Is anybody NOT ready? Hiking the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch

 

15-year-old grandson and 69-year-old grandpa completed a 55+ mile backpacking trip at the 220 square mile Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico last week. Over the 12 days on the trail, we faced swollen river crossings, 11,000+ ft mountain peaks, hail and rain, and lots of steep rugged muddy trails. All 8 boys and 3 adults completed the trek without serious issues. 

Hiking Philmont was something I have wanted to do for 50 years since I was a Boy Scout myself. The Ranch was closed in 2019 for forest fires and 2020 for COVID, so I did not get to hike with the older grandson, but grandson #2 was willing and very able!  

A few highlights from the trip:

Grandson Miles’s Scout Troop is from the Kansas City area. The long tradition of the Scouts there is to take Amtrak to Raton NM, an overnight journey. This was the first train trip for most of the boys. All of us wore our “Class A” uniforms, including me. I borrowed the shirt from my son-in-law and my daughter sewed on my old patches from when I was a Scout in the 1960s. 

Our selected “trek” was in the southern part of the massive Philmont Boy Scout Ranch. Stated mileage was 54 miles, but that did not include the occasional extra distance due to missed trails, remote campsites, and side hikes. Daily hikes ranged from 3.4 to 7.7 miles - a deceptive number when elevation, low oxygen at high altitude, weather, and trail conditions were factored in.

After a night in base camp where we completed check-in and slept on cots in mud-floored permanent tents, we hit the trail. I worried for 6 months I would not be able to pass the blood pressure test given just before we left. No problem. My pack weighed about 35 pounds fully loaded - Miles’s pack a few pounds more. The boys carried the troop gear of cooking equipment, rain fly, and most of the food. I carried the toilet paper and trowel for digging cat holes - the most valuable goods.

The first task each afternoon was setting up camp, sometimes hurrying to get tents up before the usual late afternoon rain showers. The dining fly needed to be hung, bear bags secured, and supper prepared. The boys did the work. I bought a single light weight tent since I was the odd man out with everyone else sharing their tents’ weight and the set-up work. It was cozy but kept me dry. 

After a usual 5am wake-up, the day was spent hiking. Muddy, rock-strewn trails were the norm. One boy was the “pace-setter” and a second was the navigator, jobs that rotated among the crew. Before resuming the hiking after each break, the pace-setter would call out “Is anyone NOT ready?” and if there was no response, a supervisor would call out “Hike on!”

One of our shorter days was a hike along a swollen creek. We had over a dozen crossings - the rocks over which we could walk were under water, so we just waded through in our boots. Resulting in wet footwear for a couple days afterwards. Neither Miles nor I developed blisters, thanks, I think, to double socking.

It rained at least once every day except one while on the hike - and on three days we had hail! Mostly the rains fell late in the day, but on our layover day, three big systems swept through the area, frustrating attempts to dry some hand-washed clothes. Temps ranged from hot and muggy to quite chilly some nights. I slept wearing socks and a stocking cap - and once my sweatshirt. We were to wear separate “sleep clothes” to keep bears from being attracted to any food smells our day clothes may have acquired.

Over the course of the 12 days, we gained (and lost) 11, 194 feet with our highest elevation gain at Mount Phillips, ascending 2,503 feet to our campsite just shy of the peak on our fifth day. I was not much bothered by the altitude, but some of the hikers required regular stops to catch their breath. (I got short-winded bending down to tie my shoes or pull tent stakes.) Of course, the views were breathtaking. Even our boys were in awe and expressed their appreciation of the natural beauty before them.

On our second to the last day, we ascended the “Tooth of Time”, scrambling up 1,184 feet of rocks - tough going. Everyone but me then took a side hike to the top of the rock outcropping. I enjoyed the rest and hiking along the ridgeline trail.

The packages above were a typical breakfast (or lunch). High caloric density and lightweight, usually accompanied by crackers of some kind. Some kind of jerky or meat stick (often spicy to the dismay of we older hikers whose stomachs sometimes rebelled) was part of a couple meals each day. Evening meals were half-a-dozen freeze-dried backpacking meals all combined into a single pot. Before each meal, a blessing was said.

The days went quickly, but I think most of us were happy to get back to basecamp for a last night in “civilization” having missed showers and even sleeping on cots. Besides attending a required religious service and a closing ceremony (during a horrendous hail storm), we toured Wade Phillips mansion and the Boy Scout Museum. Later that afternoon, we bussed back to Raton to catch the train now heading east…

It’s hard to say enough about what a great group this was to travel with. The boys volunteered, were cheerful, and (for the most part) got along really well. They shouldered the bulk of the work without complaint. Our adult advisors, Mr K and Mr F, were patient, knowledgeable and had high expectations of every boy. Miles and the others are fortunate to have such mentors in their lives.

And my boy, Miles? I could not be prouder of not just his physical stamina and his hiking/camping skills, but of his consistently pleasant demeanor and his willingness to always volunteer. Oh, and his ability to put up with his old grandfather who probably embarrassed him on a daily basis.

Great trip! 

Link to additional photos from the hike.

If my Squarespace editor is acting up, so here is the link to the post as a GoogleDoc.