Philmont Scout Ranch
Cimarron, New Mexico, August 5th to 19th, 2008
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We all had a great time at Philmont, and some of us even want to go back! We had an experience that few scouts will ever experience, and we are thankful for having everyone in our crew and could not have done it with out them. Day #1: Travel to Albuquerque We left on Tuesday, the August 5th, from Burbank Airport for Albuquerque, New Mexico with a stop over in Phoenix, AZ. When we finally arrived at the Albuquerque airport we met our tour guide Robin Luse from Blue Sky Adventures (the company we hired to bring us to and from Philmont). He would show us around the next two days on fun activities that would also allow us to acclimate to the local attitude of 6,000' above sea level
After we got our gear from the airport we put all of it onto the bus and left to go for a ride on the world's longest aerial tramway at the top of Sandia Peak mountain, to an elevation of over 12,000'. At the summit we hiked a mile and a half to a stone shelter and viewed a spectacular overlook of all Albuquerque and the surrounding area. We quickly went back to the cable car building due to an approaching thunderstorm. We waited in the building for an hour and a half until the storm passed and it was safe to ride the tram down.
After we got to our hotel and dropped of our bags we went to eat at the hotel's buffet for dinner. The hotel had a game room, pool, and workout center that we could go to in our short free time between dinner and lights out.
Day #2: Visit Bandelier and go Kayaking We woke up we ate a breakfast buffet at the hotel. We then took a long bus ride to Bandelier National Monument, where we were given a tour of ancient Indian cliff dwellings that we hiked to, and even climbed up large ladders to go inside some of them! We ate a bag lunch and went back on to the bus and left to go "fun-yakking" (on inflatable kayaks) down the Rio Grande River. After drying off we went to dinner at a hometown buffet-like place. Then celebrated Adam's birthday back to our hotel before going to sleep.
Day #3: Arrive at Philmont's Base Camp The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, and then took our gear to the hotel's lobby so that we could get it onto the bus quickly. We drove about three hours to Philmont's Base Camp. We checked in, got our tent assignments, received our pots, food, dinning fly, and then went to get dinner. After we went to the "Opening Camp Fire" which did not take place at the regular location due to weather conditions, we went to our tents to sleep.
Day #4: Hit the trail, camp at Cathedral Rock Campsite We had breakfast in the commissary and then the Alpha crew left to go on their itinerary #11 at 8:45 a.m.. We took out our packs and did our final gear "shake down" to get rid of the gear we did not need and the gear we did need. We then went to lunch. We stored our non-essential gear into 2 lockers, and hurried to get our packs onto the bus that took us to the beginning of our journey of our hike. We were dropped off at at the Cito Turnaround, and where given a short lesson in orienteering, hiking safety during thunderstorms, and the use of a "red roof in." He hiked a short 2 miles to our campsite and were taught how to put up bear bags containing our "smellables." We played cards and made a campfire before going to bed
Day #5: Hike to Cathedral Rock, camp at Upper Sawmill After we took down our "Bear-muta Triangle" and broke camp. We left to go past Cathedral Rock Lake and up to Ute Cultch Commissary through Cimmeronceto. As we past threw Cimmeronceto it started to rain. When we arrived at the Commissary, and picked up 4 days of food. It began to rain really hard, so we hiked out of there as fast as we could. We arrived at Upper Sawmill just as it stopped raining so we quickly set up camp, made dinner, and made a campfire (which the guide had a problem making since everything was so wet), so we went to bed.
Day #6: Hike to Sawmill and Cyphers Mine We had breakfast and then left in the morning when it was sunny for sawmill. When we arrived at Sawmill we where taught how to make the bullet rounds for 30-06 rifle shooting, and hiked a mile to the range and shot the rifles. When we were finishing up Walt and 3 other scouts went back to the main cabin to make sure the gear didn't get wet by putting it under a tarp. After the last four finished shooting it started to downpour, so the last of us had to hurry back to the Sawmill main cabin in the rain and try to get a little dry.
We had lunch left since it wasn't raining out. We spent a good amount of time climbing up to Thunder Ridge then down to Cyphers Mine. The staff there was less than helpful to sick, tired, and hungry scouts. We actually where blessed with a "muck shack" (a three sided and roofed building where we would sleep that night, after we had dinner). It was nice since the floor was dry and we were all in one big room.
Day #7: Hike to Wild Horse We woke up early that morning so that we could get hiking early, since the trail to Wild Horse was the longest leg of our itinerary, and the highest. We hiked all morning and into the afternoon, finally making it to the summit of Comanche Peak (11'300'). Along the way a B1 Bomber flew overhead quite close to us. It was mid afternoon and we did not have enough fuel for another day or two, and were short on water, so we decided to go down the mountain than up Phillips to an unstaffed camp. So we went down to Red Hills Camp. When we arrived it was in the mid afternoon. When we finished setting up camp and had a campfire and dinner it was still light out! Then we all went to sleep
Day #8: Hike to Porcupine We left Red Hills camp and arrived at Porcupine earlier than we expected. We set-up camp and four of us stayed at camp while the others went to go to Crooked Creek for homesteading activities. There was candle making, wood chopping, and large two man wood saws. When the four arrived back at camp we spit into two groups again and one of the groups went to get white gas (our stove fuel) at Philips Junction Commissary. After we had dinner Cash gave a history lesson on WWII, and during it 2 B1 bombers flew overhead. Then we went to sleep.
Day #9: Hike to Beaubien We woke up late that morning because (around 7:30 a.m.) since we where so close to our next camp. When we left for Beaubien and went by Philips Junction Commissary to pick up our last food pickup. Around noon we went to Beaubien. We arrived and the ranger told us of all the activities available there, including; horseback riding, branding, Western Lore, and even a chuck wagon dinner. We then went to have dinner at our campsite #1! Since we got there when we did we got the closest to all the activities on the camp. We branded our boots with a hot iron. Some took a shower and washed their laundry with water heated by a wood burning stove. After dinner we went to the campfire, with three of the staff hosting it. The show included an audience participation joke telling contest. Then we went to our campsite for our own campfire and went to sleep.
Day #10: Camp at Beaubien We woke up early and ate breakfast then went to horseback riding. We were so happy we didn't have to take down our camp or our gear! There where so many crews that the rangers divided us in two groups, with our crew riding last. So to kill time we played horseshoes and learned how to lasso with a rope. Then we took a nice relaxing horseback ride in the sunny open meadows.
We arrived back at camp we ate lunch and then we rested, took showers and hand washed our clothes on an old fashioned washboard. The water was heated by a wood burning stove. When we all where back at camp we went together to our conservation project. The project was to clean out the fire rings for the campers next year so that they will clean it out themselves instead of not doing their duty to clean them out.
Right after that two of us had to go to make dinner at the Chuck Wagon, including biscuits and peach cobbler in Dutch ovens. We also had beef stew. It was the first real meal in eight days. After dinner we had a hour or so until we went to the camp fire. Four other staff members were there along with the camp Director so it was a much better campfire show, which included an Irish Folk dancing contest that our very own Mac won. We again had our own campfire at our campsite and went to sleep
Day #11: Hike to Agua Fria We left early for Agua Fria going down past Fish Camp and hiking up and then down through Bear Canyon and ate lunch. After that we went down to Agua Fria and set up our camp quickly because it was going to rain. Then three of us went to Fish Camp to see what they had. We fished in the stream for about half an hour and went back to our camp. After we had dinner we experienced a weather front coming in of cool air as it pushed the warm air from under it, creating eerie dense fog.
Day 12: Hike to Zastrow We got up really early that morning because we had a long hike (the longest of our itinerary). Hiked all morning and after it was two past noon we where a bit over half of the way there. After we had lunch it started to rain and we hiked to Carson Meadow cabin and let stayed there a bit until the rain died down a bit, before we left for Old Abreu and Abreu.
When we left Abreu it rained and it thundered within a mile of us so we where really scarred. Since it was around six p.m. Abreu was closed for dinner and we didn't get to have root beer. We hiked in the cold, pouring rain, and when we were about a mile from Zastrow there was a lot of lightening and thunder close by. Due to these dangerous conditions the Rangers at Zastrow sent out two ranger to find us. They brought us back to Zastrow's main cabing, and the staff there where great! They let us dry out our clothes, tents, and sleeping bags on a fire they made for us in their fireplace. We got warmed up and ate dinner. After that we set up our campsite in the dark and went to sleep (even thought it was hard leaving a warm and dry cabin).
Day 13: Hike to Olympia We slept in until 8:00 a.m. because we where so tired. We broke camp and got going. We checked out around 11 a.m.. We left and not even 30 minutes into it rained hard and thundered right over us. It rained so hard that a stream flooded and blocked our trail. So we had to build a bridge out of found rocks and branches to cross it. We hiked on into the afternoon across large open meadows as big dark thunderclouds approached. We finally found our campsite up on a hill, and made camp in time to get in our dry tents before the rain came. We were nice and dry in our tents playing cards when the rain came. Later on we discovered a rattlesnake in the bushes just outside our campsite. The campsite had a bear-box instead of a bear bag to put up our smellables in, which made life easier. We enjoyed a clear night with lots of stars and a great big campfire.
Day 14: Hike to Rayado Turnaround We woke up early so we could catch the 10 a.m. bus back to base camp. We got up at 6 a.m. and left before 8:00 a.m.! Our fasted take down of camp the entire trip and we even ate breakfast in that time too! Since the roads where not maintained and there where no bridges we had to go through jungle like trails to get to where we could cross.
We had to cross the river two times, the first time it was so fast we had to build a bridge of rocks so that we didn't fall into the river. Second time it was so slow we just walked across it. We arrived 30 minutes before the bus got there, so we took a tour of the Kit Carson Museum; we saw the blacksmith and a wood carver. Before we left to go to base camp we saw a small cannon go off,
so we thought what's better than ending the trip with a BANG!
We took the 15 minute bus ride at base camp past the Tooth of Time mountain range, where we had to return our gear, clean our cloths after 14 days on non-mechanically washed clothes. Thankfully we finished that before lunch so we could rest for the rest of the day.
After we ate dinner T209's Alpha crew got back hours over due and just before it got dark. They where hiking for 12 hours on their last day, so we helped them the best we could by carrying their backpacks and getting their paperwork processed. We then went to the closing campfire ceremony where the Crew leader was awarded a plaque. Then Cash arranged for the Alpha crew to have dinner long after the Commissary closed. We then all went to sleep
Day 15: Return Home We woke up early and helped Alpha crew get their gear and paperwork done so that we could catch the Blue Sky Adventure's bus to Albuquerque Airport where they supplied a brown bag lunch for us. We caught a 1:30 flight and arrived in Burbank at 3:30 p.m.
Epic Crew
Scouts:
Sean, Mark S., Rafael, Mac, Matt R. and Matt K.
Advisors:
Walter Sturrock and Cash Murphy
Trek Leader:
Walter Sturrock
Crew Leader:
Sean
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