After taking a 22 hour train ride, we arrived in Raton, NM. After a quick lunch at Sonic's and a lengthy bus ride, we arrived at base camp. This is where we got our ranger, Ben, and learned all about Philmont and how everything works. The next day, we kissed civilization good-bye as we started our 10 day adventure.
Here we are on our day of departure,the Tooth of Time in the background. Back when we were still clean!
When we got to our first campsite, Ben taught us all of the ropes on how to handle our camp, prepare meals, and so on. After pitching our tents and eating a well-earned meal, we went to our first activity, drinking root beer at the Cantina.
Our next day was a harsh and rainy one. We ended up hiking in the mud for a majority of the day, but it was just as enjoyable! We also got our burro, whom we named "Paco"
As mentioned above, this was our burro, Paco. Everybody very much enjoyed him and he lightened our load a bit. Paco seemed to be one of the better ones 0n the ranch, other crews we talked to complained about their burro, but we loved ours and he was a delight who was rather obedient.
Everyday we saw the most splendid vistas imaginable. Nothing more can be said, except that it was incredible.
Here we are backpacking towards Mt. Baldy, the tallest mountain in Philmont at over 12,000 feet high! That day we also said good-bye to Paco, a sad moment for some of us.
The next day was mainly spent taking on Baldy. Once we got past the forested area, we got a great view of the Rockies and made it to the shale covered "Bald" part of Baldy, which is at a very high incline. But boy, was the view spectacular.
Here we are on top of Mt. Baldy, a big highlight of the trip. Being the tallest mountain in the area, we could see for miles and miles. The view was out of this world, and we had such a good time up there we spent a few hours on top.
The sights were very inspiring as well as awesome. This is a great picture to just show this.
The next day we worked on our mandatory conservation project, in which we helped in building a new trail. We learned a little bit about trail making and the proper terminology and skills, then we worked for a good few hours clearing a path. Not only were we helping in the conservation of the ranch and a new trail, but we had a fun time doing it!
Each day we woke up nice and early at sunrise or so. This day(the sixth)in particular was especially brutal, hiking 18 miles in total. We left early and arrived at our campsite at sundown. And although it was challenging, there was a great feeling of accomplishment when we finished those 18 miles.
At most staffed campsites we participated in various activities. Here for example we panned for gold. There were many activities, such as musket shooting, tomahawk throwing, musical shows, and of course Logger Ball.
Baldy wasn't the only mountain we scaled. In fact, we climbed a total of 4 mountains! Here we are on top of Mt. Phillips, named after the man who donated Philmont to the BSA, Waite Phillips.
There was of course an abundance of wildlife in Philmont. Some, like the one pictured above, came very close, or even into, our campsites. They were very majestic and a pleasure to see.
On our final day, we went to the top of the Tooth of Time, on of the main staples of Philmont. It was an absolutely beautiful morning that day, and the view was again out of this world. We ate lunch on top. After that, we returned to civilization and hiked into base camp. Leaving was bitter sweet, because we were glad to return, but there was just something about this experience that has you craving for more.All in all, Philmont was loved by all of us. Trekking through this unique environment is one of the biggest things you can do as a scout. If you ever get an opportunity to go, do so. We all agreed this was one of the greatest and most rewarding thing any of us had done in our lives. We all grew closer together (sometimes too close) and all loved Philmont. We all came home singing those lyrics that the rangers sang on our first day in base camp-
"I want to go baacckkkk to Philmont!"
