RE: [Philmont]: Day Hikes At Philmont

If I'm not mistaken, the Urraca Trail was developed as a less strenuous
alternative to PTC folks day-hiking the Tooth. PTC participants aren't
subject to the same medical and weight requirements as trekkers, so Philmont
has to be really careful. Still, I personally know that there has been at
least one fatality (heart attack) on the Urraca Trail in recent years. I
can't imagine Philmont allowing anyone else to hike on their property -
trekkers are subject to strict medical/weight requirements, plus two days of
training by a Philmont Ranger, so I seriously doubt that someone could just
show up and get into the backcountry. It's enough trouble to keep track of
1,000 staff members and 3,000+ participants at any given time. Philmont
doesn't have the resources to monitor non-participants nor to provide staff
for the numerous additional search and rescues that would surely occur. As
someone else mentioned, the Ponil Road is actually a state highway (!) and
the land north of Philmont - the Barker Wildlife Area and the Carson
National Forest - is public land which, as far as I know, is open for
individuals to hike and camp as they please. But going back to the original
question, it's a safe bet to say that unless you're a registered
participant, you can forget about the possibility of hiking on Philmont
property.

Brian Gannon
628-G
Philmont Ranger 1997-2000

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Received on Wed Mar 16 00:22:01 2005