Philmont- June 17th-July 2nd

This past summer Troop 101 sent 9 scouts and 3 adults to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. We spent 10 days on the trail backpacking, camping, and having one heck of a time. In total we hiked over 90 miles!
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!"

Philmont Training #2, March 2009

This was our second practice hike for Philmont in June. We hiked 8 miles total.


We first distributed troop gear. It was very cold, and snowing a bit.
The paths were very icy in some spots.

At one point we decided to hike up a large hill.

And a little past midway we stopped for lunch.

But in no time we were back on the trail to finish our hike.


This hike was good practice, but there will be more.

USS Cobia Submarine Trip, Febuary 2009

On this trip, we went to the USS Cobia in Manitowoc, WI. We got to learn all about WWII, the history of the USS Cobia, and what live was like aboard it. Then we got to sleep in it.

On our way there we stopped at Big Bear Hobby shop. Some scouts bought some models or books.

Before going in the sub, we went to pizza pit for a delicious meal.

We got to explore the ship, and saw the torpedo bays, galley, officers' and crews' quarters, engine room and others. We also got a look at the ammunition.

After some went to bed, others who wanted to see more of the ship went on the "Nook and Crannies" tour. We got to go see parts of the ship the pubic doesn't normally see, in the hidden areas of the ship down under.

That entrance was underneath an eating table. The entrances were everywhere!
We left early in the morning, and believe me, we all smelled heavily of submarine.

Klondike, Januray 2009

This camp out was very cold and exciting. We spent the first night sleeping in tents that we pitched in the snow. It got under zero degrees that night, so all the scouts got a special patch afterward. The next day was spent with our two patrols going to ten different skills stations to test their scouting skills. These included spider web, knots, lost scout, saw cookie, tent in the dark, map and compass, Morse code, ice floe recovery, building a fire, and really big shoe.

We had 2 patrols. Here is the Chubby Yellow Duck patrol.

And here is the Sasquatch patrol.

Here is the Really Big Shoe event. Scouts have to time each others footsteps to go at the same time.

This is the Lost Scout. It simulates an emergency scenario to test first aid skills. One scout plays the victim while the others rescue him.


Here is saw cookie. They had to use a 2-person saw to cut a "cookie" out of a log.

Everyone enjoyed spider web. You have to get everyone and the sled though the holes. But you can't touch the strings, and you can only use each hole once.

Tent in the dark- pitching a tent blindfolded with one scout directing the others.

We were also tested on starting a fire. Then, with that fire, we had to boil a can of soapy water.

After all 10 events, we had a sled race. One kid had to be in the sled, while everyone else pulled him. It was a long and tiring race.


After each event, we were given "gold" depending on how well we did. At the end of the day, there was an auction with other troops for different gear and equipment. The troop got a new water jug, for example.

We all had a great time, and hope to do better next year!

Christmas/Winter Camp December, 2008

This is traditionally one of the scouts' favorite outings all year. They get to play games indoors and outdoors until the late hours, and don't have to cook or do anything.

We were already provided mattresses. Lots and lots of mattresses, that the scouts had fun on.

We played many games including risk,monopoly, dungeons & dragons, and many more.


The scouts also enjoyed building and painting models, which they then got to keep.


After a night of board games, we decided to go out in the snow and sled.

There were plenty of places to sled, and it was good sledding,too.

Some people got into the snow a little more than others.

We sledded late into the night, but enjoyed every minute of it.

This was an excellent camp out, it was a "no work, all play" weekend.

Philmont Training # 1 November,2008

This day trip was the first in a series to prepare a group of scouts for their upcoming trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in June 2009. It prepared us both physically and helped us learn how to pack better.


We began by dividing various troop gear into our packs.This made our packs heavier and gave us a better understanding of the troop gear.

After looking at the map and planning our route, we were off.

The leaders enjoyed the day us much as the scouts.

Next, we made a very cool stop. Here we are pictured at the site of the world's first nuclear reactor.

Being Boy Scouts, we had to go off the trail at least once.


After a nice hike, we stopped for some lunch. We enjoyed some food after a long morning. We then sent off again.

We took a couple of breaks, because we were cold and tired.

But then it was back on the trail. After exploring a little bit, we went along the I&M canal. The scouts had a lot of fun throwing rocks in the frozen water.

We were all happy once we got back to the parking lot. The scouts got some good practice in a had a good time as well.