Re: [Philmont]: Clark Forks to Black Mountain Camp

In 2003 we went from Black Mt. down to North Fork Urraca .............and
yes the trail does cross the stream ATLEAST 50 times.............my crew
counted each crossing --- in Spanish.

It is pretty boring to look around too.......no scenery, just a narrow
trail....mt on both sides.

troop681@hotmail.com
           (click here to reply to ME)

Kim Pigorsch
Membership Chairmun (sic)
and Eagle Scout Advisor

Troop 681

San Diego, CA

>From: "Dr. Bob Klein" <drbob@troop111.org>
>Reply-To: philmont@troop47.com
>To: Multiple recipients of list philmont <philmont@troop47.com>
>Subject: Re: [Philmont]: Clark Forks to Black Mountain Camp
>Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 18:55:26 -0400
>
>By me, you would be going up to Shaefers Pass, then taking the ridgeline
>trail west to Black Mountain, then going down the backside of Black
>Mountain into Black Mountain Camp. The alternative is to go over Shaefers
>Pass down to the North Fork Urraca trail, and take that to Black Mountain
>Camp. Past commentary on this List suggests that the NFU trail to BMC has
>over 50 stream crossings. With all the rain this year, I'd expect that the
>NFU is flowing pretty well these days.
>
>The trail from Shaefers Pass to Black Mountain is *routine* until the last
>bit, where it steepens pretty significantly (but not too badly); this is
>about the last third from SP to BM. It's tough but not ridiculous. The
>actual trails of horror to Black Mountain that you've heard about are: A)
>from Commanche Pass past Bear Mountain to Black Mountain, and B) from BMC
>to Black Mountain. I've done them both, and believe me, B) is tough. They
>don't call it "Black Death" for nothing.
>
>But you're going DOWN that side, not up, so nothing to worry about!
>
>The biggest issue is figuring out the trails at Black Mountain summit.
>Heading from Shaefers Pass, the trail you're on will "T" into the Bear
>Mountain/Black Mountain trail. Turn left. The summit of Black Mountain is
>5 - 10 minutes, depending on how well you're moving. There used to be a
>single sign on the summit, labelled "Everest". It was still there in 2000,
>but I have no idea if it's still there.
>
>Here's where things get a little dicey. The trail to BMC is basically WEST
>of the summit sign, but it's not all that easy to find from the summit.
>You have to look for it, and really make sure you're on it before
>proceeding. The problem is that there is ALSO a well-beaten APPARENT trail
>heading south from the southeastern side of the summit. This is a FALSE
>TRAIL, and has been taken by many Crews, all to their eventual dismay and
>total aggravation. That trail eventually peters out to nothing south and
>east of the summit - after you've already lost 500 feet of elevation, that
>is. We have already had one of our returning Advisors mention in passing
>(in his after-action report) that his Crew got lost off Black Mountain and
>had to reclimb to the summit. I bet I know exactly how! Note that the
>large scale Central map seems to "split the difference" between the actual
>and false trails - but don't be fooled. The real trail to BMC is west.
>
>I have personally asked Philmont to correct this situation with some better
>signage, but to my knowledge things remain as they have been for over three
>decades now. I guess the Cons guys don't feel like schlepping all the
>necessary equipment to Black Mountain either (can't say I blame them).
>
>Anyway, just make sure you head west off the summit, and you'll be fine.
>It's a fairly quick drop into BMC, once you're on the right trail.
>
>
>SusanBKewley@cs.com wrote:
>>Our crew is on trek #1. On day 7 we go from Clark Forks to Black Mountain
>>camp. The crew is trying to decide if they want to go over the top of
>>Black Mountain or go around the side of Black Mountain. Looking at the
>>map and from a previous email we have been informed there are about 20
>>stream crossings if you go around the Mountain. We were also informed
>>that the trail over the top is the toughest trail on the ranch. Has anyone
>>been on Trek #1 this year that can offer some insight. How Steep is the
>>terrain over the top and how high is the water in North Fork Urraca Creek.
>> We will be attempting this on July 23rd.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Thu Jul 8 20:40:45 2004