Steve: Here's an old post: my Advisor's Log from Trek 11 in '04. Hope this helps.
2004 Philmont Trek 11 Advisor's Notes
Here's one Advisor's summary of a fantastic first Philmont expedition, 10-21 July 2004. Crew 710H, coastal dwellers from Anne Arundel County, just south of Baltimore, Maryland, hiked in very visible blaze orange t-shirts. Since we were all Arrowmen, we took the Lenni Lenape name of Newo Sipo Pemsit (Four Rivers Walkers) in honor of the OA and our home Scouting District. Our crew cheer of "BAM - ORANGE !" echoed over many a precipice.
The Crew selected Itinerary 11, a beautiful 57-mile trek through the South and Central Country, with exactly the programs everyone wanted. As an older crew of almost all Eagle Scouts, we kicked it up a notch to about 65 miles with side hikes (one Advisor and the fastest hikers racked up over 80 miles with side hikes.) The unusual rain levels this Summer made everything below 11,000 feet lush and green. We found watering points everywhere, though the early rains most afternoons got a little irritating (along with legions of skeeters at some camps, especially Wild Horse.) Wet as it was, we were kind of surprised that we weren't offered a shower till day nine at 'Cito.
I'd like to put in a quick plug for Blue Sky Adventures (www.blueskyadventures.net) out of South Florida. Run by Mike Pardue, a long-time Scoutmaster, they provided an action packed two-day tour to acclimatize us to the high altitude. We toured Albuquerque, Sandia Peak Tram, Bandelier National Monument, and went whitewater kayaking on the Rio Grande. All fees, hotel costs and meals were covered, including friendly, knowledgeable guides and drivers to/from Philmont. This was a mini-vacation before our Philmont expedition, worth every penney.and the Advisors didn't have to do anything but enjoy it!
Camping HQ (basecamp) processing was very well organized and painless in both directions. Our Ranger was Kevin Clegg, a fine Eagle Scout from upstate Michigan. He was just the right blend of trailwise, self-assured, and easy going: the perfect fit for our crew. The trailbound campfire was subdued and rather serious. In contrast, the homebound campfire was rowdy, fun, and ultimately very touching as we sang the Philmont Hymn and truly understood what it meant. The highlight was personally getting to salute my own son, Keith, at the campfire for a tough job done well as our Crew Chief. An eight year father-son dream come true.
Ranger Training was on the Rayado River (with a quick side hike to Abreau for the "cantina" and goat milking). Our second day was moved from Lookout Meadow to the new trail camp at Carson Meadow. Absolutely beautiful, with Kevin sharing some special side hikes to nearby high points.
Food was plentiful and commissary re-supplies timed about right. Hoofing a fresh load of meals for 12 souls from PJ up to Wild Horse and over Phillips was something we probably could have done without. "Cracker Mania" is under control but Tropical Gorp seems to be the common favorite now. The dehydrated stuff gets bland: Tabasco, Lawry's seasoned salt, and garlic salt really helped.
Staffers everywhere were helpful, upbeat, and good with the crew. Everyone unanimously picked as their favorite program sites Cyphers Mine, Apache Springs, and Clear Creek, in that order. Cyphers included the forge, a mine tour with "Muck Out" (you have to try it) and the famous "Stomp" live mountain music review. Andrew, one of our more outgoing Crewmembers, won the nightly Cyphers Porch Tough Man Contest by eating 11 pilot biscuits in two minutes! We slept together as a crew in a large Adirondack called a "mucker's shack." Surprisingly good sleep in the crisp mountain air.
There were bear alerts at several places (especially Clark's Fork), but we didn't see one. While we never saw it, at one point near Crooked Creek Camp we did notice the distinctive smell of cat urine and heard a low growl from the rocks. Probably a cougar marking it's territory and defending a kill. Golden ground squirrels (mini-bears) were everywhere, especially at Apache Springs and Cyphers Mine, some almost tame enough to feed by hand.
Our year-long preparation had three parts: physical, gear/organization, and psychological. The many shakedown hikes on the AT built the crew into a team, the developed mental toughness let us dig deep when we needed to. Facing a raging hailstorm with a thirty degree temperature drop and lightning strikes as we peaked Mount Phillips indeed put us to the test. The preparation paid off: no one was hurt or hypothermic, the guys responded like pros, and we camped as brothers.
We lost one advisor to injuries early on the fourth day. Nothing serious, but too painful to continue. A Wilderness First Aid course, along with Gold Bond, Ace Bandages, and Ibuprofen saw us through our medical needs. Slight altitude sickness above 10.5 K feet for a couple of crew members - quickly taken care of with Tylenol, plenty of water, and some rest - air is pretty thin at 11,000 feet.
We hiked in over the Tooth - awesome views on the approach and at the summit. Stopped at Tooth Camp for a heartfelt team reflection lead by Sam, our Chaplain's Aide. The final five miles into basecamp were very long and ironically both dry and wet. We had very little drinking water left from dry camp the night before.but we faced a sudden torrential thunderstorm all the way down the Tooth's twenty switchbacks to basecamp.
Our Eagle Scouts lived up to their Eagle Charges and provided a great team effort. Special thanks to Keith (Crew Chief), Ellery (Deputy), Sam (Chaplain's Aide), and Ryan (Quartermaster.) The crew equally shared the workload. No one squabbled with the Duty Roster and everyone pitched in whenever extra measures were needed. The four Advisors were on vacation - and having that many adults gave us additional flexibility, even after we lost one to injury.
Itinerary 11 with side hikes was perfect for us. Anyone experiencing that, route past or future, feel free to email me for further details or shared experiences. Echoing the Rangers' cheer, we're all definitely coming "back to Philmont!" in 2006.
Jim Krempel
Advisor, 710H '04 (720F '06)
Venture Crew 1672, Severn, MD
EwokScout@comcast.net
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Received on Wed Apr 6 03:39:43 2005
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