plenty of dessert but no one
complained. As we ate, 2 deer wondered thru camp. To the east of camp there
was a rock outcropping above our campsite, some of the boys decided they were
going to climb it and so they did, getting some really great pictures. We purified
some more water for the mornings hike out of camp and enjoyed the mountain
evening. After Thorns and Roses the bear bags were hung and everyone retired to
bed.

July 19 Thursday ~ McBride Canyon to Ponil

I woke to a rain shower, and laid in my sleeping bag listening to it until it was time
to get up, as we headed out of our tents at 5:30 the rain had stopped. Taylor had
said we could wake him at 7:00 the next morning, we told him he would have to get
himself up at 7:00 as we would be long gone by 7:00. He told us no way would we
be up and out of camp in an hour. We left camp at 6:30 on the dot, and that was
after we had to stop and repair Steve's pack (a clevis pin had broken). The hike out
of McBride Canyon is a beast, very steep. We ate breakfast on the trail with Baldy
mountain looming behind us, we would be there in a few days. We climbed up and
over Hart Peak (elev 7978 ft), stopped for some crew photos at the summit. We
went down Cedar Canyon, hard on the toes, and on into Ponil Camp. During the
cabin talk as we checked in I spotted a black bear on a large rock above the
cantina. We watched the bear for a while until the staffers chased him off, unable to
get a good picture of him though. We crossed the creek and hiked up Ponil canyon
to our campsite, just as we started to set up it started to rain a little. We sat under
our fly and ate lunch as it rained on and off that afternoon. The crew went up to
play horse shoes and try their hands at roping, then off to the cantina. We took a
stroll through camp looking around at what used to be one of Philmont's original
base camps. We stopped by the trading post and cantina, the boys were playing
dominoes and drinking root beer. For supper that night we had a chuckwagon
dinner of beef stew and cornbread. Phillip volunteered to be the cook from our crew
as each crew sent up a cook. Just as we were ready to eat supper a heavy rain
began to fall, which made for some wet eating. Peaches were served for dessert,
all in all, and in spite of the rain, the meal was pretty good. We headed back to
camp across the creek and sat back under the dining fly until the rain stopped.
When the rain stopped Tommy pulled out his frisbee and both crews gathered for
some Ponil canyon frisbee. At 7:00 the advisors went up for advisors coffee, they
served cheesecake, cookies, and "death by chocolate cake", I could get very used
to this, the staff cook was a chef I'm thinkin'. We stopped back by the cantina on
the way to camp, the crew was there drinking root beer, eating peanuts, and
playing dominoes and cards. As we came out of the cantina a double rainbow came
out (very nice, hope my pictures come out, the camera is acting up). After the boys
returned from the cantina Taylor talked with us a little about Philmont and how to
really enjoy ourselves by doing everything we could do. "Make all the memories you
can.." he told us. He gave us our Wilderness Pledge and we gave him a troop t-
shirt and made him an honorary member of the Troop 50 Thunderbirds, we said our
goodbyes and then everyone headed off to bed.
Very tired tonight ~~

July 20 Friday ~ Ponil to Rich Cabins

Got to sleep in this morning as we had a chuckwagon breakfast of sausage and
pancakes. Steve and Charlie went to help cook as it was the advisors who were
cooking this morning. The rest of us broke camp, then headed up to breakfast.
Bruce U and I stayed after breakfast and helped cleanup. We were on the trail by
7:30, we decided to not take the road as R1 had done, we took the trail above
Ponil canyon. Ponil canyon was beautiful, Woody did a great job leading today,
keeping a nice steady pace. At one point he took off running in full pack so he could
get a crew photo as we rounded a bend in the trail. The Valle Vidal is really nice,
lots of cottonwood trees and great views, the creek (middle fork Ponil) was filled
with fish. We took a packs off break and decided we were ahead of schedule so
we decided to side hike to Wilson Mesa. We packed a lunch, Steve and Tom
stayed behind with the packs while the rest of us started up the trail for Wilson
Mesa. We spotted 2 more deer above us on the mountain side, earlier we had
seen a red tailed hawk flying up the canyon. The climb up Wilson Mesa was
actually a 4-wheel drive road, very steep and rocky. Reminds me of the 4-wheel
drive road into Yankee Boy basin in Colorado. (my toes are killing me!!!)  When the
hike leveled out it was much easier to walk. The mesa was beautiful with a small
lake surrounded by cattails, there were ducks on the lake. Baldy mountain towered
above us as we ate lunch in the meadow under a huge Ponderosa pine. We found
an old grave with a tombstone made of wood with the name Cutter carved into it.
What a final resting place, looking at Baldy for eternity. Woody and Charlie took
some crew and individual photos (my camera is still not working). As rain was
threatening we started the hike back down. It was much easier going down, we
met crews from Houston, Cleveland, and West Virginia. Saw 4 more deer and 3
Western Tanagers, really pretty birds. We picked up the packs and our other
advisors and left for Rich Cabins. We stopped a little ways up the trail to watch a
snake cross the trail. As we walked into camp I spotted a fox off the trail, we
watched her and her kits for a few minutes, really cool. We made a pack line and
went up to the cabin for check in, then up to our campsite. In the Valle there are no
cables for bear bags so Steve, Woody, Cody, Geoff and I hung the bear bags. The
boys got water out of the creek and purified it, then went on the cabin tour. Steve
and I stayed behind at camp as my feet and toes were really hurting. After the
cabin tour the crew made a food pickup for the next 3 days at the commissary. We
fixed dinner and dessert and enjoyed another Philmont evening. The advisors
headed up for advisors coffee, one of the staffers played his fiddle. Outside the
crew was busy milking the cow, cleaning out the barn, slopping the hogs and
chasing the chickens. Bruce U, Geoff, and Gonzo all caught a chicken.  One of the
hogs had an encounter with a bear just a week ago, the hog had some pretty good
scars on its back but looked like he was going to be okay. (Woody had an extra
battery for my camera and its working again, really a good thing, I had purchased a
new battery at the Trading Post before we went out on the trail but found out it was
the wrong battery, now I can take my own pictures.) The crew had fun and stayed
around for the porch campfire program. As the staffer played his fiddle Bruce U and
Woody led the rest of the crews in Summer Camp songs like "Its a Lie" and "1492."
I didn't stay for campfire I headed back to camp to catch up on my journal. If
Steve's GPS is working properly today we did a little over 9 miles with the side hike
to Wilson Mesa. Time for bed.

July 21 Saturday ~ Rich Cabins to Greenwood Canyon

Another early morning as Joey woke us again at 5:30, we were out of camp at
6:30. The hike up Ponil canyon was nice, lots of cottonwood trees. We looked for
animals but the other crew was ahead of us and probably scared them off. I saw
an owl high in a pine tree, a Stellar jay was really giving the owl fits and the owl
finally flew off, the jay must have had a nest nearby. During one of our creek
crossings a snake crawled between Gonzo's legs, he jumped out of the water, we
all had a good laugh on that one. We passed the other crew as they were taking
their packs off break, and we led into Greenwood canyon. Finally we were off the
road and onto a trail, the campsites were few and far between. We took our packs
off break and the other crew passed us and went on up the trail. Getting close to
lunch time the other crew had stopped in an area wide enough for both of us to
camp in. We really wanted to reach the end of the canyon before camping for the
night, so we sent out a scouting crew to see how much further up the trail we had
to go. When they returned we talked it over and as it was only a little ways further
we decided to push on before stopping for the day. Rain was threatening so we put
on our pack covers. About a 1/2 mile on up the canyon it started to hail and then
the bottom fell out, one of the hardest rains I've seen, not to mention lightning bolts
that seemed to be sticking out of the ground all around us and thunder so loud as it
rolled up the canyon. Boy did we make a mistake, we should have stopped with the
other crew and gone ahead and set up camp, we had definitely violated one of our
own Philmont rules of getting into camp early. Luckily we had come to the end of
the canyon and found a really nice campsite that was pretty level, by Philmont
standards. It really began to pour as we set up the dining fly, we were all soaked,
the lightning and thunder was awesome!!!! The other crew showed up at this time
as they wanted to camp with us. Everyone was soaked, the storm finally passed
and the sun came out, which gave us a window to finish setting up camp and dry
out. We ate a quick lunch and purified our water, finishing just as another shower
moved in. Most everyone headed to their tents, Steve, Cody and I sat under the
dining fly and listened to it rain and thunder, Cody fell asleep under the fly. The
temperature dropped and I started getting cold so I put on my rain pants and long
sleeve shirt, finally got warm. Supper time rolled around and the rain seemed to
have stopped for a while, Cody and Woody fixed a fine stew, we all opted for no
dessert tonight. Bruce U, Woody, Matt P, Matt Y, Cody, Gonzo, and Jake all
climbed up above camp to a rock ledge after cleanup and the bear bags were
hung, for pictures.  As we were finishing Thorns and Roses it started to rain again,
so we all said good night and went to our tents. Another Rocky Mountain
thunderstorm to go to sleep by.


July 22 Sunday ~ Greenwood Canyon to Copper Park

We rolled out of camp at 6:30 and started the long hike up out of Greenwood
Canyon. The trail is really an old logging road, we took it slow and steady as it was
going to be a long hike. We stopped for breakfast after about an hour of hiking.
Since we already had passed our sister crew we decided to eat a quick breakfast
and stay on the trail ahead of them. We took several blows and made a few stops
to catch our breath as we were hiking close to 11,000 feet in elevation, the views
from the trail were spectacular. Bruce and Woody sang summer camp songs as we
kept up the steady pace and occasionally did the caterpillar. Good thing these two
young men had just finished working at summer camp and Aquatics school all
summer, the songs helped everyone in the crew keep their minds off the hard
climb. After a couple of hours we made the summit where we stopped for crew
pictures with Baldy in the background. If we thought the climb up was hard the
climb down was even worse. The trail or lack of trail was muddy and very slick and
in places very, very steep. It soon became just fall from one tree to the next tree
and do it all over again. Steve fell a couple of times as did Gonzo and Cody. When
Cody fell he grabbed a dead tree and it pulled out of the ground and came with him.
We finally decided to bushwhack and make our own trail, which made our descent
a lot easier and a little bit safer. We made our way down into Copper Park
stopping a couple of times for me as my toes and feet were killing me, almost could
not walk at times, we set up camp in site number 11. We ate a quick lunch and
hung the bear bags, started the water purifying and the crew left to side hike to
French Henry. J.D. and Bruce U climbed back up the trail we had just come down
to look for J.D.'s Thermarest pad and one of his shoes that had fallen off his pack
on the bushwhack down. They found the shoe, but no Thermarest pad, looks like
someone will sleep well tonight on J.D.'s pad. When J.D. & Bruce returned I
accompanied them on down to French Henry. I had stayed behind at camp to give
my feet a rest, but was ready to go when they returned. As we came to the
meadow where the fork in the trail goes to French Henry or to Baldy Camp, I
spotted a female black bear up on the hillside with 2 cubs. We watched her root
around for some bugs as she was turning over and old log, the cubs stayed on the
hillside above her. She finally wondered uphill back in to the trees, we took a couple
of pictures and then continued on down to French Henry. We missed the mine tour
but caught up with the boys as they were heading to the forge. We went to the
Staff cabin and reported the bear sighting, then went over to the forge to watch the
crew make an S - hook. Had a good laugh when Gonzo struck the anvil with the
sledge hammer and the blacksmith made him kiss the anvil. We presented Joey
with the S-hook as he was our crew leader. After the forge we went over to pan for
gold. The boys had fun panning, I showed them how to pan and dipped a couple of
pans myself, no color at all, didn't really expect any, but there wasn't any black
sand either. The female staffer asked me how I learned to pan, I told her I had
been prospecting for about 9 years now, so she asked me for a few pointers,
which I was happy to show her. We left French Henry and hiked back to Copper
Park, no bear this time, sorry Charlie maybe another time. This is Charlie's 3rd trek
to Philmont and he still hasn't seen a bear, (he caught a glimpse of the tail end of
the bear at Ponil), this is my first trek and now I've seen 4 already and we aren't
half way done. Back in camp we made spaghetti for supper and then had a crew
meeting on whether or not to get up early and climb Baldy for sunrise. I was a little
leery of this as was Charlie and Steve, but the boys wanted to do it, so we voted
and it was decided we would climb Baldy for sunrise. We treated our water and
everyone prepared for the early wake up time. Its only 7:30 now and everyone is
heading to bed. Today was a killer day on the trail, hardest yet on my feet, but
wow what a day. Philmont Rules!!!

July 23 Monday ~ Side Hike Baldy

A very early morning, my alarm went off at 3:20. It was another cool morning, no
moon at all and the stars were great. We dropped the bear bags and got our
clothes out, everyone had packed last night, so we were able to bug out at 4:10.
The trail was dark and everyone used flashlights until we broke out above tree line,
then there actually was enough light to see where we were going. The north side of
Baldy is all scree and very steep at times, the face was almost vertical. It makes
for a very difficult climb, I could not imagine doing it in full pack. We instructed the
boys to spread out so if one fell he wouldn't take someone with him. We made a
ridge line about 200 feet from the summit and everyone broke out their cold
weather gear as the wind chill on that open face I imagine was in the 30's as the
thermometer on Joey's pack was reading 46*. Jake was with us as we had a few
boys from the other crew with us, he was having trouble breathing in the thin air,
but then we all were, we had to coax and goad him up to the top. Bruce U and I
were the last ones up and we made the summit at 6:10 am. The sun was just
breaking the eastern horizon, what a view. All the suspicions that I had last night
were immediately gone when I watched the sunrise from this 12,441 foot summit
that I had just climbed. My lungs ached for air but I could not believe how truly
awesome the view from here was. To the north I could see the Spanish Peaks in
Colorado, back to the west Eagle Nest Lake, south the ski runs at Angel Fire. I
kept thinking that this was the closest to Heaven and my dad I had been since the
day he died. We took individual and crew photos, there were 2 deer on the ridge
just below us, I couldn't believe they were up so high. We heard a plane flying and
all were looking up for it when someone realized the plane was actually flying below
us. Cody who has a fear of heights was a little nervous but did real well. I looked
back down the north face and could not believe we actually had just climbed it. We
divided up the breakfasts and ate on the summit huddled in the wind shelters, we
had the whole place to ourselves. After about an hour and 10 minutes on the top of
Philmont we started the long hike down the south face to Baldy Camp. We met
several crews heading up, they couldn't believe we had already been to the summit.
We stopped at Baldy Camp and made a food pick up at the commissary, we
divided it up and put it in the packs we had carried. I went to the General Store and
bought a post card then went back outside and sat on a rock and wrote a short
note home and mailed it. The staffers at the commissary were passing out apples
and oranges, I ate about 4 oranges, man that was good, no chance for Scurvy now.
It was beginning to look like the weather was building up into afternoon showers we
decided to head back to Copper Park. We made it back to camp around noon, and
ate lunch, then everyone headed off to their tents for a much needed nap. R1 made
it in to camp around 3:30, they had started about 3 hours after we did. They had
spotted a bear on the high ridge near the top of Baldy as they made the summit.
We set in camp and watched the mini-bears dart here and there until another
afternoon thunderstorm chased us under the dining fly. Good supper this evening,
chicken soup with chocolate pudding for dessert. What a day, unbelievable
experience today, this is better then I ever thought it would be. My only thorn
tonight at Thorns and Roses was the fact my feet, especially my toes have been
killing me all trek, but by far everyone's rose was watching the sun rise from the
summit of Baldy.

July 24 Tuesday ~ Copper Park to Head of Dean

We rolled out of bed at 5:00 and were on the trail at 5:55, it was really cool this
morning in fact last night was the first night I actually had to get in my sleeping bag.
We pounded and hammered our way down "The Wall" to French Henry, better
going down here then up. The trail down to Pueblano Ruins was very rugged and
my toes were screaming. We stopped at Pueblano for our 2 hour rest stop and
watched a crew from Japan climb the spar poles. We decided not to stop for
program as they were getting filled up and we needed to be moving on. After our
20 minute rest stop we started our hour climb up and over to Head of Dean Camp.
Very nice campsite after a long hard day on the trail. We set up camp and ate a
quick lunch, then the crew went to do the Challenge course. Charlie and I wanted to
go, but his knee was swollen and both my feet were very sore. This really makes
me mad as I feel really good, have acclimated to the elevation well, but have never
had my toes hurt and burn and go numb like they are doing this trip. At 2:00 we all
met at camp to head up for our conservation work. Our crew had the fastest time
for the Challenge Course for the day. We hiked about 30 minutes up the trail
toward Dean Skyline to do some "Tree Stand Improvement." After instructions on
how to do it and the proper use of the tools, we went off in the forest and started
cutting down the marked trees. Our crew chopped down 5 trees and carried 3
trees to the pile in our alloted time. We all had fun and worked hard to get through
this part of the trek. After the conservation staffers signed off on our crew leaders
life form we started the 30 minute hike back to camp under the threat of rain. Baldy
was covered with rain and sure seemed a long way off, doesn't seem like it was
only 24 hours ago we were on top of it, this is going by to fast. It was another
thunderstorm evening setting under the fly and enjoying the "High Lonesome." After
supper the boys played cards, Cody, Chris G, Joey, Phillip, and Matt Y went up to
the staff cabin for a stump ball tournament. While they were there the staffers had
just killed a rattlesnake and were skinning it, they found a mini-bear inside the
snake as the staffer cut the snake open. There was a slight problem brewing in the
other crew and Steve had to step in a have a talk with them, hopefully everything
will be okay. As I sat under the fly enjoying the evening 3 deer wandered through
camp, we also spotted some wild turkeys today as we hiked to cons. I'm gonna hit
the sack early tonight as I am very tired.

July 25 Wednesday ~ Head of Dean to Vista Grande

Joey got us up at 5:30, it sounded like we were surrounded by coyotes. We broke
camp and were on the trail by 6:30. The trail was a good one today pretty smooth
not very many rocks. As we hiked into and  through Santa Claus camp we decided
to sing Christmas carols, talk about getting some strange looks by the few crews
that were camped there. As we neared the end of the camp we saw a wild turkey
with her chicks, we watched her for a few minutes then started off again. We
worked our way down Bear Canyon to our crossing under Highway 64, officially
ending the Northern part of our trek. We had some great views of Tooth Ridge and
Black Mountain. We took our packs off break at the tunnel under the highway. Our
sister crew was just leaving as we arrived, Bruce H had severely sprained his ankle
on the trail earlier today and had soaked his foot in the Cimarron river, said it felt
much better. Joey, Bruce U, Chris G, Geoff, & Phillip all took their boots off and
were setting on the bridge across the Cimarron river dangling their feet in the cool
water, when Cody and Woody made a stealth move around behind them and threw
a couple of big rocks in the river behind them soaking them all pretty good. Charlie,
Steve and I all got a good laugh out of that one. We saddled up and started the
climb up to camp, we rolled into camp after 7 hard hours on the trail. Once again it
was threatening rain as we set up camp. After a quick lunch and water run we
relaxed around camp for the afternoon. While we were setting there talking, a Red  
tailed hawk flew right over our heads to its nest behind our tents with a mini-bear in
its talons. After a fine lasagna supper and clean up, the advisors sat at the overlook
and watched the storm clouds roll over Baldy, a rainbow formed over camp, I was  
wondering if this really is the end of the rainbow. Bruce H caught a horned toad and
brought it over, its been a long time since any of us had seen one. The boys all
went to the meadow and had wrestling matches. Another beautiful Rocky Mountain
evening.

July 26 Thursday ~ Vista Grande to Hunting Lodge

We left camp at 5:00 this morning, it was another beautiful sunrise and we stopped
for a couple of crew photos at an overlook with a beautiful view. Philmont is full of
vistas and breathtaking views, now I know why everyone wants to return here. We
had a pretty good trail today as we climbed up and over Deer Lake Mesa. Today
we added another artist to our list of artists and their songs we had been singing on
the trail. So far we've sang the songs of George Strait, Garth Brooks, Jerry Jeff
Walker, Clint Black, The Mavericks, Radney Foster, today we added C.W. McCall,
what a great trek. As we made our way around the back side of the mesa we got
our first view of Ute Gulch below us, we could also see Tooth Ridge and Baldy. As
we took our packs off break R1 came by, they had left Bruce H, J.D. and Len
behind so they could get on down to Ute Gulch to the commissary before they
closed for lunch. Bruce H had a pretty badly sprained ankle and was moving very
slow. Woody had taped his ankle for him this morning but the ankle was really
swollen up and he had really slowed their pace. We took them into our merry band
and headed down into Ute Gulch. On the way down Woody started whistling the
tune to "Bridge on the River Kwai" we all joined in. It was starting to rain as we got
to the Commissary and picked up food for the next two days. We purchased some
more fuel for the stoves, Woody took the water drinking challenge, he finished 11/2
qts in 12 seconds a new Ute Gulch record. We had some really bad news at the
commissary we are losing 2 adults today, Steve has been battling a really bad rash
since we started the trek and he has decided it was bad enough to pull himself off
the trail and quit holding us up, we tried to talk him into staying with us, however he
said he felt for the safety of the crew he would pull out of the trek. Bruce H is also
dropping out of the other crew with his badly sprained ankle.  We hated to leave
our comrades but understood their reasoning for dropping out, we all said our tear
felt goodbyes and pulled out in a steady rain. A deer was grazing beside the trail as
we went by, I looked back over my shoulder at Steve and Bruce H and gave them a
final wave. The trail up Grouse Canyon was very rugged and very hard to walk on,
once again my toes were really burning. I'm so tired of this, thinking of seriously
chopping off my toes. We pushed it on to Cimarroncito and signed up for the 3:00
climb, then hiked another 30 minutes down to Hunting Lodge, did our check in and
set up camp. We ate lunch and the boys headed back up to Cito to climb. Charlie
and I stayed in camp as his knees were hurting him and of course what else my
toes and feet were hurting me so we stayed in camp. The Camp Director stopped
by and invited us up to the Lodge for some coffee and hot chocolate if we wanted.
We got our cups and headed up to the lodge. The lodge was built by Waite Phillips
for a base camp for his hunts, it is a really nice place, wouldn't mind moving in here
permanently. We sat on the porch out of the rain and talked and warmed up on
coffee and hot chocolate. There was a crew that had been at Hunting Lodge since
we arrived, they were just kind of hanging around, they had left their packs and
gone to Cito for climbing and showers then came back, they were supposed to go
on to Harlan, but kept asking if they could stay there at Hunting Lodge. Glenn the
CD told them he could not let them stay, they needed to continue on their assigned
itinerary. The advisor got rather belligerent and pretty much made an ___ of
himself, but the CD stood his ground. The crew finally packed up and left after they
found out they weren't going to get to stay there. When the crew came back from
climbing we went back to camp for supper. At 7:00 Charlie, Tom, Len, J.D. and I
went up to the lodge for advisors coffee. The camp program started at 8:00, very
good program, Glenn and his wife dressed as Waite and his wife Geniveve and told
Waite's story about the lodge. They told stories about Waite's son Chope's
encounters with bears. The 2 staffers Joe & Adam also told stories, all in all a very
good evening. We toured the Lodge, then went back to camp in a steady rain and
all went to bed. It was another long day and tomorrow  would be too. Very tired but
having a super time.

July 27 Friday ~ Hunting Lodge to Tooth Ridge Camp

We broke camp and bugged out as the rain started looks like another wet day on
the trail. We hiked past Cimarroncito reservoir, up to Clark's Fork, where we
stopped for water and breakfast. There was a deer eating near the cabin while we
were there, the staff was still asleep so we kept it quiet and headed out of camp
toward Shaefer's Pass. The trail up is a long slow climb and it was a little muddy in
places. We made the pass and took about an hour rest, while we filled the water
bottles in the spring. As we struck out on the trail again the guys were giving Cody
trouble as he was naviguessing today and was having a little difficulty deciding
which way to go. As we rounded the trail on Shaefer's Peak we all sang Happy
Birthday to Chris G, he turns 20 today. We stumbled and tripped over by far the
roughest trail yet, the Tooth Ridge Trail, who's idea was this trail? This isn't a trail
its a scramble over boulders and rocks. But breathtaking views both north and
south.  As we neared the Tooth we met a crew from Albuquerque, Troop 381 that
was climbing down off the Tooth and had lost a crew member. They were yelling
and screaming for him but he wasn't answering. We decided to send a crew of 4 to
Base Camp for help, Bruce U, Woody, Chris G and one of the members from the
lost boys crew took off for Base Camp. When our sister crew arrived we split up
into 4 search teams and fanned out over the Tooth, there were a million places he
could be and most of them very dangerous. I was climbing with the lost boys father
and he was in an almost panic as I'm sure I would have been too. We called and
called his name and finally we heard that he had been found by a mixed crew of my
troop Tommy, Cody, Matt Y and Matt P found the young man safe and unharmed,
he had taken a wrong turn and was almost to the south side of the Tooth which is
almost vertical when they found him. We all gathered at the bear bag cables where
we had dropped our packs said our goodbyes and thank yous and headed on into
camp. I was barely able to walk into camp after the hard trail and the climb all over
the Tooth, again it was starting to rain as we set up camp. Joey, Tommy, and
Geoff headed down to Base Camp to alert Base Camp that the missing boy had
been found. We set up camp in a rain shower in campsite # 8 and ate a late lunch
as it was about 3:00. We set around camp and enjoyed the views from the ridge.
The crew returned from Base Camp about 5:30, it had taken Bruce's crew only 35
minutes to reach Base Camp from the Tooth after they left us, they had taken the
Ranger trail and they said they wouldn't do it again. We sat under the fly during on
and off showers, ate lunch for supper and the boys played dominoes. There is a
pilot to bombardier out on the ridge over looking Base Camp and the valley below.
As we sat under the fly just for kicks whenever Cody saw anyone walking up to the
pilot to bombardier with a roll of toilet paper, he would grab a roll himself and run
that direction, talk about seeing someone run to the crapper, it was funny, they
were sure he was not going to beat them to the good spot. As we hoisted the bear
bags for the last time the ropes got twisted and we could not get them untwisted,
we hoisted Gonzo up on another rope and then as we let him down we tied the
rope off about 2 feet from the ground where he couldn't reach and we left him
hanging there, talk about another funny moment, us walking off as he swung there
trying to reach the ground and screaming at us to let him down. As Taylor our
Ranger had told us, we made another great memory at Philmont. This has been a
rather long day today especially with the search and rescue so I'm heading to bed
early as we are going to get up early tomorrow and climb the Tooth for sunrise. We
have 3 deer and a fawn hanging around camp this evening. Another star lit summer
evening our last on the trail.

July 28 Saturday ~ Tooth Ridge Camp to Base Camp

Wake up today was at 4:30 so we could climb the Tooth for sunrise. We reached
the top at about 5:30, unfortunately we weren't the only ones there like we were on
Baldy. As I sat there and looked over the valley and waited for the sun to rise I
thought back on the last 2 weeks, thinking of all the fun but also all the hard times
and the pain that was endured to reach this point. The sunrise was beautiful and the
entire Philmont Ranch lay on either side of me. Baldy and the Valle to my left, the
southern part of the ranch to my right. Base Camp and the plains of eastern New
Mexico in front of me. Once again I could see the Spanish Peaks of southern
Colorado to the north. Some individual and crew photos were taken and before I
knew it, it was time to start the difficult climb back down over the large boulders,
some the size of a hall closet. As i arrived back in camp I seemed to have a little
more jump in my step, some new found energy. Both crews broke camp and as
always we would hike into Base Camp not as 2 separate crews but as Troop 50.
While we ate breakfast, the 4 deer from last night returned to see us off. Tommy
had gotten his frisbee stuck high in a pine tree and we tried to get it down, but to no
avail, I think it might still be up there. We left for Base Camp at 8:00, this was by
far the smoothest trail on the trip, especially after yesterdays trail over Tooth
Ridge. We could see Base Camp below us as we followed the switchbacks, talk
about tiring, sheesh, who's idea was this? At one point you actually go back over
the ridge and completely lose sight of Base Camp. We arrived at the Welcome
Back sign about 10:30, Steve and Bruce H were there to greet us with an ice chest
full of cold Cokes and Sprites. Chris G, Bruce U, and I did 15 victory push-ups in full
packs, where did that energy come from? We took crew, troop, and individual
pictures at the Welcome Back sign then went up to camp to start the check in
process. After we had gotten our tent assignments and started getting ready to
head to the showers we had to move as there was a slight SNAFU on the tent
assignments with another crew. Frustrating, as a lot of us were already just
heading out to the showers and had to pick up a lot of personal items that were left
in our tents. Seems like they could have just moved the other crew, but we moved
and I headed up to the showers. Wow what a great feeling, warm water and all
that dirt and grime coming off. I had decided to join the 10 day club with most of the
crew and it sure felt good to get a shower after 10 days. I know a Scout is clean
but we were in the back country and I figured what the heck. After showers we all
met at the dining hall and went in for our first non dehydrated food in 2 weeks. I
never knew a hot dog could taste so good, after lunch we pretty much had the day
to ourselves. Cody and I made a phone call home to tell of our experiences of the
trek, I've never seen him so excited, but then so was I. After calling home Cody
went off to find the crew, and I went to the Trading Post to see if there was
anything else I could not live without. I met up with Steve, Len, Charlie and Bruce H
at the Advisors Lounge. We spent the afternoon watching the new arriving crews
and the crews coming off the trail. Guess we must have looked like that at the
beginning, following our Ranger around, and then, tired, dirty and sweaty just
coming off the trail. At 6:30 we went up to the dining hall for supper, they served
Salsbury steak, not to bad. Joey and Tommy had ordered a pizza earlier and ate
that, then came to dinner at the dining hall. We returned to the Advisors Lounge
after supper to do our trek evaluations with Joey our crew leader, then everyone
dressed in their class A's for closing campfire. We all met before we went in to
campfire and Joey gave us all our Arrowhead patches. I couldn't believe it, I finally
had earned the coveted Arrowhead patch, never thought I would get one of these.
We all went in and sat down for closing campfire, it was really good, much better
then opening campfire two weeks ago. As we stood and sang the Philmont Hymn,
reality check time, I could not believe the trip I had always wanted to do, waited so
long for, was almost over. It started to rain a little as we made our way out of
campfire back to our tents. Most of the boys went off to play cards at the Welcome
Center, I made a final check of my travel bag and pack and then went to bed.
Tomorrow we head home.

July 29 Sunday ~ Philmont to Fort Worth

Joey woke us at 4:45, we all packed the cars and trailor. We drove up to the
Welcome Center and checked out and were on the road by 5:45. We stopped in
Clayton, New Mexico and ate breakfast at the Hi Ho Cafe. Back on the road, we
played CD's at the boys request this time, I slipped in a Doobie Brothers CD every
now and then. We stopped in Wichita Falls for lunch and to stretch our legs, phone
calls home were made to let the parents know when we would be home. We
arrived back at the Scout Hut at 5:30, my first trip to Philmont was over. We had
driven 1212 miles, climbed a 12,441 foot mountain for sunrise, seen bears, deer,
mini-bears, hawks, stellar jays, owls, magpies, Clark's nutcrackers, western
tanagers, snakes, turkeys, foxes. We conducted our own Search and Rescue and
found the scout safe and unharmed, Bruce U, Woody, and Chris G had made it to
Base Camp from the Tooth of Time in only 35 minutes, must be some kind of
record. Woody set the new record at Ute Gulch for drinking 1 1/2 qts of water in
only 12 seconds. It was more then I could ever have imagined, hopefully, if I'm
lucky I can return in 2003 and see the south country of Philmont. I hope thats not
asking too much, I'll keep my fingers crossed.