[Philmont]: Cavalcade - Northern or Southern Route?

My troop has gotten a Cavalcade slot for 2007. We have to list our first
three choices of itineraries and arrival dates when we send our deposit. Can
anyone offer pros and cons for the Southern and Northern itineraries? Any
considerations for choosing arrival dates?

Regarding Trek 30 for backpacking, my troop took this itinerary in 2004. We
had Philmont veterans in three scout and two advisor positions with the rest
of the crew well experienced in backpacking. The scouts chose Trek 30 aware
of the challenges and tackled some of our area's toughest trails in
preparation for the trip. It paid off as we had a wonderful trek. Although
we were usually slow breaking camp in the mornings (our sister crew beat us
to the trail all but one morning), we still had time for all the program
activities the boys wanted. We even enjoyed taking the burros from Ponil and
had plenty of time for spar pole climbing in Pueblano and the Mountain Man
Rendezvous at Miranda. The last full day on the trail - from Red Hills over
Big Red, Bear, and Black Mountains into Shafers Pass - was tough but
rewarding. [Climbing over all the blowdowns on Bear and initially missing
the trail to Black on the descent added to the difficulty.] We arrived at
Shafers Pass, out of water and knowing the spring would only be a trickle.
We were met by a beautiful sight: our sister crew from Michigan handing out
water bottles they had filtered and filled for us. What a great example of
the Philmont spirit! Our crews shared breakfast on Shafers Peak at sunrise
the next morning then finished over the Tooth and into base camp together.
Trek 30 can be an excellent choice if your crew is disciplined, prepared and
loves backpacking.

Thanks,

Charlie Evans
ASM Troop 72
Fayetteville, GA
Philmont 2004 (Advisor, Crew 702G)

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Received on Sun Feb 26 12:05:36 2006