Philmont 2011

Troop 275 - Philmont Log 2011 - Itenerary 29 - 711A

 

Read Tom's log about the Troop's most excellent experience at Philmont... 

 

 

 

 Saturday, July 9– drive to WaKeeny, KS

 

  • Leave Ames about 8:30 AM, have lunch just before Kansas City
  • Stopped at Dairy Queen at Salina, KS
  • Stay at KOA in WaKeeny, KS
  • A very hot day, temp hits 100 degrees and we all enjoy the pool 

Sunday, July 10– drive to Great Sand Dunes Nation Park, CO

 

  • On the road early, after a quick breakfast at the Travel Shop next to the campground.
  • Leave I-70 at Oakley, KS, and head west on US40, a sparsely traveled two-lane road.
  • Eastern Colorado is even drier than Kansas and trees are few and far between. There are very few fast food places to be seen.
  • We make good time and have lunch at Subway in Walsenburg, CO., where we head into the mountains.
  • After about 90 minutes we arrive at Great Sand Dunes Oasis, a campground and store just outside Great Sand Dunes National Park.
  • After setting up camp, we visit the park visitor’s center then climb on the Dunes until a windstorm comes and drives our sand-blasted legs off the dunes.  The ground was rather rocky and rough and many of us used greater than softball-sized rocks, instead of tent stakes, to keep our tents secure.
  • We all enjoy showers and our tie-dyed shirts get washed. They are a colorful sight in a tumble dryer.

 

Monday, July 11 – drive to Philmont, NM

 

  • We get an early start and arrive at Philmont around 10:00 AM.
  • Along the way we notice a series of state parks that are closed to all activities because of extreme fire hazard. There is a statewide fire ban imposed by the governor.
  • Upon arrival at Philmont we meet our ranger, Kyle.
  • We learn that for the entire month of June, base camp received 0.03 inches of rain.  Things are REALLY dry.
  • We go through lots of administrative procedures:
    • Nick and Tom visit Logistics for a thorough briefing; Nick gets his “life”.
    • We all go through the Health Lodge, once Tom’s BP comes down all is fine.  Everyone had to have a signed physical and a photocopy of their health card.  Hale and Geoff were expecting scales for weight/height verification, which they were TOTALLY prepared for, but no scales!
    • Tom visits Camping to sort out finances and get envelopes for storing valuables.
    • We all hit the Tooth of Time Traders for last minute items.
  • During the first aid/wilderness prep discussion with our ranger, Taylor has an episode of altitude sickness/dehydration.  He passes out and vomits, but recovers after help comes from the health lodge.  Initially, our crew thought Taylor’s reaction was a pre-arranged test of our first aid skill, but Hale/Geoff/Tom proved they were ready to treat real-life altitude sickness recipients!
  • We attend opening campfire – it is only so-so but doesn’t last long. 

 

Tuesday, July 12– Trail day 1: HIKE to Rimrock Park!

 

  • We have a busy morning before hitting the trail:
    • We get our photo taken
    • We get issued our crew gear (mainly cook kit and bear bags)
    • We have a quick shakedown of the gear in our packs (could have been more thorough in retrospect) and stow unneeded items in the vehicles.  Normally the shakedown is during the afternoon of your initial arrival at basecamp.  Thanks to the daily afternoon light sprinkle, our shakedown happens moments before we load on the bus before hitting the trail!
  • We catch our 10:00 AM bus to Zastrow Turnaround.  On the way to the drop-off, the rangers “brief” us that Philmont has zebras, an underground golf course, that we had to stomp out feet on the floor of the bus in order to knock off the “mini-bears” before the bus cross the road-based cattle catchers, and that rangers use the power lines as zip lines in order to zoom from camp to camp…  They are so convincing that a few of our scouts believed them!
  • After a brief instruction on toilet procedures with all thirteen of us crammed into a “Red Roof Inn” outhouse, we start on the trail to Rimrock Camp, our first camp site.
  • On the way, we pass through Zastrow Camp and do their program on land navigation.  Each of us does “pace counts” to determine how many paces we have per 100 feet on the map, both on level ground and uneven ground.
  • At Rimrock, Kyle continues our training by showing us camp set-up procedures, cooking and clean-up methods, and how to hang the bear bags.
  • In the evening, we return to Zastrow, about a 30-minute hike, for cake and horseshoes. The cake is an early birthday cake for Kyle, whose birthday is tomorrow.  The scouts enjoyed playing Frisbee with staff while eating chocolate cake before hiking back to the unstaffed camp at Rimrock Park.

 

 

Wednesday, July 13 – Trail day 2: HIKE to Urraca!

 

  • Rimrock camp to Urraca Camp
  • The trail from Toothache Springs to the top of Urraca Mesa is horrible. Straight uphill, no switchbacks.  This hike is absolutely brutal, especially since this is trail day two and we are still adjusting to altitude, weight of our packs, and still full of food packs ready for future meals, but it prepares us for the rest of our itinerary.
  • Water at Toothache Springs is undrinkable – green scum floating on top of the tank.  We are very glad that we had brought extra water on the way to Urraca.
  • The porch talk at Urraca Camp was great – it was done bythe staff singing the rules and procedures of the camp; VERY IMPRESSIVE.
  • We complete their challenge events program.  Many of our crew is so pooped that we almost consider skipping the events, but all agreed afterwards that the team challenge events were most excellent!
  • In the middle of the challenge events, Taylor gets a bloody nose.  This is potentially serious because any blood spilled in a tent, sleep clothing, sleeping bag becomes a smellable, making them go in the bear bag.
  • The evening campfire was a riot. Tristan, Izzak, and Erich get a special “close-up” performance from a female staffer.  Others were most jealous!
  • Jack performs some magic at the start of the campfire.  He REALLY impresses everyone with his enthusiasm, skill and professionalism and most likely set himself up as a future staffer at Urraca! ;)
  • We have a ceremony marking Kyle’s departure, which is pending the next morning.  He gives us pound cake and we give him one of our tie-dye shirts. It is doubly significant because this is his birthday.
  • A very light and brief afternoon rain incorrectly trains us to NOT wear our raingear (read tomorrow’s info).

 

Thursday, July 14 – Trail day 3: HIKE to Miner’s Park!

 

  • We get up at 4:45 AM to hike to Inspiration Point to view the sunrise. The sunrise is wonderful, but another ranger and Kyle try to give an inspirational talk that falls flat, especially since they began by telling us to pay attention to the sounds of nature and then talking the whole time. J  Ask your sons about their “dusty boots” and the “scouting coin” kept in his pocket.
  • Urraca Camp to Miner’s Park
  • Lunch in pouring rain at Lover Leap (Lover Leak?). We risk getting hypothermia and scramble to put on warm layers.  Due to yesterday’s “brief” afternoon rain none of us take today’s rain seriously enough to dawn rain gear.  This decision rushes the crew to a nearby cedar tree to avoid the rain during our lunch break, which becomes a muddy, boggy, sloshy wet mess.   We took liquid precip much more seriously during the rest of 711A; almost until the Ponil Turnaround. J  
  • We arrive too late for climbing, but it was called off because of the rain anyway.
  • HOT SHOWERS!!!– Amen!   A couple of scouts (Charlie & Erich) impress the adults with their ability to do personal laundry on the camp provided: water, wash board, wash tubs!
  • Advisor’s coffees while scouts try the traverse wall. Both Charlie and Izzak make it to the next-to-last section. If they had made it all they way, they would have won a bag of donuts.  Advisors play a game of “crossed” vs. “uncrossed” and Hale smiles as Tom and Geoff try to figure out the intent of the game.

 

Friday, July 15 – Trail day 4: HIKE to Clark’s Fork via the Tooth of Time!

 

  • Miner’s Park to Clark’s Fork via Tooth of Time side hike
  • We fail to reach the real tooth and have lunch near a false tooth.
  • Hale verifies that Verizon cell phone coverage is available in the southern half of Philmont.
  • We arrive too late for the Clark’s Fork program and we skip the western-themed evening program.  The crew is striving to locate the balance of a strenuous itinerary of hiking versus an itinerary of staff-based activities.
  • Tom can’t find his camera; thankfully Nick, Hale, Izzak and Geoff show off their camera availability.

 

Saturday, July 16 – Trail day 5: HIKE to Harlan via Ute Gulch!

 

  • Clark’s Fork to Harlan via Ute Gulch commissary
  • We arrive at Ute Gulch just before the noon closing of the commissary. We get five days of food and pick up needed items, like a mixing spoon, from the trading post.  Fresh fruit is a real treat, especially the oranges.  We do not acquire some “Shoe Goo” which we could shortly use to repair Tom’s and Harrison’s hiking shoes.  Thank goodness for the zip ties and duct tape!
  • The climb to Harlan is longer and hotter than we had figured on. We had grossly underestimated the difficulty.
  • Tristan sprains an ankle, but is able to keep going.
  • Tom’s boot starts to come apart, just hours after he could have bought Shoe Goo at the trading post. He hopes duct tape will hold it together until the next trading post at Baldy Town in four days.
  • We discover that we left the bear ropes at Clark’s Fork.  A homebound crew on their last night lets us use theirs.
  • In the evening, scouts reload shotgun cartridges to use tomorrow.
  • Tom finds his camera

 

Sunday, July 17 – Trail day 6: HIKE to Visto Grande!

 

  • Harlan to Visto Grande
  • Up at 4:45 to day hike to Deer Lake for conservation work. Tom doesn’t go, wanting to put as few miles on his ailing boots as he can.
  • It is about 45 minutes to Deer Lake and another five minutes to the conservation site.
  • The conservation work was mostly trail maintenance and was supervised by two of the dourest people at Philmont. They could have done a lot more to make it livelier and more fun.  Poison ivy was identified on the trail and Hale was surprised at how many scouts from outside our crew could not identify it!
  • We were back at Harlan by 11:15 AM.
  • Shotgun shooting was after lunch. Everyone gets a try at it and several surprise themselves. Geoff had never shot a shotgun before and got six out of six his first round and four out of six his second round. Tristan was almost as good, with seven out of twelve. Don’t mess with the Verkades!
  • After shooting, we took a long hot hike to Visto Grande, where we find Tom’s favorite campsite is available.  It has a nice “sofa rock” for relaxing on.
  • Another crew has some Shoe Goo, which they let Tom use on his boots.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t last very long so it’s back to duct tape. Maybe the soles needed to be clean for the Shoe Goo to stick better?
  • The kybo (“Keep Your Bowels Open”) is an awesome open-air “pilot and bombardier” style.  Erich shows bravery and uses it in the morning as another crew goes by, wishes him success!

 

Monday, July 18 – Trail day 7: HIKE to Santa Claus!

 

  • Visto Grande to Santa Claus
  • We sleep in until 7:00.
  • After about two miles we cross the Cimarron River and highway 64. We take a refreshing break at the river and pump water.  It’s amazing how a stream and a water filter can boost morale of the crew! Wuhoo!
  • We have a very long hike up hill to Bear Canyon. We miss a fork in the road and wind up taking the road instead of the trail to Santa Claus Camp, arriving around 2:30.
  • Santa Claus has an unimpressive solar powered well providing untreated water, though crew takes advantage of this as the Strassers do laundry in the “untreated” water. They build a clothes line using their trekking poles (no trees allowed) so their almost-clean socks/shirts/etc can try to dry in the rain…
  • We enjoy some down time in tents. Tom whips Geoff at cribbage.

 

Tuesday, July 19– Trail day 8: HIKE to Miranda 1 of 2!

 

  • Santa Claus to Miranda
  • It is a long hot uphill climb to Miranda.  The last half-mile across the meadow with the cabin in sight is the worst.
  • Most of the crew do the program of tomahawk throwing and black powder rifle shooting.
  • Tom stays back with Taylor at the staff cabin as the staff member radios the health lodge to see about Taylor’s blistering sunburned back.  The decision is made to send him down to base camp for treatment. He gets a ride in a staff truck just after supper.
  • A male staff member gives Tom a note to deliver to a female staff member at French Henry tomorrow (iPudding).
  • Geoff retaliates against Tom at cribbage.
  • Staff wakes THE ENTIRE CREW up at 10:30 pm to tell us that our tents are NOT close enough together to comply with the bear protocol…  Supposed to be not more than 6 feet apart and two of our tents are more than 10 feet from each other.  We are told “ok” for tonight but to close the ranks before Miranda night 2!

 

Wednesday, July 20– Trail day 9: HIKE to Miranda 2 of 2!

 

  • Day hike Baldy
  • Up at 4:45, on the trail by 5:15
  • It is a beautiful day with a clear view of Baldy from Baldy Town.
  • The slog up to the summit is long and hard but all are there by about 10:30.  It is warm and many people have their shirts off – so much for “no naked at Philmont”, but since when is taking your shirt off being naked?
  • We spend about an hour on the summit, and eat lunch there.  The view is terrific and the food is only so-so, but there is no atmosphere.  Hale shows off Verizon’s ability to reach out to Iowa by leaving his wife a couple of voice mails!
  • We come down via the ridge trail and many switchbacks into Copper Park, where we urgently hit the kybos – TP is in very short supply. The trail from Copper Park down to French Henry is very steep. Things are much greener and lush here than elsewhere in Philmont because of Baldy’s microclimate.
  • At French Henry, Tom delivers the note (unread!) and gets a pudding cup as a reward.  Erich uses the “cardboard” in the kybo at French Henry (the only place we saw with traditional plastic sided latrines!)  Charlie and Hale have a good laugh because each of them “held back” their own personal TP supply even though the “ranger” told them this was “unnecessary” during the shakedown on day 1.  People in our crew were BEGGING them for usage of this today… Ha!
  • We visit the blacksmith forge as it starts to rain. The crew collectively makes an “S” hook.  The female staffer blacksmith yells at and is vocal with our scouts; VERY ENTERTAINING!  She is the one who was the recipient of the iPudding letter from Miranda!
  • Many try panning for gold, but with no luck.
  • After hiking back to Baldy Camp, we pick up food and buy some treats at the General Store. We pass on taking showers since it is cold and the line is too long. We’ll be at base camp soon, anyway.
  • When we get back to Miranda, Taylor is waiting for us. He had returned from base camp around 10:30 that morning.

 

Thursday, July 21– Trail day 10: HIKE to Flume Canyon!

 

  • Miranda to Flume Canyon
  • At Miranda we pick up our burro, which we name “Steve” after a skit at Urraca Camp. He is a bit cantankerous, but then he’s a burro.
  • We hike via Head of Dean to Pueblano and just as we arrive there, rain arrives.  Based on prior lessons, crew dawns rain gear.
  • A very hospitable staff welcomes us to their porch, but the spar pole climbing is cancelled. 
  • When we think the rain has stopped we walked to the burro pen to get Steve, but the rain comes back so we take shelter in a tack hut.
  • Finally, the rain leaves and we make it to Flume Canyon, about 45 minutes away.
  • In the evening, Geoff and Tristan hike back to Pueblano for the campfire, which is reputed to be the best in Philmont.  The rest decide to kick back in camp, playing checkers, Flux, and cribbage.They get drenched on their way back to camp and are the only two in our crew to witness black bears…

 

Friday, July 22 – Trail day 11: HIKE to Ponil Turnaround!

 

  • Back to Base Camp
  • We get our usual start and hike to Ponil, where we turn in Steve with few regrets.
  • Since our pick up isn’t until 2:45 PM, we have lots of time to kill in Ponil.
  • Fortunately, there is a cantina with a good supply of root beer and snacks. We also eat lunch and play cards.
  • Hale purchases Philmont belt and buckle from general store and brands the leather belt with two of the Philmont brands across the street…
  • After lunch we hike the mile or so to Ponil turnaround where the bus will pick us up. While we are waiting it starts to rain, so many of us gather under the dining fly, which we put up.  It seems like most of the scouts forget the lesson from earlier in the week and do not dawn their rain gear.  However, Hale and Geoff put their rain gear on and smile in the rain…
  • The bus arrives a little bit early and no one is disappointed to see it.
  • Back at base camp, we turn in the Philmont gear, get the car keys and treat ourselves to hot showers and clean clothes.
  • Because we arrive at Base Camp so late in the day, we don’t have a lot of time to kick back or do the other options, like touring Villa Philmonte.
  • We get many loads of wash done in the large new laundry facility, so the vehicles will smell a lot nicer on the trip home.
  • The evening campfire is a lot better than the first night’s. The highlight was a barrage of stuffed minibears to the sound of the “Ride of the Valkyries”, some of them parachuting down to the “campers” on stage.
  • Jack volunteers to leave his tie-dye shirt for the dining hall, which has a collection of them.  We all sign it and it clearly will be the star of their display.

 

Saturday, July 23– drive to Ogallala, NE

 

  • Philmont to Ogallala, NE.
  • We have the regular 7:00 breakfast and after a quick trip to the trading post, we are on the road home by 8:15.
  • There is a horrible traffic jam at Colorado Springs.  We have a nice long look at the Air Force Academy.
  • Lunch is at Castle Rock.
  • We stop at the REI Flagship store in Denver, where Jack’s family meets us and he leaves with them for a family outing in Colorado. We spend about an hour in REI, which makes JAX in Ames look like a corner market.
  • Hale purchases for $35 an $89 MSR Whisperlite International stove from REI that was in the returns area because it “did not light”.  We used it w/o problem for the rest of the way home…
  • We get to Country View Campground in Ogallala about 5:30. Many enjoy the pool and showers.
  • For supper we have our pizza pig-out at Valentino’s. This time they are not crowded and there is plenty for all.

 

Sunday, July 24– drive to Ames, IA

 

  • Home!
  • It is an uneventful drive home. 
  • Lunch is in Lincoln, NE, and we are in Ames around 4:30, in plenty of time to shower and go to Lowell’s Eagle Court of Honor at 6:30.

 

 

 

 

 

 

V2.0

6 Aug 2011