From: CoopWright@aol.com
Date: Fri Feb 01 2002 - 10:08:58 CST
Great discussion on Philmont Itineraries. I have included the section on
Itinerary Selection written by myself and Wally Feurtado and is available as
an e-mail attachment for a $10 donation to Venturing Crew 1519. For more
info on the Guide, please e-mail directly.
Selecting Your Trek
We recognize the important role that program features play in your crew's
trek selection process. However, we also understand that the maturity of
your crew is another factor that must be considered in trek selection. You
do not want to "overtrek" by doing more miles than your crew can physically
or emotionally handle, thereby missing planned program opportunities. On the
other hand, you do not want to "undertrek" and wind up spending lots of time
in camp when you could have had a chance to see more of Philmont.
Before discussing possible trek selections with your crew, assess their
abilities and maturity level. It is tough for a fourteen-year-old crewmember
to perform his camp chores when he is tired after a long hike or immediately
after he wakes up. It can take a young crew three to four hours from the
time they wake up until they take their first step on the trail. Some
crewmembers may suggest that if they wake up really early (4 am), they can
leave camp by 8 am. This doesn't work because the more time a crew gets, the
more time they will take. Advisors can take charge and kick butt and get the
crew out of camp within an hour. But this does not allow the crew leader to
perform his function and it just raises the advisor's blood pressure. With
fourteen to fifteen-year-old crewmembers, you should select a "typical" trek
that requires only 5 to 8 miles of hiking per day (50-56 total miles). With
fifteen to sixteen year old crewmembers, "rugged" and "strenuous" treks can
be selected. By reminding the crew that if they take only two hours to get
out of camp, they will be able to hike an additional 1 to 2 miles a day,
enabling the crew to hike 6 to 9 miles per day (57-69 total miles). However,
with sixteen to seventeen year old crewmembers, maturity is expected and
"strenuous" and "super strenuous" (65-77 total miles) treks are more than
doable.
One final point about physical and emotional maturity. Both Wally and Coop
have seen instances where the behavior of one crewmember ruined the entire
Philmont experience for the rest of the crew simply because he was either not
physically or emotionally ready to handle the trek. As an advisor, you may
be faced with a similar situation early in your crew development process.
Since it is your responsibility to ensure that the entire crew is completely
prepared for Philmont, you may have to step in and talk to the crewmember in
question along his parents. In a case like this, we recommend that the
crewmember wait another year or two before attending Philmont, so that his
experience and that of the crew will be the best that it can be. Since you
will have only one opportunity to do a trek at Philmont (unless you come back
for Trail Crew or Rayado), why not make it something really special that you
will remember for the rest of your life?
A second factor that should be considered in selecting a trek is scenery.
Some areas of Philmont are simply spectacular. We have listed below some of
our favorite places to hike:
a. Fish Camp to Abreu - The trail follows along the south side of the Rayado
River canyon where the hiker has continual views of the river and the
mountains to the north. Be sure and use the caterpillar method (see On The
Trail) so that all crewmembers will have a chance to view the canyon.
b. Ponil, Sioux, and Bent to Pueblano over Wilson Mesa. Several years ago,
Wilson Mesa was devastated by a forest fire which destroyed its trees but
provided for some exceptional views north into Colorado and west towards
Baldy Mountain. The views from Wilson are some of the best in the ranch.
c. Abreu to Crater Lake via Stonewall Pass - This hike has some special
views of the Tooth of Time just outside of Bear Caves camp. Be sure to get
out of camp early because this trail is very unsheltered and has no water.
d. Miners Park to Shaefers Pass - This trail offers a close up view of the
"Grizzly" Tooth.
e. Shaefers Pass to the Tooth of Time - The view from Shaefers Peak is
outstanding. The path along Tooth Ridge is exceptional, with huge rock
outcroppings and great views. The trail between Shaefers Peak and the Tooth
is very rocky and you can turn an ankle is you are not careful. Be sure to
look to the north and pick out Baldy Mountain. Once past the Tooth, the
trail becomes a hot, dusty walk into Base Camp that never seems to end - be
sure to have plenty of water.
f. Hidden Valley, Window Rock and Cathedral Rock - Although the north and
south trail heads to this trail are somewhat hard to find, it provides
exceptional views of the Tooth of Time and base camp. Hidden Valley is a
special place, soft and quiet. Ranger Christian Braunlich says that "Hidden
Valley is never the same every time he sees it".
g. Cimarroncito to Sawmill - This path goes through Grouse Canyon and
Sawmill Canyon. The views along the canyon walls are outstanding.
h. Sawmill to Thunder Ridge - There are some spectacular views of Baldy
Mountain, Wheeler Peak (New Mexico's highest mountain), Eagle Nest Lake and
Colorado. As you reach treeline at Thunder Ridge, look again to the west for
some more great views.
i. Thunder Ridge to Comanche Peak - There are several overlooks that offer
views of Baldy Mountain and Wheeler Peak to the west. Comanche Peak camp
offers an incredible sunrise view.
j. Visto Grande to Harlan - This hike takes your crew through two beautiful
meadows.
k. Harlan to Cimarroncito - Words cannot describe this trail with views of
Cathedral Rock, Window Rock and the backside of the Tooth of Time.
l. Dan Beard to Bent via Bonita Canyon - The crew should use the caterpillar
(more in the On The Trail section) technique to provide an opportunity to see
the view of the canyon. As you get closer to Dan Beard, the tops of the
mountains have been severely burned due to the recent fires.
m. Indian Writings to Dan Beard - Along the trail, there are several
outstanding rock formations. The views north to Little Castilla Mountain are
unique.
n. Ponil to Indian Writings - The views from Hart Peak are great, but the
view from the top of the canyon leading to Indian Writings is exceptional.
o. The High Peaks - Baldy Mountain or Mount Phillips are tough, but the
struggle up is well worth the view. The loop from Baldy Town over Baldy
Mountain and through Copper Park is particularly impressive. The hikes up
Phillips from the south and up Baldy from the north are particularly tough.
p. Baldy Skyline to Head of Dean - The new trail provides some exceptional
views west to Baldy and Touch Me Not Mountain.
q. Inspiration Point - Located at the top of Urraca Mesa, Inspiration Point
makes another special sunrise spot.
A third factor to consider is whether your crew wants to hike over Baldy
Mountain or not. Although we feel that the northern part of the ranch is not
as scenic as the southern part, Baldy is a big attraction for many crews. It
seems like no matter where you hike, Baldy is always in the skyline, offering
a constant challenge to those who would hike up its steep slopes. By seeing
Baldy at every turn, those crews that are not scheduled to hike over it are
constantly reminded of what they missed. Seventeen of Philmont's treks
provide an opportunity for crews to hike over Baldy. There are only five
treks (20, 21, 24, 30, and 32) that allow you to climb Baldy Mountain and
hike in over the Tooth of Time. These treks appear to be the most popular
and therefore are the most difficult get as your first choice. If you do
receive one of these five, you will most likely be hiking with a sister crew.
There are also treks that begin in the southern part of the ranch, include a
side hike over Baldy Mountain, and finish in the northern part. These treks
are great because Baldy Mountain gets bigger and bigger and the anticipation
grows as the crew gets closer. However, these treks are usually the most
strenuous. Please do not assume that we are promoting the treks that hike
over Baldy. On the contrary, hiking in the scenic southern portion with its
views from Mount Phillips or Comanche Peak of Baldy and Touch Me Not Mountain
is simply spectacular.
When you receive the Treks Itinerary Guide in March, there is one final
factor that you may want to consider. Hiking into base camp over the Tooth
of Time can be pretty special. Nineteen of the thirty-five the treks come in
over Tooth Ridge and the scenery is simply spectacular. You can't beat the
feeling of pride and accomplishment that will be your crew's as they walk the
final few miles back into civilization. However, the trail from the Tooth
has recently been re-done and has become a long, hot, dry walk into Base Camp
that seems to never end.
It would be great if your crewmembers could decide on their trek by
themselves. However, with thirty-five to choose from, this can be a very
time consuming process. One method that has worked for both of us is to
preselect five treks that are within the physical and emotional abilities of
the entire crew, including the advisors. These treks are then presented
during a crew meeting and the entire crew has a chance to decide what program
activities they want to do.
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