From: Pat Miller (PatM@compuserve.com)
Date: Sun Jan 20 2002 - 19:31:25 CST
Message text written by INTERNET:philmont@troop47.com=0D=0A> It sound=
s to me like all of the short treks come off the trail the same=0D=
=0Aday, =0D=0A> as do all of the regular treks that went out on the l=
ast day. This would=0D=0A=0D=0A> seem to put a huge strain on Campin=
g Headquarters. Has anyone on=0D=0A> the list out processed on the d=
ay all these folks come in? Are we likely=0D=0A> to run into delays =
that may affect our travel home?<=0D=0A=0D=0AYes, you are correct in =
your scheduling. ALL of the short treks come back=0D=0Ain on the sa=
me=0D=0Aday the last 12-day treks finish. We came in as a 12-day cre=
w on this=0D=0A'last day' in 2001.=0D=0A=0D=0AH.Q. didn't really have=
any problem with the returning crowds that we saw=0D=0Awith either g=
ear=0D=0Acheck-in or dining hall meals and we didn't get into H.Q. un=
til after 2 PM.=0D=0A (Look for the=0D=0Adirection signs about where=
to go first and they give you a checkout sheet=0D=0Athat efficiently=
=0D=0Aget you through all the stops.) The crew crowd evidently is n=
ot much more=0D=0Athan a normal=0D=0A'mid-season' day when they're pr=
ocessing both inbound and outbound crews. =0D=0A=0D=0A=0D=0AI saw no=
evidence of any transportation confusion that eve. or early next=
=0D=0Amorning when=0D=0Awe departed (on a rental bus from ranch to AB=
Q airport).=0D=0A=0D=0AWhere we WERE noticiably (but not significantl=
y) impacted by the short-trek=0D=0Acrowd in H.Q.=0D=0Awas at the clos=
ing campfire as crowd was more than twice the normal size. =0D=0ASo w=
hile it was=0D=0Aspecial for the staff in that it was the last of the=
season (with some=0D=0Aextra enthusiasm and=0D=0Acomments) some of t=
he program was evidently shortened/streamlined due to=0D=0Anumber of=
=0D=0Acrews to be recognized.=0D=0A=0D=0ABeing at end of the season s=
ome camp staff (mostly college aged) had=0D=0Athinned out due=0D=0Ato=
early start school dates, etc. All program areas were open because=
=0D=0Aother staff filled =0D=0Ain. The only way we knew staff was sh=
ort was at campfires was when they=0D=0Asaid that only=0D=0Ahalf of t=
he normal musical accompanyment was present due to early=0D=0Adepartu=
res.:-( =0D=0ABut the remaining staff made up for it in enthusi=
asm and volume! ;-) =0D=0A=0D=0AThe other place we were impacted wer=
e at staff camps on last 3 days of our=0D=0Atrek as we=0D=0Aheaded ba=
ck into H.Q. Our crew had selected a trek that finished over=0D=
=0AT.O.T. as did=0D=0AMOST of the short treks. TOT Ridge the last h=
iking day had a LOT of crews=0D=0Aon it. That=0D=0Awasn't bad. But=
some of the staff camps we hit those last three days, some=0D=0Aof w=
hich we=0D=0Awere really looking forward to, we felt we got short cha=
nged on because the=0D=0Ashort trek=0D=0Acrews, most with much shorte=
r hikes, had arrived at these camps earlier in=0D=0Aday and had=0D=
=0Aalready booked the programs we wanted (and partially chose our tre=
k for). =0D=0AIn Cyphers=0D=0AMine in particular we (and at least 4 o=
ther crews who go there just after=0D=0Anoon) found that =0D=0AALL of=
the program times for ALL of the programs were already taken for the=
=0D=0Aday. And=0D=0Aeven the early program times the next day were g=
one... and waiting for=0D=0Alater ones =0D=0Awould have made it imp=
ossible to get to program at our next camp. Sigh. =0D=0AAnd the cro=
wd=0D=0Awas too big for the regular 'Stomp Shack' to be used (with it=
's special=0D=0Aaccoustics),=0D=0Aso the crowd got to be part of the =
first 'Stomp' held on the 'new porch' at=0D=0Athe staff cabin.=0D=
=0AWhile not the experience many of you may fondly remember, it was a=
=0D=0Abeautiful clear=0D=0Anight with a sky full of stars and a great=
time was still had by all.=0D=0A=0D=0AAnyway, my recommendation for =
12-day crews on those last two full-trek=0D=0Adays, =0D=0Aespecially =
if some of the crew has done TOT before, is to choose a trek=0D=0Atha=
t ends =0D=0Aup somewhere other than hiking into H.Q. That should =
hopefully avoid the=0D=0Avery =0D=0Aover-crowded camps. Before we t=
urned in towards H.Q. those last three=0D=0Adays we were =0D=0Afar en=
ough out in the hills that we often felt we had the place to=0D=0Aour=
selves. It's a =0D=0Awonderful feeling to be the only crew overnig=
hting way out yonder in a=0D=0Abeautiful =0D=0Atrail camp in God's Co=
untry.=0D=0A=0D=0APS: We did hear mention that some back-country cam=
ps get closed down a few=0D=0Adays =0D=0Aearlier than the close-in ca=
mps. Whether that affects trek selection for=0D=0Athese last =0D=
=0A12-day treks I don't know. Perhaps they just close down camps onc=
e no more=0D=0Acrews =0D=0Aare scheduled for em. Both of our crews =
got their first itinerary choices=0D=0Aand weren't =0D=0Atold of any =
we could NOT pick -- but we both had picked ones that finished=0D=
=0Aover =0D=0ATOT into H.Q.=0D=0A=0D=0AHave great time! (Wish we we=
re going again soon. But our troop is=0D=0Aunfortunately =0D=0AWAAAY=
down on the waiting list for 2003.)=0D=0A=0D=0A- P Miller=0D=0AT200,=
Columbus OH=0D=0A=0D=0A=0D=0A=0D=0A=0D=0A=0D=0A---------------------=
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--------=0D=0AAs you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow=
=0D=0AScouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,=0D=0Aloyal=
, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,=0D=0Acheerful, thrift=
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