RE: [Philmont]: Shakedowns - Physical Conditioning?

> From: Joseph Jansen
> >you must train with boots on your feet and a loaded pack on
>> your back.

> Getting your feet comfortable with your hiking shoes or boots is very
> important.

This point cannot be over-emphasized.

When I went to Philmont this summer, I was in the unfortunate position that
I could not do this. The boots I WAS going to wear blew out on a hike up
Half-Dome in Yosemite two weeks before Philmont. When I got home, I went
to REI and bought the best fitting pair I could find, and wore them to
work every day and on the one weekend so that I could get at least some
wear. Unfortunately, as I had to be in court several times during that
period, there were several days I could not wear them, so my time in the
new boots was limited.

Fortunately, they worked perfect and I had no problems at all with them
on the trek. I would not, however, wish the circumstances on anyone,
as the risk of having a bad time was far too great. As it turns out,
these have been the most comfortable boots I've ever owned. Something
to be said for being very cautious about making sure of fit when you
buy.

Frankly, from my perspective, this physical conditioning topic is a bit
overblown. Unless you have a pretty sedentary unit, or you somehow manage
to bring someone who has no experience on your trip, everyone should be in
something like reasonable shape for the trip. Philmont, for our scouts
and leaders, is, from the hiking perspective, no more than an intermediate
hike. Only the long duration is more than we are used to, and having to
do things the "Philmont way" rather than our way causes a lot of
friction. We go a week in the Sierras every summer, and compared to that,
Philmont is pretty easy.

But then, I wouldn't consider taking a scout or adult on one of our crews
if they didn't have that experience level. Perhaps that is the issue?
Regards
Don Roberts
03, 05
Fullerton, CA

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Received on Thu Jan 19 10:53:24 2006