[Philmont] 30 & Burros

The burros are optional - you can choose a trek that does not include
that activity. Every trek may have pluses and minuses depending on what
a crew wants to do. If a trek has everything your crew wants except it
includes burros that they do not want to do, the crew has to decide what
is more important to them. And many times what someone thinks is a
minus turns out to be a plus. Does it make sense for a crew to get a
trek that includes burros and decline to take them while a crew that
wants burros gets their selection card in a little later and cannot get
a trek with burros?

I can really think of only two negatives with the burros. You can't
hike over Wilson Mesa and you get a late start the day you pick up the
burro. The late pickup could be fixed by Philmont and I complained at
length about this issue on the eval form.

I missed Wilson Mesa which I really would like to have done. But the
crew really enjoyed the burro. Our trek was in '05 and we were not
aware of the "must take" rule instituted that year (note to self - read
everything more carefully). Initially the crew planned on declining the
burros. At the last minute they changed their mind which was good since
they found out in logistics that it was required. After coming off the
trail, most of the crew members purchased the stuffed burros in the TOT
Traders.

Phil Brown

________________________________

From: Philmont@troop47.com [mailto:Philmont@troop47.com] On Behalf Of
John Geyster
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2006 10:46 PM
To: Philmont List Member
Subject: [Philmont] 30 & Burros

My crew did Trek 21 in 2004 and elected to forgo the burros for the
Wilson Mesa route. No one regretted it and thought the hike over the
Mesa was one of the highlights of the trip. Our ranger had a vista off
trail that he used to complete training. This was also one of the best
views of the entire trip.

If everything else is an optional activity, why make burro packing a
requirement? The whole experience is about the crew making choices, yet
they force the burros on the crew. And you can't always choose a
comparable trek without burros. Just look at how many do both Baldy and
the Tooth without burros.

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Received on Sat Sep 30 08:15:56 2006