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

Bob,
I agree with you assessment of those trails and the options available. I
would however, stress the importance of a boy run experience. Letting a crew
choose their path is an important part of Philmont. As a ranger, I made it a
policy to never direct a crew in one direction or another...even if they
were making a mistake. It is my opinion, that boys should always be let
alone to decide for themselves unless staff or advisor believes that the
scouts' safety could be compromised. In addition, you used the phrase "Black
Death" to refer to the trail from BMC to Black mountain. That is not
entirely accurate 'phil-speak'. In actuality, Black Death refers to one of
the many "ranger challenges". For those on the list who have no idea what
I'm talking about, its fairly simple. As the summer progresses, many on the
ranger staff look for challenges beyond those that a normal crew could
provide. Thus they undertake various challenges. One of these is black
death. It begins at Clear Creek camp and summits, Phillips, Big Red, Bear,
Black, Shaeffers Peak, and the Tooth into base camp in that order or the
reverse order and it is done in one day. Typically it takes between 10-15
hours to complete. Also popular among rangers, is the Ranger marathon which
is a continuous hike from Dean Beard camp in the north to Abreau in the
south, once again...all in one day. I completed this in just over 12 hours
and also drank more than 2.5 gallons of water and only urinated once. Hope
this gives everyone a little insight into the characters that make up the
ranger staff.
Patrick Arsenault
Amherst MA
98 (Youth) 02 (Adult) 03 (Ranger)

On 7/8/2004 6:55 PM, "Dr. Bob Klein" <drbob@troop111.org> wrote:

> 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.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------
> Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
> Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
> Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
> -------------------------------------------------------
> Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
> Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
> List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
> List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
> -------------------------------------------------------
> As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
> Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
> loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
> cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

-------------------------------------------------------
Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
-------------------------------------------------------
Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Thu Jul 8 21:41:14 2004