[Philmont] training treks

To follow up on Cooper Wright's post, when I joined up with Troop 55 (as a consequence of helping out in the kitchen at its spaghetti dinner fundraiser), I was more than mildly shocked at their style of camping. What sold me on the troop was the sheer number of uniformed adults, insuring that the program would not fail if one or another of the adults (including myself) had other committments from time to time. Their enthusiasm was infectious as well, as was that of the Committee.

The troop had a trailer, in which all of the equipment was stored and hauled, tents for 5 or 6 scouts each, chuckboxes, lanterns, three burner Colemans with huge propane tanks with trees to attach the lanterns, a folding table for each patrol and a portable carport for use as a dining fly. The tents, which I quickly dubbed "Barnum and Bailey style", were lauded by the then-Scoutmaster. Since he was incapable of pulling on his pants while lying recumbent (and stated as such), he extolled the virtues of tents which would allow him to stand up to complete that chore.

(For some reason, when it rained, everyone in these tents was floating about. When I wondered aloud why that was, I was told "it rained", as if that wasn't apparent and as if that was the answer).

Gradually (and eventually with a new Scoutmaster), Timberline 2's replaced the circus tentage, chuckboxes were ditched in favor of Rubbermaid tubs for the cooking gear, backpacking trips were scheduled once per year, summer camps which offered high adventure treks in addition to the traditional program were located, but the convenience of the trailer for storing and hauling all this stuff continued.

We now mostly combine the convenience of car camping with high adventure.We don't do camporees or Klondikes, much to the disappointment of those at the District or Council level who revel in such events. We do car camping with kayaking, canoeing, caving, rock climbing and rappelling, day hiking, civil war and revolutionary war battlefields, camping on the beach with clamming, musseling, crabbing, surf fishing, ocean kayaking and surfing, and trips which involve rifle and shotgun and archery. And of course, the ski trip.And one backpacking trip a year.

Although the backpacking is more my speed than the car camping, and a mini-light serves me better than a Coleman lantern, I go along with the car camping and use that opportunity to demonstrate how far the culinary boundaries can be pushed on a camping trip, by cooking for the adults. Sometimes the boys get the idea, too.

Different strokes. All of them involving the great outdoors, however.

Bill Sheehan

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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
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Received on Tue Dec 18 12:20:34 2007