A week at Philmont: Thing One’s mountain trek
by Thing One
Editor’s Note: Every afternoon after the programs ended for the day, Team Gimlet would go to the Trading Post for ice cream. While there, we watched Boy Scout troops from all over the nation arriving for their two weeks of hiking, or arriving from the backcountry, having successfully completed their trek. It was easy to tell the two groups apart: incoming groups were a little nervous and overwhelmed by the immensity that is Philmont. On the other hand, if we were downwind of a returning group, it was an olfactory experience not soon forgotten; but it was also apparent in their feeling of accomplishment and newfound unity as a group.
The accumulated layers of dirt were not necessarily something the young men would want to bring home with them (especially not in an enclosed vehicle for hundreds of miles) and a shower and change of clothes would take care of that. But the lessons of teamwork, brotherhood, and an expanded sense of what they were capable can be brought out of the backcountry and remembered for a lifetime.
- Learn more about Philmont Mountain Treks.
- Short descriptions of the Philmont camps.
Sunday we checked in and spent the night at the Camping Headquarters. We set up the mountain trek crews and gave the medical forms to the staff. There were going to be two mountain treks, but they were merged into one because not enough people showed up.
On Monday we left base and went on the trail. Our first break was at the T-Rex footprint. Then we had lunch at staff camp Indian Writings. We did not see petroglyphs they had nearby, but we did throw atlatls and the dirt was ‘scared of us’. This day was the hardest because it was not cloudy. Finally, we got to Old Camp, where we had dinner and slept.
On Tuesday after packing up and leaving old camp, we hiked to Seally Canyon, and on the way, we left Philmont property and went into lots of different National Forests. When we got to Seally Canyon, we learned about what to do when you find an injured camper. Then we did search and rescue with our crews’ rangers. We stayed there overnight.
Wednesday was the shortest distance hiked, but we did go up a mountain. It was hard to go up (especially with one arm) but everybody got up there. Then we went down the other side of the mountain to Whitman Vega, where everybody except the rangers, one person from the crew, and me went mountain biking. We hiked up to a nearby mesa and camped there to sleep under the stars.
We hiked our longest distance on Thursday. We went past Ring Place, and up and down a steep mountain. From Ring Place on, the staff did not stay in yurts. Rich Cabins was based on a homestead in the early 20th century, with pigs, chickens, a cow, a calf, and a mule. The staff sang songs, told stories and jokes, and my crew slept in the barn loft.
On Friday we hiked to and camped at Pueblano. This camp was based on a 1914 logging camp. On the way there, we went back in to Philmont. This camp also had a campfire program like Rich Cabins. I enjoyed their campfire.
Saturday morning we woke up at 3:30 am after 4 hours of sleep and hiked to Ponil until 7:00 am. Ponil was the base of Philturn when it was founded in 1939 and switched to today’s base in 1941 when it became Philmont. Then a school bus took us to base. Any seat (including bus seats) feels good after hiking. Then, at base, I met my family, took a shower and helped pack up. Then we bought some patches and other Philmont souvenirs and looked in the Philmont museum. After that, we drove to Santa Fe and went to Olive Garden for lunch (don’t eat at any nice restaurant after something like a Philmont trek, it will make you feel sick because of the jump from dehydrated food to nice food). After a nap in a real bed we went around Santa Fe and had ice cream at the Latitude Café. If you find that, try Belgian chocolate, or Tahitian vanilla.
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Tags: hike, new mexico, philmont, scout outings
