Re: [Philmont]: Transportation

Joe,

Can't tell if the info you ask for is for you alone or for a crew. I'm
writing this for a crew; you can pick out bits and pieces if you're traveling alone.

If traveling alone, contact Philmont for suggestions. Philmont rangers
monitoring this list may have useful ideas.

How much time do you have for your trip?

That will determine whether you drive, take the train, or fly.

If you decide to fly, work with a travel agent you trust to get the best
possible fare for your group. Your best choices are likely to be Albuquerque or
Denver. Outside chance you'll find a better fare to Colorado Springs. If
traveling alone, you may want to pay a bit extra for a refundable ticket in case
your plans change due to health of family emergency close to the travel date.

Land transportation will depend on size of your group, how much sightseeing
you want to do either on your own or with help of a land-tour operator, and
your budget. There are many options, and cost per person varies a lot. Remember
to leave room in your vehicle(s) for all your gear, or for the gear you have
with you (see below). Don't assume you can rent a vehicle with a roof rack.
Don't assume a rental vehicle will have trailering accessories.

I can speak only for our experience in the summer of 2003. Crew of 11,
including 2 adults over 21 and 2 Venture scouts 18 & 19. Travel from Atlanta to
Denver (better air fare than to Albuquerque or Colo Spgs; red-eye return flight
to Atlanta saved a few additional bucks). Limited time adult advisors could
be away constrained us to a 2-week trip. Advisors decided they did not want to
drive nor park a rented vehicle at Philmont for duration of trek; my personal
auto insurance precluded renting van larger than 8-passenger. We had to
arrive at Philmont on a Monday morning, so left Atlanta on a Saturday; went
sightseeing in Colorado Springs Sunday and rented two 8-passenger vans for that
self-guided portion of the trip; arrive Philmont Monday by 9:45 AM. We chartered
a school bus from Woodland Park, Colorado, to pick us up in Denver for the
drive to Colorado Springs Saturday; picked us up at our motel Monday morning
bright and early in Colorado Springs for the drive to Cimarron; and picked us up
at Philmont Saturday morning after the trek bright and early for the drive back
to Denver. Travel directly from Philmont back to Denver Airport Saturday,
the day after we came off the trail. Elected not to rent vehicles and
sightsee in Denver while waiting for our flight. Good choice, but a long boring wait
at DIA. If you choose to use a transportation company, remember to get cell
phone number of your driver, so you can call him/her from airport just before
you board your flight departing Michigan and when you arrive. A bus will not
be able to sit curbside waiting for you to appear from baggage claim.

Remember to allow for weather delays, traffic delays due to construction,
etc. Search of Internet or membership in an auto club may provide you current
info on road construction. We were disappointed/amazed at the traffic between
Denver and Colorado Springs on a Saturday. Bad weather can increase your
costs, if you are paying any sort of hourly fees. Remember to guarantee your
reservations for late arrival.

Key elements: lock in your travel costs as soon as you can.
Figure out your land arrangements as soon as you can and make early
reservations, if you have to have motels and/or rental vehicles. Web sites like
travelocity.com or orbitz.com are helpful for planning. Sometimes you can improve
your rates by shortlisting vendors on the above web sites and then contacting a
specific company by phone on via the web. Summer season rentals can be hard
to get and can cost you more, if you wait until April or May. You can shop
now, book before March, maintain the right to cancel, and put together a budget
now. It's easier to cancel a reservation than to make one when nothing is
available! Commit when you're ready, always try to have the option to cancel
without penalty, but know when the prices will increase if you plan to wait. If
you're planning on motels, find out how many you can put in a room (gives you
a per person cost per night) and remember to ask the motel how much to add for
local taxes (occupancy, sales, etc). Remember Guide to Safe Scouting will
apply to your travel, so be sure to allow for the proper mix of adults and youth
when planning motel rooms. Keep in mind 18-year olds are adults for BSA
activities; yet Venture activities require 21-year olds as adults. Decide ahead
of time which members of your crew are which. Likewise, if you rent vehicles,
find out how much the daily tax, user fees, airport fees etc will add to the
basic daily rental). Check with your adults, if you plan to rent vehicles, to
be sure their personal insurance will cover driving vans. Some insurance
companies will not cover you if you're in a van larger than 8 passengers. If you
go for a larger van, you may have to buy the rental company's daily insurance.

Remember to budget for fuel, if you're renting vehicles. There are no
highway tolls between Denver and Cimarron on the Interstate. If budgeting for
incidentals along the route, remember water ... bottled water is a must for folks
arriving in the high, dry climate of New Mexico or Colorado from the East. You
must begin hydration routine as soon as you arrive in the West. Budgeting
for a crew bottle of advil or similar headache remedy is good, unless somebody
wants to donate some to the crew kit. Pepto bismol or immodium might be good
to have in your travel kit too.

If going via Denver or Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak is a great 1/2 day trip
on the toll road. Get an early start, and consider a side stop at the Garden
of the Gods (free entry) on the way. Great visitor center there and it's open
early in the morning. There was a group rate on the toll road in the summer
of 2003 that saved us money vs. the per person toll. On a nice day, the views
are spectacular from the road above timberline and from the parking area/gift
shop/restaurant at the summit. It was our first chance to be exposed to high
altitude. No headaches, but lots of folks felt the altitude one way or
another. Go up to the summit in the morning to avoid thunderstorms in the
afternoon. If you're lucky, you may see wildlife on the drive up. We saw a herd of
bighorn sheep near the road above timberline about 3 miles from the summit and
the occasional marmot. True wildlife for our crew, nearly all of whom never
had been West.

What you should aim for is a per person, all in, cost. Add 10% to whatever
total you come up with as a contingency. Decide up front, whether you will
cover meals enroute (we did) and budget accordingly. Pick one person (good job
for an advisor) to handle all cash and expenses. Suggest limiting to the
advisors those who actually spend crew money while traveling. Use credit cards to
conserve cash whenever possible. Again, get a per person per day estimate
pulled together for your budgeting. Remember gratuities as part of your basic
cost if paying for meals out of the crew budget.

Our Philmont preparation hikes, including travel, were all at cost when we
did them and not part of the Philmont budget.

If you plan to ship gear to Philmont, get your estimates early. We used UPS
and shipped trail gear (primarily packs, hiking poles, knives, scissors, first
aid kits, fuel bottles, stoves, etc) directly to Philmont for pickup on
arrival. We chose not to risk uncertainty in the airport checkin process. Other
crews from Atlanta had no airport checkin problems that we know of. We hand
carried clothing, hiking boots, medications. We checked no luggage on the trip
west. Airport rules on what you can transport may change (or not) by summer
2004. Keep in contact with airlines about what you can and cannot carryon or
check, if you plan to fly.

Others will provide more info. Get Coop's guide.

Hope that helps with the focus.

Charlie Pineo
Crew Advisor 721-B2, Philmont 2003
Woodstock, GA

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Received on Sat Dec 27 04:23:24 2003