[philmont] Quickie Trek 26 trip report

Ched--

Thanks for mentioning the new campfires. The Activities staff has been excited about the changes (improvements, we hope).

For those who are interested, the new Closing Campfire bowl was in use last year, but construction was not finished until this spring. Now we just have to keep that big projection screen from blowing away in a mild breeze (with several staff members frantically holding on!)... The Closing Campfire program itself hasn't really changed much in the last few years, aside from a couple of new skits and some improved A/V capabilities. We hope that homebound crews will have some fun at the Closing and also engage in a little reflection about their time on the trail together. We also hope to inspire some contemplation on the fact that Philmont has been here for perhaps three generations of participants now.

The CHQ Activities staff received permission from the Philmont administration to create a new script for the Opening Campfire for this year, for the first time since 1978 or '79. The goal is still to introduce trailbound crews to the history of the area that they will be hiking through, but the new script has replaced the old, rhyming, generic character parts (literally written in Disney Imagineer style!) with real historical figures from the area, such as Kit Carson, Lucien Maxwell, Clay Allison, and so on. Crews are met at the Welcome Center by the "Old Scout," and once they're at the firebowl are asked to imagine that they have just arrived at Philturn Rocky Mountain Scout Camp, circa 1939, and are being greeted by Waite Phillips and Slim Bosley. (Slim is the Philturn wrangler seen in the old Philturn home movie footage that is shown at the end of the Closing Campfire. He was the first Philturn wrangler.) There have been some occaisional glitches, but by and large I think
we've been successful in making the Opening more meaningful. Those who saw the old "New Mexico Story" campfire in the last couple of years would probably agree that it had nearly become a parody of itself.

We've put a lot of work into the new facilities and programs, and we would be interested in feedback from anyone who's returned from the trail this year.

Thanks!

Doug Marquis
Asst. Mgr. CHQ Activities

-------------- Original message --------------
From: Ched Hudson <chedhudson@verizon.net>

> Just returned from the ranch Sunday night, and on my way to Montreal, but here's
> a few news tidbits from our Trek 26 experience. Apologies in advance for any
> duplication of information in other reports which I haven't had time to read.
>
> Fire: For most of our trek, every camp map, every porch talk, and every staffer
> stressed the phrase "Extreme Fire Danger EVERYWHERE". Late last week the signs
> came down, the Clark's Fork campfire had one (instead of kerosene lanterns in
> the fire ring), and the July 14 Philnews mentioned that the Valle was reopening
> and rangers were instructing crews on safe fire use with the expectation that at
> some point soon campers would be allowed to build fires. Perhaps that will also
> lift the restriction on the Tabasco Donkeys which had been roped shut.
>
> Weather: our southeast/southwest trek experienced one good three hour
> thunderboomer the first day on the trail July 5, and intermittent rain the next
> three days. Then five days of glorious blue-sky high pressure weather, with
> afternoon cloud development but no rain, and 100-mile views from Phillips,
> Comanche Peak, Window Rock, and the Tooth at sunrise our last day.
>
> Flooding: Due to repeated flooding of Comanche Camp, staff were frantically
> relocating this trail camp to higher ground when we arrived. The new camp is a
> short stiff climb up the hill and the terrain makes tenting somewhat
> challenging, but they did a creditable job marking and building it considering
> they didn't even have official approval of the new site yet.
>
> Bugs: none.
>
> Food: Not quite up to what we got in 2004 but fine and plentiful nonetheless.
> Sausage sticks and pilot biscuits are gone, the Oberto beef jerky was ok but the
> Pemmican was inferior, and the Lawrey's beef sticks were greasy. Most hated meal
> was (again) the Hawaiian Chicken, but the mexican dinner (with "heavy" flour
> tortillas), the stroganoff, and the spaghetti were favorites of our crew, as was
> the ramen noodle soup. Blueberry Granola was well-liked, French Almond Vanilla
> and Maple Granola were so-so, and Super Nutty and plain Granolas were voted off
> the island. Lots and lots of sunflower seeds provided, and usually transitioned
> directly to the swap boxes (which were unrestricted at all our stops except for
> Clark's Fork which was fighting aganst the "dumping ground" effect from crews
> preparing for their assault on Shafer's and Tooth Ridge.)
>
> Conservation: ours was at Cito, sawing logs and mulching smaller branches and
> twigs with pruners ("Britney Shears") as part of a meadow encroachment remedy.
> Some crews are also felling trees as part of that project.
>
> Wildlife: At closing campfire many crews reported bear and mountain lion
> encounters (seeing or hearing) although our crew did not, probably due to
> well-practiced though unintended use of the "make lots of noise" strategy on the
> part of several of our scouts. Also saw lots of rabbits, minibears (natch), and
> hummingbirds, including a hummingbird nest with two baby birds and a very
> protective mama at Cito. Hummingbirds have become part of this year's Universal
> Ranch Legend, much like Little Timmy, and the going camp staff advice is that if
> a hummingbird flies in your eye, don't pull it out.
>
> Most Amazing Event: the staffer leadig the Hunting Lodge tour used a fast finger
> to trip the mink trap after setting it...but, regrettably, not quite fast
> enough. In a scene reminiscent of "put the handle back" from Young Frankenstein,
> the young victim held out his hand to our crew leader but in his pain could only
> think to say "the wing...the wing" (referring the the part that would unlock the
> trap and release his finger). Remarkably, he picked up after a short pause and
> finished the tour almost without skipping a beat, although he was in some
> considerable pain and I wouldn't be surprised if his finger had been cracked or
> broken.
>
> Bus to town: The bus into Cimarron is no longer free - $34 per group - and is
> logistically a mess (surprising considering it's run by Philmont). You sign up
> in Logistics, pay in Registration, wait at the Welcome Center, and must query
> every Philmont bus that passs through "Are you the bus to Cimarron?" since none
> of the drivers have a sign posted on their bus, nor can they be bothered to call
> out "Cimarron!" or anything else. Our crew was early but still missed the bus
> because of it...there were crews leaving for and coming off the trail by bus,
> and the town bus blended right in.
>
> Miscellany: Day 3 on the trail we watched sunrise from Inspiration Point near
> Uracca, where we could see the Tooth across the valley to the north. Last day on
> the trail, watching sunrise from the Tooth, we could clearly see camera flashes
> coming from Inspiration Point. In a way it felt a lot like time travel. We had
> time to do the Villa Philmonte tour this year, and the scouts really enjoyed it.
> The closing campfire has a new (last year?) amphitheater out past where crew
> photos are taken, complete with big projection screen and good sound system.
> Opening and closing campfires have been rewritten, but the best parts of the
> older closing campfire have been retained.
>
> All in all a fantastic trek.
>
> >Ched Hudson
> ASM Troop 994, Fairfax Station, VA
> Philmont '67, '04, '06 (704-O3)
>
>
>
>
>
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> 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.
> -------------------------------------------------------
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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 Tue Jul 18 14:19:04 2006