[Philmont] Is the list dead? I've seen nothing since Tuesday ..

Steve,

To start, keep in mind that as all experienced mountain trekkers know, there
is just one season in the mountains; regardless of what the calendar says
and regardless of where you are at Philmont: WINTER!

With that in mind, let me tell you a tale; a tale about a Philmont trek
during the 2004 season.

We began our trek on 7/14 and it rained for about 2 hours. On 7/15 it
rained for about 4 hours; much more intense than the first day. On 7/16 it
rained for 5 hours. On 7/17 it hailed on us for two hours. I think you get
the picture. Everyday, for the entire duration of our trek, it rained.
Sometimes for a couple of hours, sometimes for more than half the day.
Sometimes a drizzle, often times a massive thunder and lightening storm with
hail and bone-chilling wind.

Along with the undaunting rain comes the challenges of being able to dry out
your gear; most notably tents and dining flys, which when packed wet seem
like they weigh at least twice their dry weight. Naturally, everything not
only gets soaked, but it also gets muddy and then musty if not completely
dried from one day to the next. Finding times during lunch to at least air
out the gear seemed to work, sort of.

So, when it comes to considering a pack cover, spare no expense. Insist on
the highest quality pack cover you can find. I used an MSR which was
flawless. Do not overlook this vital piece of gear. Test it numerous times
by putting it your pack and dousing it with a very hard stream of water from
your garden hose. Then, place your pack with cover on, into the shower and
give it a 30 minute soaking. Check the results.

In terms of rain pants, do not leave home without them. Keeping in mind the
fact there is only one season in the mountains, rain pants can be used not
only to maintain some degree of dryness during long, long, long periods of
rain, they can also be used as a mechanism to mitigate the potential for
hypothermia and in cases where the very early onset of hypothermia has
occurred, rain pants can a vital first aid tool to help warm someone up a
bit (prior to other measures as applicable). Similarly, rain pants can be
used to take the chill off the cold mornings or early evenings. Given the
level of exhaustion sometimes experienced, participants may find themselves
susceptible to being colder than they might expect. Rain pants go a long
way to help maintain warmth when over tired.

So, in closing, do not cut corners when it comes to rain gear (jacket,
pants, pack cover). Don't worry about it getting caught on branches; that
is an absurd excuse to consider leaving it at home. Rain does not only
happen when you can easily find cover, either on the trail or off the trail.

By the way, I've got over 8,000 photos from my trek this past summer along
with a treasure trove of tips, maps and other helpful information. Just go
to philmont.cfcbsa.org and look for the 2006 trek link

If you'd like to see the photos from 2004 with all the rain, go here:
http://troop-210.com/Photo%20Pages/photo_copy(86).htm and you'll be able to
find many examples.

Happy trails!
Steve Eisinger
Central Florida Contingent Advisor, 2004, 2006
IWTGBTP (maybe 2008)

On 8/19/06, Stephen Readett <spreadett@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> OK, I need advice on 2007.
>
> I bought an Osprey Aether 85 and the guy recommended an internal sack
> instead of a rain cover.
>
> His reasoning was that the rain cover would get caught on branches, time
> to take your pack off and put the rain cover on, and if it is raining after
> hiking the packs are generally under a tarp, and that the trend is going to
> internal bags that are water resistant.
>
> Another topic is rain pants. I have been told not to forget them and told
> to leave them at home. I just got back from Santa Fe and it rained at
> 2:00-3:00 every day. If I am not hiking I think that I would want the rain
> pants.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Steve
>
> P.S. The troop from W.VA <http://w.va/> I met at the ABQ airport - How was
> your trek?
>
>

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Received on Sun Aug 20 11:11:07 2006