[Philmont] Elevate Your Food

My father, who was there in 1958, said that he saw a
group with their food
on sticks up in the air about 18 inches. Seems that
crew heard the food
should be elevated so they did just that.

Steve R.
731-R1
First Timer with my recently Eagled son.

  ***************************************************************************************
   
  In 1959, we hiled from Carson Maxwell, then used as a base camp, over Clear Creek Mtn (now Mt Phillips) and over to Cimoroncito. That was about a 40-50 mile trek. Consider the lack of quality backpacks and the weight of the gear available, it was equivalent to a 60-70 mile trek today in terms of work done.
   
  To cook, we gathered the wet firewood that Scouts fromprevious years passed up and used it to cook on.
   
  Anyway, we got to Cito. There were bear problems there and staff made the rounds advising everyont to "put your food up".
   
  Back in those days each site had a shelter with a picnic table under it and a wooden chuch box on the end of the table which was usually placed on the ground to make more table room.
   
  OK, up to us meant take it out of the chuck box and bundle it in a poncho and put it on the roof of the shelter. That worked for most crews.
   
  Well, one inventive crew from New Jersey interpreted "up" to mean elevate the chuch bos on sticks cut for the job. They were about 18" tall.
   
  About 10PM just when Scouts ere startign to get settled down for the night came word "there's a bear in camp". The bear sniffed around several chuck boxes and then went to the chuckbox on stilit.
   
  I'll never forget watching this happening as I was standing outside the wall tents provided with wooden floors at Cito watching in the moonlight at the bear vs chuckbox about 300 yds away.
   
  That bear sniffed the box, then it stood up on hind legs and took one swipe at the chuch box on stilts with a front paw. The box exploded! That bear helped himself to butter, flour and everything else he wanted. By then it was decided by the owners of the chuck box to run the bear off as enough was enough.
   
  Well, it seems like the whole basecamp followed. That bear was chased by more boys with flash cameras than you can imagine and eventually he got tired of the shenanagins and stopped and stood his ground on hind legs growling and swatting at the air.
   
  The followers took retreat to the tents and the bear left, not to be seen again until about 2AM.
   
  BTW, I was NOT one of the ones who chased the bear popping flashbulbs at him, which I believe later led to mercy.
   
  Because at about 2AM, I was sleeping on the end of a row of about 20 wall tent platforms when I woke up and obvserved a bear walking between the tent ropes adn the rolled up wall of the tent. I could have reached out adn touched the bear, but didn't. Being an old hand at bears being close, I just lay there. He never looked my way but just kept on walking. Later I fell asleep and the next day we bussed to CHQ where I spent the last night at Philmont in 1959.
   
  But that isn't the bear story I told you I'd post. That was at Old Abreu about a week before and you have to wait a little longer for that one.
   
  John LeBlanc
   
  PS, I make no offense intended or otehrwise to Scouts or persons from New Jersey, it's just that I distinctly remember that.

       
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Received on Wed Jun 20 15:04:08 2007