The Phil-list Jun_2007: [Philmont] Trek News??

From: john blanke <of708jb@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sat Jun 30 2007 - 00:12:35 CDT

Thanks, this is great. We have only one advisor that has experienced Philmont so your comments will be most helpful. We are looking forward to the trip and ready or not we leave 7/7 for Philmont.


  John

Jim Williams <jim.williams2@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
      I think Trek 8 was a good choice with lots of things to do.

  All camps had plenty of water nearby, even the trail camps, so water was never a problem. When you get to Clear Creek, check with the staff to make sure that there is still water at Red Hills, that way you won't have to pack extra over Mt. Phillips. The creek at Red Hills was runnning strong and clear.

  The first day is short, but there are several stream crossings that are deep enough to top your boots if you keep them on. Several of our guys had plastic/foam Croc type camp shoes that we shared to get across. They won't let you cross barefoot. Take the time to tour the Kit Carson home, it's worth the time.

  On day 2 we took a minor detour to Abreu to do the program there. There is a Cantina to get root beer and the program (Mexican Homesteading) is fun. The detour added about 2 miles to the length of the hike, but it was worth it. Be prepared for a vigorous climb to get to Toothache Springs, not bad, but it's mostly in the sun in the afternoon. We got water at the spring, just uphill from the campsite. You also will pass by Zastrow during the hike, so you could opt for the program there instead, which I believe is Land Navigation (GPS).

  Day 3 you hike past several nice views of the Tooth of Time. The hike to the climbing area at Miner's Park is worth it just for the view, even if you don't feel like climbing. Miner's Park has purified water from the spigot.

  On day 4 we stopped for the program at Crater Lake to do Continental Tie and Lumber and had lunch. Again worth the time, since Lower Bonito is a trail camp. There is a spring at Lower Bonito also for water.

  Day 5 you pass through Fish Camp where you can tour the Fishing Lodge and tie flies and can fish if you have the time, and ends at Apache Springs for your 2 day layover.

  At Apache Springs we had our conservation project which was clearing campsites of wood debris. They offer a sunset hike to the top of the mountain. The view was nice, but an advisor tipped us off that there is still a large snowfield up there with several feet of snow still. Since the kids didn't want to hike, us old guys packed a couple of large ziplock bags, filled them with snow, then surprised them with a snowball fight when we returned. HIGHLY recommended! We all had fun with it. I also recommend the sweat lodge.

  The next 2 days are reletively short hikes with program at Crooked Creek and Clear Creek. Altitude becomes more apparent on these days. We lost and advisor and a Scout to altitude sickness at these 2 camps. They were able to rejoin us later. Water at Commanche is from the stream nearby, and from the Spigot at Clear Creek.

  Day 10 is over Mt. Phillips. The approach from the back side is VERY steep, so start early to beat the thunderstorms, it's slow going.

  From Red Hills we originally planned to hike following the ridge over the 3 major peaks. The Staff at Clear creek suggested a different route, since the peaks route was a dry route and very rugged. We followed their suggested route, which was over Big Red in the morning, then down the trail to Middle Fork and passed the Hunting Lodge. I would definately recommend this route as it's a long day (9 miles) and is all down hill after Big Red, unless your crew wants to bag the peaks. We had time to tour the Hunting Lodge and the trail takes you passed Cathedral Rock which is very beautiful.

  The last day is a LONG one. We left Clarks Fork at 6:00am and had breakfast on the trail. We opted for the switchback trail down tooth ridge, but it is very drawn out. Many suggested the Pasture Trail down the side of the Tooth, but it looked really steep, and we had several complaining their knees hurt, so we opted for the easier, but longer route. We topped off our water at the spring on Schaffers Pass, and we were glad we did, as many were almost out by the end of the trail.

  Sorry for being so long-winded...You'll have a great time! Let me know if you need anything else.

  Jim




    -----Original Message-----
From: Philmont@troop47.com [mailto:Philmont@troop47.com]On Behalf Of john blanke
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 4:59 PM
To: Philmont List Member
Subject: [Philmont] Trek News??

  We leave July 7 for Philmont and will be on Trek 8. Do you have any other info you can share with us about that trek?



  Thanks,

  John

Jim Williams <jim.williams2@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
We just returned from a great 2 weeks at Philmont. I'll add more in the
next day or two, but here are a few items...

We did trek #8 in the South country. Lots of camps are reporting bear
sightings, but we did not see one ourselves (except from the train window),
and did not hear of any problems from said sightings.

Fire danger was low when we started, and was at medium when we returned to
base, but all camps are encouraging making small fires in the fire rings.
All ashes must be packed out at least a 1/2 mile from camp to be dispursed
in the woods. We made a fire almost every night.

The weather was beautiful with afternoon storms just now starting to show
up. We were rain free for the first 8 days.

Mosquitos were only a minor problem at the higher elevations. Put on your
bug spray before hiking Mt. Phillips, because they would attack every time
you stopped to rest (which was a lot in our case, lol).

Trails were in great shape, except those around Mt. Phillips (which were
horribly rocky).

Philstaff was energetic and fun.

We did our cons project at Apache Creek. They are clearing campsites of
dead wood and trees to lower the fire risk.

That's it for now.

Thanks,

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: Philmont@troop47.com [mailto:Philmont@troop47.com]On Behalf Of
Michael_J_Conkey@nbc.gov
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 7:19 AM
To: Philmont List Member
Subject: [Philmont] Trek News??

OK, I'm dying here . Some crews have already come off the
trail, any news about conditions? Location of Cons Projects? Etc.? My
Philstaff-provided info is pretty scarce.....

YIS.

Mike Conkey ('76, '02, '04, and '07 in six wake-ups)

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Received on Sat Jun 30 00:16:40 2007

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