We arrived at Philmont at 8:30 AM local time and were met by our Ranger, Patrick A., a 20-year old microbiology major at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Patrick is an Eagle Scout and this was his second year as a Ranger. After receiving tent assignments, our Crew Leader Patrick M. and I went to Logistics to review the Trek 10 route and note campsites, water stops, commissaries and showers along the route.

After lunch, we went for our pre-trek medical checks. Medical forms were reviewed and advisors had their blood pressure checked to ensure that we were ready for the trail. Gear checks with the Ranger followed. We then had a little free time before the evening meal and Chapel at 7:00 PM. The opening campfire started at 8:30 PM and provided a history of Arizona and Philmont. We then headed back to camp with lights out at 10:00 PM.

I was up at 5:00 AM so that I could take one last shower before hitting the trail. The Scouts were not so inclined and slept in – to 5:45 AM. Breakfast at 6:30 was French toast and bacon and the worst grits I have ever tried to eat – Yankee cook?

We took our Crew photo after breakfast in our Class A’s after which we packed away our uniforms and any other gear not needed on the trek. This gear went into storage lockers to await our return in 12 days time. We were at the departure area at 9:15 for a 10:00 departure to the Cimarroncito turnaround and the start of our Trek. Before starting on the trail, we were all educated as to "Red Roof Inn etiquette" by the Ranger.

The crew decided to vary the route to Ute Springs so as to pass by Cimarroncito reservoir, Cathedral Rock and climb to Window Rock. The views from Window Rock were worth the extra 2-3 mile hike. We ate a late lunch at Window Rock and then hiked down to arrive at Ute Springs at 4:30 PM. At Ute Springs we were all introduced to the Philmont method for hanging bear bags, dining fly set-up, cooking and KP and the correct procedure for purifying water using Polar Pure (iodine crystals).

Dinner was mac ‘n’ cheese followed by banana pudding. John-Martin collected way too much pudding from Scouts who didn’t want it, mixed it with way too little water and then put on quite a performance trying to eat all of it. Unable to clean his plate, his reward was to get "yum-yum bag" duty for tomorrow. After dropping and replacing the "oops bag" about 4 times until all smellables were put away, we called it a night. The Scouts had little trouble getting to sleep.

Up at 5:00 AM. Breaking camp and eating breakfast took longer than expected and we were not on the trail until 7:00. We stopped at the Ute Gulch commissary and collected 4 days of trail food. Once it was distributed among the backpacks, we hit the trail for the 3-mile hike to Lower Sawmill Camp.

In order to save lunches for the ascent of Mt. Phillips (dry camp), the Scouts elected to cook a dinner for lunch. Philmont’s preferred method of 1-pot cooking makes for interesting combinations – lunch was spaghetti with meat sauce and corn.

The afternoon was spent on cards and side hikes. Patrick, Will, Jason and Michael took cheating at Spades to new levels. Brian F. (Troop 491) decided to sit on a cactus on one side hike, much to the amusement of David L. and James C.

Dinner was chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans. We decided to cook the green beans separately after all – in violation of the Rangers recommendation. The beans were not a crew favorite and were not even cooked the next time they appeared on the menu. Most, including John-Martin, decided to pass on the strawberry shortcake pudding. It was just as well as Patrick A., our Ranger, endeared himself to all by producing a Sara Lee pound cake and a tub of vanilla icing he had been carrying for 2 days as his "parting gift". We presented Patrick with one of the new Troop 828 neckerchiefs.

After a devotional, we put up the oops bag and then had our roses/buds/thorns session. We were headed for our tents by 8:30 PM.

Our day started once again at 5:00 AM. We said our good-byes to our Ranger after breakfast. We headed onto the trail and he headed back to Base Camp to pick up and indoctrinate a new crew. We had a short 2-mile hike to Sawmill (elev. 9,350 ft.), arriving at about 8:40 AM.

After setting up camp, we were taught the steps to reload 30-06 ammo. We then went up to the firing range where each of us shot the ammo we had reloaded. Michael ("Trigger Guard") C. had a bit of trouble finding a rifle that worked correctly.

After lunch, we put in 3 hours of work on the building of a new trail with the Camp’s conservation crewmembers. Our crew actually enjoyed the experience, especially when it included a chance to fell trees and crush rock using a sledgehammer.

The camp had a wood-fired (Tabasco) water heater and showers. Because we were the first crew through Sawmill this season, it took a while before we could get the water temperature regulated. Suffice it to say that the water went from icy to scalding in moments. Things eventually settled down, though, and I felt extremely refreshed after my shower.

Dinner was a one-pot mix of chicken, rice and Ramen noodles – which was surprisingly good. Because tomorrow’s hike covers about 12 miles and 3,000+ feet of elevation gain, we decided to get an even earlier start than normal.

The full moon was very much in evidence when we got up at 4:45 AM on this, Friday the 13^th. It was to be a very interesting day – to say the least.

We were on the trail by 6:30 AM. We headed out of camp on what was marked as a new trail on our detailed map. The trail petered out after a while. After bushwhacking for about 30 minutes we decided that we weren’t making any real progress. We ate breakfast and then backtracked back to Sawmill. We refilled our water bottles and then started towards Mt. Phillips a second time, this time on the correct route, at 9:00 AM.

We hiked the 4 miles to Thunder Ridge (elev. 10,330 ft.) with minimal breaks. While eating lunch there, we were hit by a hailstorm that lasted long enough to cover the ground in white. The storm died down around 1:30 PM and we set out on the trail once more. After climbing up too many switchbacks to count, we finally reached the summit of Comanche peak (elev. 11,300 ft.). We were all starting to feel the effects of a long day of hiking at altitude – made even longer by the morning’s side hike.

Another storm hit us as we hiked down from Comanche Peak headed towards Mt. Phillips. This was an even longer hailstorm that ended up leaving about 1½" of "snow" on the ground. It made the 1,200 ft. climb up Mt. Phillips from the valley where we had sheltered cold, icy and very slippery. We were all pretty tired when we finally made it to the top (elev. 11,717 ft.) of Mt. Phillips. We stopped at a clearing near camp to rest and eat dinner – it was cold and windy but what a magnificent view.

Once we had eaten, we continued on to camp, got our bear bags up and set up our tents on the snow. The cold weather drove all of us into our tents by 7:15 PM; OK, maybe a few of us were also tired. The temperature dropped to around 19-20° that evening.

An unplanned side hike, two hailstorms, setting up camp in the snow in June and temperatures down to 19-20° - a typical Friday the 13^th! It was all downhill from here!

We were up and at the flagpole at the top of Mt. Phillips for the sunrise at 5:50 AM. Awesome!

We arrived at Clear Creek Camp (3 miles and down to 10,200 ft.) around 10:30 AM. This camp is the site of the "Rocky Mountain Fur Company". After a cabin tour and an explanation of a trapper’s life in 1831, we learned first how to throw tomahawks and then load and shoot .50 cal black powder muzzleloaders. We also learned that Nalgene bottles are not totally indestructible.

After lunch, we hiked 2½ miles along a beautiful trail beside the Rayado Creek to Comanche Camp. Dinner was lunch again – the jalapeño squeeze cheese was a real hit among the Scouts. The rain forced us into our tents at 6:00 PM. The Scouts got back to cheating at various card games and all got to relax before another long day tomorrow.

Another 5:00 AM start. We stopped for a trail breakfast at Porcupine Camp around 8:00 AM. We can tell that we are once again approaching "civilization" – the Red Roof Inns have seats. Continuing on, we arrived at the Phillips Junction commissary at 9:00 AM to collect our food for the next 3 days. The fresh oranges set out for us wee a real treat after 4 days of nothing but dried food.

While at Phillips Junction we learned of another service opportunity at Buck Creek just off of our trail to Apache Springs. After discussion, the Scouts decided to try and earn a total of 10 service hours while at Philmont (3 hours already earned at Sawmill, 3 hours at Buck Creek and 4 hours at Fish Camp) so as to complete all requirements for the 50-Miler award while in camp. We hiked to Buck Creek, ate lunch and then went to work on another trail building exercise under the direction of Lucy and Stacey. They explained to us that that it takes approximately 1 man-hour per foot to build trails at Philmont. We hadn’t worked but about 2 hours when we were hit by yet another hailstorm. When things escalated to heavy thunder and lightning, the girls agreed to let us leave early but gave us credit for the full 3 hours.

Dinner was chili mac and mashed potatoes. The Scouts learned quickly (after a failed attempt) that mashed potatoes should not be combined with any other components of a dinner. 5 mule deer made their way through the meadow next to our campsite as the sun began to set that evening.

Because we do not have to hike anywhere tomorrow, the Scouts planned to sleep in tomorrow morning. They had definitely earned it!

I was up at 5:00 AM as usual and had taken a camp chair out to the meadow to watch the sunrise. The mule deer returned through the meadow just after sunrise – within 40-50 feet of where I sat - extremely still. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Since we had yet to have a hot breakfast, we put water on to boil and the Scouts were able to have a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and hot chocolate.

Brian F. won 3-D archery on the last target. I left early as rain was threatening and was able to collect all of the laundry that had been washed and left out to dry – except for Kyle’s socks! I didn’t have a pole long enough! Lunch was eaten standing in the rain; temperatures also dropped.

After our teepee tour, we went to the sweat lodges for our 4 PM appointment. Each lodge (1 for Scouts and 1 for advisors) was loaded with a bucket of hot rocks that had been baking all day under hot coals. Once the lodge was sealed, a sauna was created by pouring water onto the hot rocks. After 15 minutes inside, we exited to the cold air and doused ourselves with a bucket of ice-cold water. It was quite a shock to the system – but very refreshing – and the closest thing to a shower that some of the Scouts have seen the whole trip.

We serenaded James C. with "Happy Birthday" (his 17^th) after dinner. Some of the Scouts made the hike up to Hidden Valley to watch the sunset, which they described as spectacular. All in all a lazy day that allowed us to catch up on laundry and recuperate from 7 days on the trail.

We were up at our usual 5:00 AM start time and on the trail to Fish Camp by 6:25 AM. It was a relatively easy hike, mostly downhill, dropping from 9,350 ft. at Apache Springs to 8,550 ft. of elevation at Fish Camp. We had breakfast on the trail at Agua Fria Camp and arrived into Fish Camp by 9:00 AM where we were advised that we were their first crew of the season to arrive from the West.

The morning activity was fly-tying and then fly-fishing on the Rayado. The Scouts were able to schedule a 4-hour conservation project (completing their 10-hour requirement) working to improve river conditions. The Scouts got to roll boulders, place rocks and soil to create pools and eddies and fell one large tree – narrowly missing a pilot-to-bombardier set-up.

After dinner, we were treated to a tour of Waite Phillips’ fishing cabin. Mr. Phillips was the founder of Phillips Petroleum and the benefactor who donated his Phillips Monte (Philmont) ranch to the BSA. The cabin was all rough-cut wood and hunting and fishing trophies – the sort of place every last one of us would love to have.

We were once again on the trail at 6:30 AM for the 9-mile hike to Abreu. We had breakfast on a rock fall near the turn-off to Crag’s Camp. We stopped for lunch at Old Abreu about 11:30 where we were entertained by a new crew being trained in the Philmont method. After 9 days on the trail, our Scouts felt like old, experienced hands.

While hiking the last mile to Abreu, Patrick M. decided to bounce across a log bridge over the Agua Fria Creek, which pitched his sleeping bag and pad into the river. Luckily, both were slowed in an eddy and Patrick was able to recover them – a little wet – after quickly ditching his pack and going into the river.

Abreu Camp has two main attractions – a Mexican cantina that serves root beer and a cooked dinner using real food – tortillas with taco meat, beans and all the fixin’s. All Scouts split for the cantina as soon as the tents were pitched. The rain started shortly thereafter and continued until late that evening. One benefit was that the cantina remained open throughout – to provide shelter from the rain. The evening meal was delicious!

We got off to a late start around 9:30 AM in the hopes that tents and gear might dry out a bit before having to be packed away. We were facing a 5 mile hike up the Urraca Mesa to Backache Springs by way of Toothache Springs. The trail up to the mesa was more or less 800 feet straight up – not a problem in our present condition.

We arrived into camp at 12:00 PM and spent the afternoon dodging rain showers and being treated to quite a light show watching lightning hit the ridges to the south along the Rayado River. Most of the bad weather during the day passed to either side of us.

However, a major storm with very high winds hit us around 9:15 PM and continued for 1½ hours. I got up after the storm at 11 PM and found that all of our tents were fine and the Scouts asleep. The skies had cleared and the stars were the brightest I had seen all trip. The weather at Philmont can go from extreme to extreme in a matter of minutes.

We planned for a 5:30 AM start. Most of the Scouts were up ahead of the planned start, excited about the prospect of coming off of the trail and back into Base Camp. We had eaten breakfast and were packed and on the trail by 6:50 AM - the shortest time to date by far. We raced down off the mesa and were at Rayado and the Kit Carson museum in 1½ hours – a full 2 hours ahead of our scheduled pickup time.

Our bus arrived early and we were back at Base Camp by 10:30. After receiving our tent assignments, Patrick and I went back to Logistics to check in. They were amazed that our crew had been able to complete 3 service projects – totaling 10 hours while at Philmont. We caught up with our crew at the tents and headed off to hot showers.

After snacking at the Philmont cafeteria lunch, we caught the 1:30 PM bus to Cimarron in search of a steak. We had to settle for burgers and shakes/malts – no steaks were served until after 5 PM. After lunch we went to the soda fountain where the Scouts proceeded to have ice cream sundaes (Sean and I passed). After looking through the few shops in Cimarron, we headed back to the Philmont Trading Post where we could do some real damage.

The closing campfire started at 8:30 PM. The rain threatened but held off and we were treated to a great show. Lights out at 11 PM.

I was up early so as to enjoy another hot shower. Bill R. arrived during breakfast to collect Will for NJLT and B. L. arrived shortly thereafter with Jory to collect Jason for summer camp.

Our bus arrived late at 11:00 AM as it had driven through severe weather in the panhandle on the way up the night before. The trip home was an ordeal, but we finally arrived back into Houston early Sunday morning.

Enjoying the beautiful scenery, bonding with friends, finding new ones, and making lifelong memories are what Philmont was all about. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Where people think of New Mexico as a dry and desert like area, Philmont was far from that description. The breathtaking views that were found throughout the trip really brightened the trip for us. Spending two weeks in the middle of practically nowhere made the crew work together to function as a group and get necessary things, such as cooking and setting up camp, done. With four of our members from the Montgomery troop, we were all able to make some new friends that we hope will last longer than just the trip itself. Philmont was a place that had so many unique features about it that will allow those who went to truly cherish that experience. After the trip to Philmont, I have no doubt in my mind that those who participated would consider it a Scout dream to be able to spend a short two weeks in Scouting Paradise.