[Philmont]: Just back from Philmont 703E, Trek 10.

I am just back to the computer from a wonderful trek. We had great weather with very little rain, just a few light showers that were gone in minutes, and one strong storm at Abreu where it rained on one side of the dining shelter and not on the other. There was plenty of water but the bugs were okay. I still recommend you take DEET but not too much. Bugs clearly favor the young guys over the old. It was colder this time in early July than my last trip in August. Many of us regularly slept in long johns and knit hats. Still, my pack was 28 pounds without food or water.

Don't want to bore you with a day by day, but I have some comments. Let the boys lead. No matter how prepared you are or how much you have studied the map, let the boys have their own trek. I had to always remember to tell them that I am not going to answer their questions, until the second or third day when they went to the crew leader first. (I was the only experienced adult.) They came together as a crew and took initiative when I stepped back. We only took one wrong turn, when we left Backache Springs by the 4 wheel drive road. I hate that 4WD. We all noticed the few crews that were adult lead. We also noticed the boys with overbearing fathers. Participate. We went to as much program as possible, and the boys volunteered to do extra work for the fifty-miler. They loved the black powder and the sassy instructors there. We even went over Uracca Mesa for the challenge program after hiking from Abreu to Backache Springs. Their energy was amazing. Four guys climbed Mt. Phillips twice in one day, for water.

We did thorns and roses most nights and we rarely had any personality thorns. I think that was because of cooperative youth leadership. I only had one serious thorn, when the boys' language and conversation went over the line of obscenity, homophobia, and scatology. When I discussed that as a personal thorn, as a disappointment and an embarrassment, I know they got the idea much better than the few times I have tried to mention it in the comfort of the scout room or the mini-van. My roses were plenty. The most satisfying was watching them cooperate, take initiative, and work hard when just a few years before they had been babes who were homesick at summer camp. We had one scout fall out at base camp. The health lodge and chaplains were great. I burnt my hand in the sweat lodge at Apache Springs. Pour from the side not directly above, unless you want a red badge of courage.

They used two bottles of CampSuds at Sawmill, just like it was baby shampoo. Don't let them do that to you. Encourage them to use the laundry at base camp or they will embarrass you at the airport. Watch out for the 11 root beer record at Abreu. Chill out, don't over prepare.

They want to go back! Have fun. Tony

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Received on Mon Jul 19 14:01:51 2004