July 5 – Our send-off at Lou Malnati’s and the adventure of Amtrak
We met at Lou Malnati’s at noon for an all-you-can-eat pizza lunch. Jon closed the luncheon with inspiring words including “…hoping to bring all your sons back safely”. Off to Naperville train station where we bagged out packs in heavy plastic bags. A “scout count” revealed that Kevin D. had disappeared in route to the station, purportedly to stop and buy hygiene products at Walgreens. Kevin showed up 90 seconds before 2:34 arrival of the California Zephyr. That just added another level of excitement to the mad rush to board. We finally settled in for the 16-hour train ride. The scouts began an almost continuous, all-night trek from their seats to the café car and back (for snacks and card games). The only group on the train more populous than our crew was the Amish.
July 6 – Arrival at Denver & touring sites of Colorado Springs
I woke up and my immediate thought was that I had slept in a tumble drier. The train seats are good for sitting but not so much for sleeping. We arrived at the Denver train station about an hour late, which wasn’t bad in light of the horror stories everyone like to tell about Amtrak. We were greeted at the station by Kaye (tour guide), Ernie (driver) and the Ralphs (who had been vacationing in Colorado). We quickly loaded our packs on the coach and got underway. Kaye handed out Nalgenes of water and we got our first lesson in hydration as the primary means of preventing altitude sickness.
We went to the Air Force Academy where we visited the chapel and the store. We then went to the Garden of the Gods Park for a mile and a half hike that ended at the Trading Post, where we had a late lunch. The next stop was the Best Western Academy hotel. We took a quick walk across the street to Wal-Mart for supplies (mainly candy, although Brian G. also bought a gallon of milk – a growing young man). We high-tailed it back to the hotel as a storm was fast approaching over the Rockies. A buffet dinner had been arranged at the hotel. There was some miscommunication among the hotel and restaurant staffs resulting in there being no buffet. We had to negotiate with our server so we could order off of the menu. This entailed multiple discussions between our server and her elusive boss. We finally ordered and our dinners were delivered at a snail’s pace over a period of an hour and a half. The food was good but the experience was miserable for us weary travelers. The scouts went swimming and “hot tubing” at the hotel (before and after dinner). The latter involved flirting with any female unfortunate enough to want to spend time at the pool or sit in the hot tub.
July 7 – Colorado Springs tourists
We traveled to Pike’s Peak and took the Cog Train to the peak. It was a great trip and experience. At the top it was 40 degrees and 33 with the wind chill. Most of the scouts took a fancy to our cog guide, Ari. Peter even mentioned transferring to Colorado State (Ari’s school). We were then off to Royal Gorge. It was a long drive and most of the scouts slept in route. The gorge itself was fascinating and very impressive. One of my personal highlights was the spontaneous sword fight that broke out among our scouts while they rode the merry-go-round – it made me think of the lasting positive effect that scouting must be having on these fine young men. Apparently the person running the ride didn’t share my view and the scouts were eventually asked to leave the merry-go-round. As a result the sword fighting simply continued in the park. (The $2.99 plastic swords became a constant companion of the scouts and many of the swords were carried for the full Philmont trek.)
We drove through a massive rainstorm on the way to our final stop of the day – the Circle W Ranch. We toured the grounds while waiting for the famous chuck wagon dinner (Mr. Frank recalls visiting the ranch when he was 9 years old). Dinner was good but the scouts didn’t really take to the after dinner show and music. Most of the scouts congregated outside the dining area and attracted the attention of a worker who didn’t appear to have the patience and understanding of the young men that Mr. Frank and I had developed. I happened upon one of the interactions with the worker, who was quite intense and threatened to sit with the crew at our table or on the bus. As a result we promptly chose to leave the venue. Back at the hotel there was more swimming, a pool volley ball game (where one unnamed scout became smitten with Hannah Claire Fredrick), more hot tubing and finally packing for Philmont – thankfully the tourist phase of our trip was quickly drawing to a close.
July 8 – Travel to Philmont Base Camp – Preparation for the trail
We left the hotel at 6:40 for the 3-hour drive to Philmont. Georgia (driver) spoke endlessly with Shelby (tour guide). All agreed that Georgia talked more than me! We purposely avoided asking Georgia questions so as not to encourage her. During one weak moment one of us asked a question and the answer involving a convoluted story that took 20+ minutes. Once we left the interstate on our way to Cimarron we saw buffalo, elk and antelope along side the road. Then the moment we had been waited for…we arrived at Philmont! We got off the coach and Jon P. and I were whisked to the welcome center where we met John, a staffer who returned to Philmont to work the summer – returning for the 1st time since hiking it in 1966. John looked directly at Jon, our crew leader, and told him that from that point forward he was in charge of the crew. He emphasized it by suggesting that Jon’s right boot was for planting on the seat of my pants if I got in the way. John then made the famous pronouncement, “The adult advisors are on vacation – they shouldn’t do anything.” Jon and I then listened to another younger staffer who provided the first of a few detailed and quick sets of directions on what we had to do next. We received our tent assignments for Tent City and walked out with about 10 sheets of directions and instructions.
Jon and I found the rest of our crew, who were already meeting with Eric Nickerson, our ranger. The rest of the afternoon was a blur involving taking our packs to our tents, crew orientation with Eric, registering (Mr. Frank and me), having a mind-numbing meeting with a staffer from Logistics where we covered at least a dozen documents & every day of the trek (Jon and me), having lunch, checking out crew equipment, picking up our 1st food rations, doing a medical re-check, visiting the Tooth of Time Traders, buying fuel at the fuel depot, eating dinner, and attending meetings – 1 each for the crew leaders, advisors, chaplain aides (Rob)and Guia (Jeremy). The day’s events ended with 9 of us attending Mass, followed by the opening campfire. Most of us fell into our sleeping bags ready for a good night’s sleep.
Somewhere along the way during the day Rob and Peter 1st saw Emily, a ranger who is attending the Naval Academy (the Academy fills 10 Philmont ranger slots each summer). Emily was a name mentioned by the older scouts on most days of the trek.
A major theme of the day, and of the rest of the trek, was proper bear procedures. There had been a bear attack a day or two before we arrived involving a scout being pulled out of his tent by a bear and scratched on his head and face. The good news is that later in the trek we met an advisor who had seen the injured scout back at base camp ready to return to his crew to finish the trek. Rumors about the incident abounded throughout our time at Philmont. The explanation given is that the bears were more aggressive this season due to the late winter and negative impact on berry production. Typically about 30% of the crews see a bear – this year it was 80%.
July 9 – 1st day on the trail – Drop off at Zastrow Turnaround & hike to Rimrock Park
We had a lot to do before our 9:30 bus to Zastrow turnaround. We got up at 5:10, distributed the crew equipment and food packets, went to breakfast at 6:30 and then returned to camp for Eric’s personal gear shakedown. A lot of redundant items (e.g., sunscreen, soap, baby wipes) were taken but Rob’s Jalapeño Tabasco sauce easily passed Eric’s inspection. At one point Eric collected all of our knives and passed them around in a hat in order to emphasize how much they weighed. He said that we would only need 1 knife and a Leatherman tool on the trek. The point was noted but after all that I think only one scout put his knife in storage! We went for our crew picture, I took the valuables to the vault while the crew took all of the unneeded gear, class A’s and our travel clothes to the lockers. We finally made it to the Welcome Center where we weighed our packs and then loaded onto the bus.
We were dropped off at the Zastrow Turnaround with 2 other crews. We hit the trail and hiked a half hour to Zastrow camp for our first break. Then it was onto Rimrock Park, our camp for the night. Along the way Eric stopped us for “teachable moments”, e.g. the 5 T’s of signs, opening/shutting barbed wire gates, peeing on rocks (not trees), etc. Once we got to camp Eric provided a lot more ranger training. It rained for a half hour during training and we donned our rain gear. After dinner Eric and the scouts hiked a mile & a half back to the campfire and cobbler at Zastrow. Mr. Frank and I stayed back at camp for a quiet night of journaling and reading. Personally I had random thoughts of what it would be like to fend off a bear. We were both asleep when the crew returned.
July 10 – 2nd day on the trail – Hike to Urraca Mesa
In my opinion hiking to Urraca Mesa was the toughest hike of the trek. It was an early test of our conditioning, hiking skills and teamwork. It was a short hike, scheduled to only be about 4 miles, but the last 2 were very steep.
The hike started out well and we stopped for an extended break at Abreu where we milked goats and enjoyed their famous root beer in the cantina. Once we left Abreu we started to go up. It lasted until we reached the top of the mesa. The scenery was great but the temperatures quickly went from warm to hot. Along the way there was a lot of barking among the crew about pacing and spacing. We were constantly starting and stopping, and tension was building. We were on a 10-minute hiking/
2-minute break routine that worked well for us. We finally made it to the top then we were faced with a decision – head straight to camp or hike a mile east to the edge of the mesa and have lunch overlooking the valley. We decided to head east – the crew was divided about the decision. There was concern about the extra 2 miles given how hard we had worked. The view at lunchtime was spectacular. We took an extended lunch break then headed to camp.
2-minute break routine that worked well for us. We finally made it to the top then we were faced with a decision – head straight to camp or hike a mile east to the edge of the mesa and have lunch overlooking the valley. We decided to head east – the crew was divided about the decision. There was concern about the extra 2 miles given how hard we had worked. The view at lunchtime was spectacular. We took an extended lunch break then headed to camp.
At camp the scouts completed a series of very good and worthwhile challenge events. After we set up camp, Rob climbed up some large rocks to find a rock to water. All of a sudden he comes bounding down the rocks with a “Whoa!” He had seen and heard a rattlesnake, which of course resulted in most of us gathering around to see it. The rest of the day involved a downpour, a double rainbow and a great Jousting Match involving all scouts in camp (Peter was our crew champ), a campfire and our nightly Thorns, Roses & Buds (TRB) at the campfire ring under a big sky full of clear and bright stars. After TRB Eric asked us to sing Amazing Grace, which I thought was very special. It also gave me some insight into Eric’s personal journey.
July 11 – 3rd day on the trail – Hike to Miners Park
Jon woke up not feeling well. We had been hearing about the dreaded “Urraca flu”. Apparently Jon got it.
Before we left camp, Jon, Mr. Frank and I met with Eric to get his final advise. We asked him for his straight scoop. It was a worthwhile exchange. He headed back to base camp afterwards and we were on our own.
It was an uneventful hike other than Jon feeling sick. He struggled through the hike but he made it - we quarantined Jon when we got to Miners Park. When we arrived at camp the staffers’ rambling talk almost forced Mr. Frank into a rage. We were tired and the staffers just went on and on.
The scouts went rock climbing, which they enjoyed, while Mr. Frank and I did laundry (using washboards) and showered. Most of the scouts showered in the evening. Routinely there were deer walking through our camp. We shared the water source with them. We met our sister crew’s advisors at the Advisors Coffee. Our impression of their crew was that they seemed hardcore, serious and somewhat regimented (terms that wouldn’t necessarily be used to describe us!).
July 12 – 4th day on the trail – Hike to Clarks Fork including a side hike to Tooth of Time (TOT)
When I journaled about today’s hike afterwards I titled it “The Ecstasy and the Agony”.
In the morning the crew seemed anxious about the 12-mile hike we had ahead of us – it included the climb up TOT. We broke camp and got out at a decent time, and we had very good hiking weather. We had decided to eat breakfast on the trail, after hiking an hour or so. It worked fine and everyone like the idea. We made it to Shaffer’s Pass in good time, hung the bear bags and covered the packs for the side hike to TOT. We hiked along the ridge towards TOT and had some great views of Mt. Baldy to the northwest and TOT up ahead (to the east). It was a tough hike, up and down, and over a lot of large and small rocks. We hiked up TOT together (often on all fours, as it was quicker) and we took a lot of pictures. Ecstasy ends.
Agony beings. We separated into smaller groups on the way down and we paid the price. Five of us had to regroup half way down and we had to go back up the TOT to find a better way down. It delayed us 45 minutes. When we made it down, the earlier groups had sent up Rob and Jeremy to look for us. By the time we all regrouped we realized we were short on water. We were careful and we rationed water on the way back to Shaffer’s Pass. Spirits were low. When we arrived at Shaffer’s we purified spring water so we had enough to make it the last few miles to Clarks Fork. We arrived tired but recovered quickly and we felt accomplished after a long day.
After dinner Jon, Rob, Mr. Frank and I spent time discussing how we could get more organized in order to make set-up and takedown better. The conclusion was to assign each scout a set responsibility for the rest of the trek, e.g. Brian G./bear bags, Ian/cooking, Peter/water management, Rob/navigation, etc. Jon laid out the plan before TRB.
July 13 – 5th day on the trail – Hike to Harlan including food pick-up at Ute Gulch Commissary
The assigned responsibilities helped with breaking camp this morning. Before we left camp some had their boots and hats branded. We hiked past Demonstration Forest, and had breakfast outside of the Hunter’s Lodge as we waited for our turn to tour the lodge. The lodge was interesting but the tour itself took too long, as the staffer carried on and ended every sentence with “Yah” followed by a long pause.
We then hiked to Cimarron Cito and upon arrival Jon realized that he left his “life” at the lodge (Jon’s “life” was our crew itinerary, maps, etc. – it is always supposed to be in the crew leader’s possession). Jon and Peter ran back to retrieve it. When they returned we let them catch their breath for 15 minutes then we set out for the remainder of the hike. Kevin B. had a serious nosebleed along the trail. We hiked to Ute Gulch camp, stopped for lunch and then Jon, Brian G., Kevin B., Peter and Rob hiked the mile north to Ute Gulch Commissary with empty packs in order to pick up our 2nd food drop and fill 12 Nalgenes (a few scouts had them buy Nalgenes at the Ute Gulch store).
At 4:00 we started the meat of the hike, the leg to Harlan. It was hot and we had full packs having divided up our 2nd food drop. It was slow going. We arrived just after 6:00 and overheard a staffer talking into a walkie-talkie saying, “The lost crew has arrived”. It had been a long day on the trail. We set up camp, watched the burro racing (we were too late to participate) and after dinner the scouts went to reload shotgun shells and shoot clay pigeons.
Somewhere about this point of the trek Mr. Frank began to offer his opinion about the breakfast and lunch menus. For the rest of the trek, he could be heard mumbling something about “Four bars is not a meal!”
July 14 – 6th day on the trail – Hike to Visto Grande
We completed our 3-hour conservation project in the morning. After a hard 50-minute hike up to Deer Lake we learned about trail building (a very good staff talk), cleared a pile of downed trees, cut logs and branches, and dispersed the resulting scrub bush around the meadow surrounding the lake. We then hiked back to Harlan and ate lunch. We started our day’s hike during the heat of the day, under scorching sun – it was 90 degrees. Ian was struggling early and we suspected dehydration. He started pounding down water and he recovered over a period of a half hour or so. It then started raining – the cool rain was much-needed relief from the heat and sun. Soon afterwards Brien R. and Kevin B. had dueling nosebleeds. As they were recovering a lightening storm was upon us so we spread out and got into the lightening position. In hindsight this 2-hour period was our greatest non-climbing challenge.
We made it to camp and selected our campsite, which turned out to have a spectacular view of Mt. Baldy. The spot with the view became the focal point of the camp. We held our TRB session there. The excitement of getting closer to Baldy was building daily. It became our absolute focus and our ultimate goal.
July 15 – 7th day on the trail – Hike to Santa Claus
It was decided that we needed a morning to sleep in. Mr. Frank and I got up early and caught up on our journals over a couple cups of coffee/tea.
Finally we had a day with an uneventful hike! We hiked down for a third of the distance and up for most of the rest. At one point we stopped for an early lunch as a storm was approaching, but it never hit us. Throughout the trek it was amazing to see storms developing in the west and changing intensity and direction, as they got closer. We made it into camp around 3:00 and we had a lot of downtime the rest of the day.
One highlight of the day was that our sister crew had seen a bear as they were approaching camp. We never did see a bear, which most agree we had mixed feelings about.
July 16 – 8th day on the trail – Hike to Miranda
This turned out to be a much-needed easy day, except the long uphill hike into camp. A good portion of the hike was among fire-damaged areas. Our crew took over the tomahawk throwing area. Some scouts spent 2-3 hours throwing, playing the game PIG. One of the Dallas crews challenged us to a competition. It was wonderful entertainment, with spirited camaraderie among the crews (which to me was one of the highlights of the trek). We spent time preparing for the next day’s hike up Baldy. We had an early night as we planned to get up at 4:00 to begin “our assault of Baldy”.
July 17 – 9th day on the trail – Hike up Mt. Baldy including food pick-up at Baldy Town commissary
We got up at 4:00 and departed in the dark at 4:45. We took a quick unscheduled tour of camp looking for the trailhead. A mile or so up the trail we stopped to check the map and ensure we were on the right trail. We were. The 1st 45 minutes of the hike was by flashlight. We hiked a steady pace uphill, over rough terrain, for 3 hours and were rewarded with being the first crew on Baldy. We spent almost 2 hours on top – relaxing, taking pictures and enjoying the 360 degrees of beautiful scenery. There was a great sense of accomplishment.
As we were descending around 10:00 other crews were still coming up. The hike up was tough on the lungs and the hike down was jarring on the knees and tough on the feet. We made it to Baldy Town in good time, and picked up our food for the last few days of the trek. After Baldy Town the hike to Miranda leveled off and it was quite pleasant. We got back to camp around 1:45 – we had completed the trek in 9 hours, including relaxing on top of Baldy and at Baldy Town. When we got back to camp the crew took over the tomahawk throwing area again. Our competition with the Dallas crews continued. The most memorial throwing position during PIG was Brian G. throwing while balancing on one knee – and of course the tomahawk stuck!
At TRB a few members of the crew mentioned the need to not “wish away” the last few days of our trek. The sense was that we had accomplished what we set out to do (conquer Baldy) yet we needed to enjoy the remaining days. We also agreed that our hiking and conditioning had improved greatly as the trek went on. We were clearly in better shape and better hikers than when we arrived.
We broke camp and were at the black powder shooting range at 8:00. Afterwards we hiked to the burro pens and had an extensive lesson on handling, packing, unpacking, feeding and tending to our burro. It took some effort to catch our burro (and the help of Victoria, one of the Burro Queens). A lot of thought was put into naming our burro. The ever-expanding name: Guadalupe Tabasco Osmond Diaz (GTOD). We left Miranda around Noon and took a service road to make up some time. The significant uphill road seemed like it would never end. By the time we made it to the top we had hiked through rain and hail. GTOD was a real trooper – never really slowing us down, which was an initial concern of ours. We hiked to Pueblano and listened to their porch talk. It was entertaining. We then hiked to Flume Canyon, our last camp on the trail. We had heard great things about the campfire at Pueblano so we hiked back, 2-½ miles roundtrip. It was definitely worth it. The music was great (a lot of blues) and the closing message by one of the staffers was very meaningful for a crew who had accomplished so much and was winding down the trek.
July 19 – 11th and final day on the trail – Hike to Ponil for pick-up and return to Base Camp
In the morning, before the others got up, Kevin B. and I hiked back to Pueblano to find his phone as he discovered last night that it had fallen out of his pocket at the campfire.
We broke camp and ate breakfast. We had an easy downhill 3-½ mile hike today. We were headed to Ponil for our scheduled pick-up. As we were preparing to leave camp, as Cameron was putting on his pack, his neck ceased up. It was very painful. When we realized how serious it was, 4 of us hiked back to Pueblano to consult with the camp EMT. The solution was that the EMT boiled a big bag of rice and delivered it to our camp. Between ibuprofen and the warm pack Cameron’s neck eased up and he was able to complete the hike.
Since time was running short for us to meet our pick-up time we had to send Rob, Peter, Jeremy and Brian G. ahead with GTOD to return him to the burro stable. (Brian volunteered to carry Cameron’s pack for him.) The rest of us followed with Cameron with the warm rice on his neck and shoulder. Along the way we saw Emily leaving Ponil with a new crew. We could only imagine what it must have been like for Rob and Peter, up ahead, to see Emily one last time.
We all made it to Ponil with time to spare. We took the bus back to base camp with our sister crew and the other 2 crews from their troop. Back at camp we had all kinds of logistics to take care of, with the most important event being real showers in the shower houses. After we took care of all of the business we visited TOT Traders, ate dinner in the dining hall, went to Mass, then congregated at the Welcome Center to head out to the closing campfire. Along the way we saw Eric. We had a chance to talk to him at the Welcome Center. The scouts filled him in with the highlights of the week. Eric seemed to enjoy hearing of our challenges and accomplishments. We then attended the closing campfire. Personally it reminded me of a Disney experience, including an emcee with a wireless microphone.
As we walked back to Tent City the excitement and sense of accomplishment built. We had completed what we set out to do.
July 20 – Homeward bound and family reunion
We got up at 5:00, packed, went to breakfast at 5:45 (a light continental breakfast), took our gear to the Welcome Center, took pictures and waited for our coach to pick us up and take us to Denver International Airport. We were on a large coach with 2 crews from Los Angeles. Our crew made it my mission to talk Kaye and the driver into stopping at McDonalds for a “real” breakfast. We stopped in Raton. We then stopped for lunch at Subway in Colorado Springs. We made it to the airport around 12:30 and began the wait for our 6:30 flight.
The crew entertained themselves in the airport in various ways, shopping, eating, poker, practicing drumming, reading, etc. There was a great sense of relief for Mr. Frank and me when we boarded the plane. Mr. Frank and I had agreed that our primary goal was the safe return of the crew. We knew that once we were on the plane the final leg of the journey was really out of our hands. We had an uneventful flight home and a great reunion with the families.
Final Thoughts
Now that the adventure is over, it’s safe to say that the whole crew felt a great sense of accomplishment. It was beyond the 11 days and 80+ miles of hiking. It included setting a goal early in 2009 and the subsequent practice hikes, the 2 Mini-High Adventures (Shawnee and Ice Age) and the preparation in terms of equipment, logistics, planning, etc.
The crew’s sense of pride grew as we hiked the 11 days (I imagine it has continued to grow in the weeks since we returned). The value of the trek went well beyond the miles on foot. We persevered and overcame all of the obstacles in our way, calmly facing the challenges. I am confident that the members of the crew will look back on the adventure in the years to come knowing we did something special, and learned some valuable life lessons along the trails of Philmont.
