I have been following this list for a long time now. I must be missing
something. There is lots of talk about pack weight, keeping it down, what to bring
/ not bring. I have not had a chance to go back to Philmont as an adult (the
guys in my troop are into other things, but there is always hope, which is
why I lurk here). Anyway -
My Philmont experience was as a 15-year old in the mid-60s, on a
Council-contingent crew. I weighed 150 dripping wet - and I was one of the bigger members
of the crew. One of the crew (the advisor's son) just made the age break,
and couldn't have weighed more than 110 pounds) - he didn't have any problems
that I recall, and he carried his share. My pack, leaving base camp with my
share of crew gear, food and water, was 39 pounds (26%). I still have my frame
and pack (cotton duck cloth with NO water resistance) - which alone weigh 2
pounds more than my "new" gear. The "hip belt" (this was a new idea back then)
was home-made from an old BSA web belt - no padding. Crews still cooked on
wood fires, so we had to carry a hand axe and folding shovel. Philmont "standard
issue" tents were BSA canvas ("Explorer" or "Voyager" model if I recall
correctly). They were HEAVY, had no floor, no screens, and just a flap for a door.
They were the same tents my home troop used for local camping. The only way
to split the tent up was for one to carry the canvas, and the other to carry
poles (2 big aluminum telescoping) and pegs (the angle iron type, 9 around the
bottom of the tent, 4 for guys in back, 2 for guys in front - total 15 heavy
pegs). Both parts were heavier and bulkier than their "modern" equivalents.
The trail food was primative by comparison with what is available today - in
terms of taste, selection, bulk and weight. We carried 3 - 4 days rations,
and made liberal use of the swap boxes (mostly to get the ingredients for dutch
oven cobblers in camps where ovens were available - every night that we could,
including at Baldy Camp for a birthday party!). And we didn't have all the
new synthetic fabrics or multi-use clothing. My poncho was heavier and bulkier
than my present rain suit. We wore (gasp!) cotton T-shirts and socks on the
trail (and they stunk just as bad as your coolmax and Thorlo when we came off
the trail - but then again, we didn't even THINK of bringing them home). No
Thermo-rests or Ridge-rests (we used our ponchos for a ground cloth (no floors
in the tents either)). We all had the frying pan part of army-surplus mess
kit (the long handle allowed us to sanitize in boiling water), and the large
spoon from the BSA vittle kit. No plastic or Lexan. Water was carried in
aluminum canteens. No such thing as "turkey bags". Waterproofing our gear was by
using the plastic bags that Wonder bread came in. A dry cleaning bag sort of
worked for the sleeping bag - if you were REAL careful not to tear it.
"Hiking boots" were just work boots that weighed a ton.
Unless you could afford down, sleeping bags were heavier and bulkier than
bags with the same comfort rating today.
My home troop was not big on backpacking, but the only "special" gear I
remember buying for Philmont was the army-surplus mess kit, and the "Cruiser" frame
for the pack that I already had.
We never heard of cell phones, GPS, digital cameras, or multi-purpose tools.
Radios were big, bulky, had limited range and more limited battery life, so
they were not even discussed. No such thing as a head lamp, and flashlights
required at least 2 D-cells (and for 10 days, you needed at least 1 set of
spares).
No water filters - purification by boiling (preferred) or halazone tablets
(yuch!).
Start with a lighter pack/frame, tent, clothes, rain gear, sleeping bag, mess
gear, boots, food, water containers and flashlight. Get rid of the axe and
shovel, but add stove, fuel, water filter. It seems like the only thing that
weighs the same is water (a big part of total weight - if only we could figure
out how to re-hydrate de-hydrated water before use!).
The bottom line is that I don't see why pack weights are 5-10 pounds (or
more) greater than what I had in the "old days", unless the crews are taking alot
of "comfort" gear along. Comfort is nice, but don't complain about the weight
if you "have to" take it. We had an extensive gear-check day before leaving
home, at which time a lot of excess was removed. Even then, a lot got left in
the base camp gear locker after our ranger was done doing the gear check.
The only problem that I had was blisters - big ones on the balls of both
feet. My fault for not breaking the boots in better. The only formal
back-country program that I remember doing was at Indian Writings - and we got there with
the "help" of burros. Side hike up Baldy - with a hailstorm on top (we
decided it made more sense to "hunker down" just below the summit than to head down
in the storm). But what a view after the clouds passed!
Some other advantages of the "old days":
We traveled from Long Island, NY by bus. East of the Mississippi, this was
mostly on toll roads. West of the Mississippi, it was mostly on US and State
Highways (pre-interstate completion). 12 days out and 6 days back. Saw alot
of the country - Niagara Falls, Indianapolis Speedway, Chicago, stockyards
behind the hotel in Dubuque IA (noisy cows and trains all night), Badlands, Mt.
Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone, Tetons, Colorado Springs, etc. This had
the advantage of being at 5000+ feet for about a week before getting to
Philmont.
Had dinner at Stan Musial's restaurant in St. Louis (the Arch was 2/3 done).
(For you youngsters, he spent 22 years with the Cardinals, .331 career
batting average, elected to the Hall of Fame with 93.24% of the votes in his first
year of eligibility, after retiring in 1963. Once hit 5 home runs in a double
header against the Giants, including 2 against future HoFer Hoyt Wilhelm.
First player with 1000+ games at 2 positions (left field and 1st base)). "The
Man" spent an hour with us - photos, autographs. And the food was good. Even a
baseball fan from NY could appreciate that attention. He was an active
supporter of Scouting, and I remember that half of the trophy cases had Scouting
rather than baseball memorabilia.
It wasn't just Philmont.
4 advisors (mostly teachers on summer break) for 4 crews on 1 bus (pre-youth
protection).
Total cost of the trip (30 days, all meals, lodging, Philmont, bus, admission
fees, excluding personal gear, film and souvenirs) - $250.
Was it fun? Yup.
Was it a character-building experience? Yup.
Was it a "once-in-a-lifetime" and "mountain top" experience? Yup.
Would I go back if the opportunity arose? Yup.
In a heartbeat.
Even if I had to fly.
And lose a few pounds first.
And I'd take the new gear (most of it, anyway).
And any Scout who is fit and can pull his weight.
Please don't forget that just because a Scout can carry his weight doesn't
mean that he can pull his weight. And it is very possible for a Scout to pull
his weight even if he can't carry the same weight as everyone else. There is
much more to a trek than just carrying a pack. If you don't believe that, you
have a LOT to learn.
YiS
George Davis
SM T-206, River Vale, NJ
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Received on Tue Nov 25 11:46:50 2003
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