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It was an exciting day. We got up, had breakfast and then cleared out our tents in tent city. We got our gear together and headed for the Welcome Center to wait for our bus to Raton.
As we left the view of the Tooth of Time, I was thinking about how quickly the trip went. There is an old saying, if you look over your shoulder as you head home to catch a glimpse of the Tooth of Time, you will be back. I looked . . .
When on the bus on our way to Raton we looked at the landscape and it was much greener. The rain was helping out the plants and animals.
After several miles I took a look around and most of the boys were a sleep. It did not take them long. Soon we arrived at the train station, only to realze that the train was late. In fact, it was going to be three hours late. We walked around Raton and looked at several of the stores.
Soon enough we were on the train. We had planned to get pizza in Albuquerque during the 50 minute lay over. Now that we were running late, they were going to cut that short. I called several times on the way into Albuquerque and lost signal. The big question was, would we be able to order pizza in time to have it delivered.
The call finally went through soon enough we found ourselves in front of the train station waiting for the deliveryman. He finally made it and we made our way back to the train. We had a couple of tables saved up in the observation car waiting for the pizza to arrive.
The pizza was great. It was getting late and I was tired. Soon enough the sun was setting. I decided to get to sleep as early as possible to at least have sleep if it took me all night long.
In Williams, the train had to drop a rail car. Not something that you would sleep through at about midnight. During the brief stop at Needles, sometime in the early morning, I jumped off the train. To my horror, it was like 90 plus degrees and very humid. It had rained with the temps over 100. I quickly got back on the train and went back to my chair to go to sleep.
As we passed through the California desert, the sun was coming up. It was the day we would arrive at home. I was glad to soon be there.
To get to the top of the Tooth of Time for the sunrise, we got up at 4:00 am. It was still a little windy and believe it or not, it was cool to cold.
We hiked by flashlight until we got to the base to the Tooth of Time. There was just enough light to see our way as we climbed to the top. We had someone take our picture, which was difficult because of the low light level.
We then went a few feet away and got our picture taken with the sunrise behind us.
The sun then began to peak above the horizon.
A sunrise in the world and a camera in Jacobs hand provide an opportunity for a self portrait in.
As the sun came out you could see more people spread across the Tooth of Time. Some were more relaxed than others.
It also gave a chance for a father and son picture. How Jacob produced a small smile is a question that may never go answered.
We headed back to camp to take down the tents and pack up for our last day on the trail. We moved fairly quickly, or should I say the youth were moving fairly quickly. Jacob had the camera and he documented the holdup.
What was amazing about the trail is that you saw base camp and you walked. You walked more and base camp did not appear much closer. You kept walking and perhaps it was closer.
We finally got off the hill and made our way back to base camp. There was a big Welcome Back sign that we crossed under.
We then made our way back to the Welcome Center to be assigned out tents for the night. It was sure a good site, but it was nothing like the back country. What I would give for some trees, a meadow and a view from the tops of some mountains. Other than that, I was happy to be back.
There was not a lot of time to return what we needed to. We got some things taken care of. One nice thing was, we were back in time for lunch. No crackers, no squeeze cheese, no energy snacks, just regular food, a pulled pork sandwich, chips and vegetables. Some of the boys had seconds. Perhaps a few had thirds.
A view of the commissary with the flags would be appropriate.
Next it was off to the showers. After that we got some laundry started and got it into the dryers. We also returned all our tents, bear bags and other gear that we were given. With a clean good smelling crew, where do you go? On a bus ride.
We took the bus into town. Our stop was the Cimarron Art Gallery. They had something we were looking for.
A soda fountain and a place for all of us to have a ice cream cone and a sarsaparilla.
After eating ice cream and sarsaparilla, you just need to mix it up right.
When we got back we stopped by the Welcome Center to get a picture in front of the Philmont Scout Ranch sign. They have to cut the boots down every day because the sign collects too many.
Next was dinner. There were plenty of smiles. Roast beef and roasted potatoes and carrots. There was also a piece of cake with the words, “We All Made It” printed on a flag in the cake.
Then there was the closing campfire, which was good.
Then we made it back to our tent area for the last thorn, roses and bud. The most popular bus was – going home. There was also talk about wanting to stay because they enjoyed the time at Philmont so much. But they knew it was time to depart back to families and friends.
Soon enough, we were all in our tents awaiting the train ride home in the morning.
Some 36 years ago I had the opportunity to climb the tooth of time while staying at Rocky Mountain Scout Camp. The Tooth was a landmark on the Santa Fe Trail that let travelers know that there was two weeks remaining on the trail to Santa Fe. As a youth I elected to go with the group to Lovers Leap as impending thunderstorms may have caused the trip to the tooth of time to be canceled while climbing up to it.
On this past Saturday afternoon we began to leave Tooth Ridge campground to hike up to the Tooth and lightning struck in front of us about a quarter of a mile away. It scared the youth, one in particular was really scared. We opted not to continue up towards the Tooth of Time.
Within minutes we were deluged by rain, hail and wind. We were glad not to be on the trail towards the Tooth. The plan was then to get up to the Tooth for Sunrise.
We got up early the next morning and began our hike to the Tooth of Time. After sunrise on the Tooth, we packed up and headed down to base camp as it was our last day in the wilderness.
 Tooth of Time at Sunrise
Knowing we were going to climb up Shaefers Pass today, we wanted to get an early start. We were up, packed and policing the campground about 6:30 am.
Soon we were on our way up the trail. We took a break for a where are you going, where have you been photo opportunity.
As we got to the top of Shaefers Pass, I saw the bear trap. I heard that Gatorade is used as the bait. When I mentioned that I saw the bear trap, all the boys said, where is it? I let them know that we passed it some time ago. It is part of that trail awareness thing.
We continued hiking until we came to the spit for Shafers Peak. Now you just cannot pass an opportunity to bag a peak. A group of five went up while four of us watched the backpacks. We were told that no less than four should watch backpacks because one or two may not be considered a crowd by a bear wanting a bite to eat. When the first group got back we went up to the peak.
Of course we had to get the shameless stand on top of the pile of rocks pose in.
Is that not why you climb to the top of some peak?
Soon enough we were back on the trail. Trail is used liberally. It seems that this trail across Tooth Ridge was just that, a trail across a rocky ridge. It was a little bit like a scramble across rocks. You could make out the trail; it was where there were some smaller rocks thrown into the mix.
We did have a few spots of more normal trail.
We started looking for some shade for lunch. There was not much shade, so we started looking for a view for a place to eat lunch. It was a nice place to stop for lunch. Some of the boys went for the good view area.
From the lunch spot we could get a side view of the Tooth of Time. The plan was to go to the Tooth this afternoon after dinner.
We arrived at camp and got things set up as usual.
Everyone was pretty relaxed. We had a few staff members come by to tell us that the once unstaffed camp of Tooth of Time Ridge was the newest staff camp. They went over bear procedures. Apparently the night before there were eight bear sightings. Four were rewards where the bear found something. A couple of packs were destroyed. A couple of times the bear charged people. They do this fake charge where they charge and then veer off and go away. They really do not like humans. They just like their Gatorades and other goodies. The ranges were going to rove around camp all night long and keep their eye out for bears. They would also check our camp for bear procedures later in the evening.
Dinner was started and the cook kept a careful eye on the pot.
Some even had time to read the Philmont Field book.
We cleaned up, gathered all our smellables and went to hang our bear bags so we could head off to the Tooth of Time.
And just as we tied off the first rope, thunder and lightning from the direction of the upper right side of the picture and about a quarter of a mile away. Some eyes got big. Everyone scrambled to get 30 feet away from each other and crouched on the ground in the lightning position.
We were meeting another crew on the Tooth that left a half hour before we did. There was more lightning and thunder from further away. We made the decision to stay in camp and not go climbing up to a higher elevation under the circumstances.
Soon enough the rain came, the rain and hail along with more thunder and lightning.
It was getting so bad it was time to put on the rain paints as I was getting so wet I may not ever dry out.
The hail did hurt as there was really nowhere to go. A couple of the kids were really shaken up by the thunder and lightning. After a little while they acclimated and could smile over the circumstances.
Things calmed down enough that the rain subsided. It was still a little breezy, but that helped to dry things out. It made it a good time for other things.
As the evening progressed, we had out thorn, roses and bud. One young man had consistently had the same thorn for the past nine evenings – rain. Tonight he announced, “My thorn is not the rain, it is the hail.” Some of thought the afternoon storm with hail was nice. It brought more much needed moisture to the area.
During the night the wind blew. The rangers came by during the night as you could see their lights now and then. Perhaps I should say the wind really blew hard. We probably were blessed because it was blowing so hard I doubt a bear could hone in on anything smellable. Of course, I do not sleep well when the wind blows. I would prefer it being calm. Then again, it may be the excitement of this being our last night in the wilderness.
Everyone went to bet fairly early the night before so it was easy waking up. In fact, we woke up fairly early. We are nearing the last few nights before heading home so there is a little excitement that we are soon to make it back to base camp. As light hit camp, everyone seemed to get moving.
Soon enough we were on the trail. We were going to be heading down the Middle Fork of the Cimarroncito Creek towards the Cimarroncito Reservoir.
As we traveled we took time to take in the beauty of the area we were as well as eat some of breakfast that was not eaten before we left Lamberts Mine.
As we moved down the canyon we crossed over the creek several times.
We soon came upon our first stop of the morning, the Phillips Hunting Lodge. We put our packs down and the boys made a beeline for the swap box. We guessed breakfast was not enough today. That or they wanted an early lunch.
We took off our shoes and had a tour of the Hunting Lodge. Some curious facts, the windows were high enough and small enough that a bear could not get in. All the doors, interior and exterior were crafted to withstand a bear and they required a thumb which bears do not have to open the door. You never know when a bear may drop by, and if they are in the living room, you are safe in the bedroom.
We got a look at the kitchen as well. A large icebox was in the kitchen for the purpose of storing game animals that had been prepared for the icebox. The stove was wood burning as there was not much else around to fuel a stove in the middle of nowhere.
We got back on the trail and headed south towards Clarks Fork. We came upon a shelter that had posters explaining the demonstration forest. We decided to stop.
There was a nice view of Cimarroncito Reservoir and Cathedral Rock which is on the North side of the reservoir.
EDIT – Over a year after the trip to Philmont, the picture above was used as inspiration for an artist. Dawn Chandler’s blog has a post in regards to her paintings of Cimarroncito Reservoir and Cathedral Rock can be found here.
The tables at the shelter looked like a nice place to have lunch. It was nice to sit at an actual table and eat.
Soon enough we were on our way. The forests showed four different methods of timber harvesting; Patch Cut, Sanitation Cut, Selection Cut and Seed Tree Cut. They had large areas where they did each method of timber harvesting to see the results as compared to each other. As a matter of interest, the shelter was created from wood harvested in the demonstration forest. We stopped at each of the signs along the trail for the Demonstration Forest.
As we approached early afternoon, we came upon the Clarks Fork Staff Cabin. We stopped and got some water there.
One of the boys did a little repacking. He is holding the yum bag. Every time we did the dishes, we strained the dishwater as we poured it down the sump. What was left over in the strainer and on the screen on top of the sump was carefully put into a bag. We carried that bag, with all that yum in it, all the way to this point and would need to carry it all the way back to base camp.
We continued on up to our camp at Upper Clarks Fork. We set up camp and hung our bear bags. We also prepared camp in case it rained because we were going back down to Clarks for to cook dinner and get water. There was also a chess board there and some other activities.
As the boys looked around camp, they found part of an animal that had seen a better day. The thoughts of bears and cougars entered their minds.
The trip back down to Clarks Fork was quick. We needed to get more water as it was the last water we would be able to get before we got back to base camp. Dinner went well. It was Jacobs turn for dishes and he did a methodical and excellent job. As you may remember, before we eat, we dip the dishes in boiling water to sterilize them. That turned out to be a good idea, because there was the fear that the previous night’s residue was still on the dishes.
As the evening wound down, we got our water and headed up to Upper Clarks Fork. Everyone brought their water bottles and we looked like we had plenty of water.
As we were winding down for the evening, a bear researcher showed up to camp. He let us know that there seemed to be three problem bears at Upper Clarks Fork, Schaefers Pass Camp and Tooth of Time Ridge, where we would be staying the next night. He admonished us to be very careful and make sure any smellables were up in the bear bags. He made sure we were camped 50 feet away from the “Bearmuda Triangle” (eating area – sump – bear bags). They had also placed a trap for the bear in the area. He asked that no one get in it if we saw it. The crew next to us did not have much area to put their tents, so they placed them along with ours.
As the sky was beautiful the night before, we were told that it is a beautiful view in the morning as well. In the morning I declined to go look at the view. However, there was one that went down to the porch of the staff cabin and took a few pictures as most of us slept.
Of course, here is the picture from the night before.
Soon enough we were on our way. However, Mother Nature provided a little moisture over night in the form of dew. Hence, the clothing did not dry our and it needed to be attached to the pack so that it could dry. Damp clothing his heavier than dry clothing, so come on sun, come out where ever you are.
The climb up and out of Sawmill was a gentle climb with some switchbacks. It also offered a couple of good view points. Mt Baldy and a few of the other peaks can be seen behind us as the view is in a northerly direction.
As we continued hiking up and around on our way to Cyphers Mine the views were great. There were lots of pine and fir trees. Of course we were at about 10,400 feet elevation.
Soon enough we were starting to descend towards Cyphers Mine. We were happy that is was getting closer.
As we crossed the North Fork of the Cimmarroncito Creek, we passed the old Cypher cabin and were greeted by banjo music. As we made our way to the staff cabin of Cyphers Mine, we noticed that everyone looked like they were stuck in early 1910’s mining camp clothing.
We sat down on the front porch and had our porch talk. We would quickly eat lunch and make our way to the forge. Upon arrival at the forge, they needed two helpers. Jacob was chosen to help demonstrate the tools of the trade. First, he had to look a little manlier and that could only come with a reasonable facsimile of facial hair. After that, we started with hammers.
After completing all the hammers, we then learned about tongs. There are a few different types of tongs as being demonstrated on Jacob’s arms.
Of course, we needed to learn about other tools like the file, but there was no place to hang that.
By then the real work started. The forge was heated up and Jacob began his work. He was pounding on a piece of metal. He had been warned that the anvil, affectionately named Amy Georgia had its consequences if you hit it on its face, or should I say, if you wacked Amy Georgia on the face. You would have to say something like, “Miss Amy Georgia, I am so sorry for whacking you on your beautiful, luscious, gorgeous, attractive, stunning, scrum-delicious face. I promise not to do it again. I will kiss you on the face and do so long enough for these gentlemen to get a picture.” Of course everyone was laughing extremely hard by this point and then Jacob kissed the anvil, I mean, Miss Amy Georgia.
Once the kiss was over, the young lady wiped the anvil off and stated, “This must be one of your first kisses. You drooled all over Miss Amy Georgia’s face.” That was also another great laugh. As it turned out there was more than one young man that had to kiss Miss Amy Georgia on the beautiful, luscious, gorgeous, attractive, stunning, scrum-delicious face. Most all of them drooled as well; at least that is what we were told.
During the fun times, a dear wandered by. Then the baby deer, which was hungry wandered up to her. I have got to tell you, that was the roughest thing I have ever seen. That baby walked up, grabbed her mom by the teat and yanked mom around like there was no tomorrow. If that was not bad enough, up walked baby deer number two. It then seemed like mom had a tug-o-war going on below her and she was the rope. Ouch.
Then it was off to Contentions Mine. We had a little geology talk before going into the mine.
Then we were off into the mine. It was not a place for tall people.
As we walked we went to close to the back of the mine. Our guide told us some stories. One was about the ghost of Cyper, how he had been seen now and then. He then had us turn off our lights.
I have to tell you, it was dark, very dark. He then asked us to follow our crew leader out. We each put a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us and walked out of the mine. Of course there was a big crashing sound when we were in the mine as we were walking out. The reason for the helmets is there are several low places. It is not the place a tall person wants to work.
We made it out and went back to where our packs were. Jacob did a little self portrait.
We got our pack on and headed out of Cyphers Mine.
Of course we passed the staff red roof in on the way out of town.
Soon enough we made our way down and around from the North Fork of the Cimmarroncito Creek to the Middle Fork of the Cimmarroncito Creek and to Lamberts Mine. The campsites were not large and it was a fairly damp place. We all sat around and relaxed while dinner was being made.
There was one first for us at Lamberts Mine, the white plastic “Pilot to Bombardier” latrine. One of the crew members thought it looked heavenly in its setting, a pure white glowing in the forest. You did have to walk between two Colorado blue spruces that stood about 15 feet tall to enter the forested area where the latrine sat.
We got our tents place for the evening. There were not enough places to put them all together so we had to spit things a little.
The final event of the evening was hanging the bear bags and doing thorn, roses and bud. The big rose for the day was the forge at Cyphers Mine.
Today we started later than usual. I had a good night’s sleep and slept in to 5:30. Breakfast was a little slow as well as getting ready for breakfast.
However, soon enough we were policing the campsite for any trash or trace. Overall, it did take us 2 hours to eat breakfast, pack and strike camp. Not a record, but it is not our slowest.
Soon enough we got on the trail. We stopped for the obvious things to stop for, the signs. There were several trails going in different directions. After checking the map we were on our way.
We started up Grouse Canyon. It was different than the dry canyons up north that we went through. There was a small stream that had a little water flowing through it. There was also a lot more vegetation.
At times it was being in another place on the planet.
We soon enough came to another stop sign and started up Sawmill Canyon. This canyon was not as lush, but it had plenty of trees.
Along with trees or should I say flora it had fauna, four legged fauna, fauna with claws and teeth.
We looked at the bear, the bear looked at us and he meandered off. We continued our trek up Sawmill Canyon. We passed through Lower Sawmill Camp and headed up to Sawmill Camp. It was nice to leave the four legged fauna in a different camp.
For the day we were going to climb over 1000 feet to about 9200. The trees also changed as we climbed. We saw less aspen and as we came to Sawmill, it was mostly pine and fir that we were seeing. It was nice to get there.
As per usual protocol, we had our porch talk at the staffed camp. I found a nice rocking chair to sit in.
We received information on our program for the day. We would start at the reloading cabin for instruction.
After instructions, the crew leader reloaded three cartridges.
Then we all reloaded three cartridges. I wanted to reload a good fifty so I could shoot more, but there was not time.
We then took a hike to the Sawmill Rifle Range. It had a nice covered shooting area as it was threatening to rain. We had a safety briefing like we did at Harlan. It was explained to us that we could bring a target, underwear, hat, bandana or something that we wanted to shoot. Our crew did not bring anything. It was also explained that if you put something out to shoot at, everyone could shoot at it.
The boys had their chance to shoot. Jacob nailed some guys white hat a couple of times along with a few other things that had been put out.
I wanted to shoot my hat, but after eight years, it is like a good friend that has been several places with me. I chose to throw all nine rounds into the white hat.
As if shooting was great, I have to tell you there is something that I looked forward to more than shooting, cold showers. After being on the trail for several days without a shower, I wanted to clean myself up and do some laundry.
Soon enough it was back to camp. Dinner was being prepared and we could relax.
Well, we could relax after we hung our laundry out to dry. I was happy to see that there was a lot of laundry. Perhaps, the group would smell a little better.
I had a little time to write in my journal as dinner was being prepared. That was until it started sprinkling. Ink, paper and water do not seem to mix very well.
After dinner the adults left the youth in camp and went down to the staff cabin for the “coffee.” They were a little bit unorganized as they had a small grease fire in the kitchen. The cookies finally came out. We sat on the porch and enjoyed the view. As it is, Sawmill is one of the few places that you can receive a radio signal. Every Wednesday evening at 8:00 they have the hour of blues. The week had been silent of music and here we were listening to blues and watching the sky as the sun set behind us. At one time you could see three rainbows in the sky and it rained toward the east.
We climbed back up the hill to camp to find all well. We had our thorn, roses and bud as we reflected on the day. Overwhelmingly the rose of the day was the shower. We all needed a good night’s sleep because tomorrow would be uphill in the morning to about 10400 and then down to about 9000 feet in about 13 miles.
Today we needed to start early. I was up at 4:45 to start the water boiling for breakfast. At least this time we looked at what we needed to do before we went to bed. The boys started getting up just after 5:00. Our quickest time to strike camp has been 1.5 hours. That is all the time we have this morning because we need to be out of camp and on our way at 6:30. We were making our final preparations as the sun was coming up.
At just after 6:30 we were on our way up hill to Deer Lake for a conservation project. We were told that it would take an hour, maybe about an hour and a half. The conservation project started at 7:30 or 10:30 or 1:30 and the crew wanted to get it done at 7:30. The navigator for the day was moving quickly up hill and the boys were following right along. Those more than double their age were falling behind. I told them, just go and get us checked in. We all arrived by 7:20 and had time to sit down, rest and eat what we did not eat out of our breakfasts.
Soon we were called around for our safety talk and tool instruction. The instruction for the shovel was the most memorable for me. It started, “This is a shovel. It is used for moving dirt. Most of you may be used to staking the point of the shovel into the ground first. In case you have not noticed, there are lots of rocks in the dirt, hence the name of this mountain range, the Rockies. Please do not use the point of the shovel as we do not want it chipped or broken. Use the side of the shovel to scoop the dirt” as the conservation leader showed using the shovel in a sideward sweeping motion. As this was happening I was thinking, really, perhaps that is why all 18 of my tent pegs are a pain to get into the ground. Soon enough we were off to the site of our service, cutting down small ponderosa pines. When they get big they can suck up to 60 gallons of water a day. They had crept closer to Deer Lake, which was a mud hold due to the drought. You can see the brown mud in the middle of the green area in the distance in the picture below.
After we walked to the West side or far side of the lake and did our service, we walked back to the East side. We picked up our packs and walked back to the west side of the lake and the up a hundred feet or so. It was then declared time for lunch.
After lunch we resumed our trek for Ute Springs Camp. As headed North we could we got to a point we could look in the westerly direction and begin to see Ute Gulch. Much to our surprise, the trail would give us a front row seat to Ute Gulch and the mountains that surrounded it. We have a look to the North,
a look to the South,
and a look to the West.
We continued north and then cut back south as we lowered elevation. It seemed like we were way above the gulch. Another cut back to the North on a switchback as we continued to descend. I was getting used to the up and down thing. We go up in the morning, down just before or after lunch, sleep and then do the same thing the next day.
It was beautiful country and it was worth taking a stop to look. It was looking much different that the North Country where we started, more trees and greener. Of course, we were about a thousand feet higher.
Before we got to Ute Springs, we needed to stop by Ute Gulch to pick up another four days worth of food. It would be our last food pickup. The grid on the side of the building was electrified at night. It was a “Gatorade” vault that most any bear would want into.
When we got there we rested. They also had fresh fruit to eat and flour tortillas. Most of us had an apple or pear.
Jacob and I hung out on the swing for awhile.
Fairly soon we had to get going. The sky was getting a little darker and our familiar afternoon thunder and lightning had been underway for some time. Of course about the time we got to camp, is started raining and it was time to get set up to cook dinner. There is nothing like sitting in the rain waiting for water to boil.
Of course one of the most intriguing things was the stone chairs. Jacob found a nice large comfortable chair. When we got to camp he was always thinking ahead about his comfort. There is nothing like lounging around waiting for dinner.
Soon enough, dinner was over and it was time for a torn and roses and a bud. Of course some things remained constant, same boy, same thorn – rain. Everyone thought that we did well; we got up and out on the trail timely.
Tomorrow we would be going to Sawmill. It was not a long way in miles, just over 5, it was just all up. We decided that we wanted to get there so we could shoot the 30.06 rifles.
Today was an early day. I awake at just after 5:00 am and the younger members of the crew were up at 5:30. It has usually been taking just over an hour and a half to strike camp. We had almost finished packing when we looked at the instructions for breakfast. We discovered it required hot water.
We started heating up water to bring it to a boil. We normally added the food to the pot and let it cook there. However, this morning, we were going to do it differently. Everyone packed everything but a spoon, the stove and the pot for water. We added the water to the pouches that the food was in, let it set for the time it needed and then ate out of the pouch. We licked our spoons clean and ran them through the remainder of the water left over from breakfast. We were then on our way in short order. The first stop was going to be the Dean Cow staff cabin to sign out and drop off the breakfast trash. When we arrived, we walked up through the meadow like area. The staff told up that in years with normal rain the meadow would be filled with flowers waist deep.
It was then on to the trail which was steep and had several switchbacks as it climbed out of Dean Cow and Dean Canyon.
From there we hiked across the ridge and then down in to Turkey Creek Canyon, which had a dirt road that we traveled on which delivered us to the state highway, which we crossed under and then over the Cimarron River. We had hiked about five miles and I seriously thought about cooling off in the river. We stopped there to eat lunch. If you have not guessed by now, we were headed back up. We needed to climb from just over 6000 feet up to 7400 feet and go about five more miles. At least we were on a trail and not a road. Trees grow better around the trails, go figure.
As we were getting closer to Harlan, we passed by Vaca campground and a well for that area. The solar powered pump should be obvious. We walked past. However, the sky was getting cloudy and we wondered if we were going to get more rain.
At the well, we turned left. The map showed a straight line into Harlan, however, there were more switchbacks as we hiked over the hill to the other side. Upon reaching Harlan, one of the first staff members looked at us and said,”Welcome to Sawmill.” Some of the crew were concerned that we were in the wrong spot. As we reached the staff cabin it was obvious that we were at Harlan. We received our porch talk and were scheduled for some activities.
We ate our lunch there and waited for our first stop, the reloading building. We started on the porch with a safety talk.
Next we were inside reloading shotgun shells.
Then it was back outside for the shotgun safety talk. We recited the fundamental rules of 1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. 2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. 3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.
Then it was off the range. On the trail there were nice signs and pictures of the plants in the area. It was kind of like a nature walk to a shooting range. Once we were there we had to wait for another group to finish. Of course by now we were used to sitting on the ground. There was no real furniture in the forest.
Each boy got a chance to fire off the rounds that they reloaded as well as a few more. They even had the opportunity to purchase a few more rounds if they liked.
Once finished at the range it started to rain. At least the weather was being consistent, rain every afternoon. We went back to the staff cabin, got the campsite number that we were staying at and headed off to set up camp. Dinner was under way and soon enough and it was being served.
We enjoyed dinner that night. Practically everyone had a seat around the fire ring. As we ate, we realized that time was moving fast.
We put our dirty dishes in a bear bag along with all our smellables and headed off for the last event, The Burro Races. I looked down the field as the burros and their teams lined up.
At the blast of a shot gun the race was on. For the most part, the burrows were running uphill at the urging of their leader. Some burrows were not going very straight. I remember one burrow that seemed to veer off into the forest.
They would race up the hill, around the stump and then back downhill.
As it was the crew came in second place. They were happy with the performance of their burrow. There were lots of smiles to be had. We like pictures with smiles.
We then went back to camp. The dishes were done and we did our torn, roses and bud. There were many thorns over the hike to Harlan. There were unanimous roses over the burrow race and shooting shotguns.
We also knew that we wanted to make it to the service project at 7:00 tomorrow morning, which meant an early morning start.
We arose fairly early today because we had a long trip today. The sky was beautiful as the sun was making its way up from the East.
We needed two adult leaders to help with chuck wagon Breakfast preparations so we left the youth in charge of getting up and getting to breakfast. Breakfast was pancakes and sausage and it was good.
We had served the youth and it was our turn to eat. There was no youth from our crew to be seen. What could have happened? We ate our pancakes and sausage and wondered if they would even make it. As they called for seconds, we could see the crew working their way towards the chuck wagon breakfast. They got in line and received firsts and seconds on pancakes. The sausage was gone.
After breakfast we went back up to camp, got our water so we could go back down and fill them up as well as received a new four day supply of food. We took the food and water back up to camp, took down our dampened tents and packed up. We managed to get it all crammed in to our packs and hit the trail for Dean Cow. The trail was fairly steep as we left Ponil. We needed to go from about 7200 feet up to over 8400 feet in a couple of miles and then a decent back to about 7200 over eight or nine miles.
After our trail break we continued up. The weather to the south west was not looking friendly.
Soon enough we made it to the top and took a break. There was thunder off in the distance and we wanted to head down before it got any closer.
On the ridge line there was a faint road. The boys took off heading west. They passed the road headed south. Jacob, who was the last youth in the group called a halt to the progress because we had reached a “stop” sign. Any time we came to a fork in the trail, a sign that was posted, a cattle crossing, or a gate, we were to stop. After a navigator conference, it was determined that we were to head south to New Dean Camp rather than West. There was a well there that we were going to refill our water bottles. The weather to the south west was still looking like we were going to get wet.
We arrived at New Dean Camp after a fairly quick decent. It was time for a break and a time to put on pack covers as the thunder and lightning was signaling us that it was getting closer. Some took advantage to the time to recline and relax.
We then picked up another two track trail that had a fairly gentle grade going down. It was just going to be a long gentle grade. And it was going to start sprinkling on us as well.
We then came to another “stop” sign and had a navigation conference.
Soon enough we were headed to Dean Cow. It felt good to take our pack off and sit on the porch. The activity here was climbing. However, due to lightning, climbing was not going to happen. They could climb at 8:00 the next morning if they wanted to. They were going to have to decide.
We went to our camping spot and set up camp. The first thing up was the dining fly followed by our tents. The rain was getting heavier, but still manageable. It drizzled on and off and the afternoon got later. As we started dinner, or should I say started to boil the water, we has a short church service. Our Chaplin conducted the meeting and he did a great job.
Soon enough we had boiling water so the process of sterilizing the dishes started. Dinner was made and we all ate it up. It was time to start the clean up process. One of the boys did not want to drink his soup. After you eat your dinner, you put some water in your bowl and scrape the sides of you bowl with your spoon. You try to get your bowl as clean as possible. Then you drink the water. Jacob offered and Oreo as a chaser after the soup was drunk. It took a few attempts before it went down.
As 7:00 rolled around, we adult leaders went the “coffee” at the staff cabin. The cookies were great and I just drank more water to hydrate after the long day. We were a little concerned to leave the boys, especially after they did not work as a team getting things in order to make it to breakfast on time. We had talked to the youth leaders before we left and had to wait and see what happened.
As we returned to camp that night the boys had everything in order. They had a little trouble getting things together, but they all pitched in to make sure everything was done. Perhaps they will begin working more together as a team. As we did thorn, roses, bud it became obvious that they wanted to get an early start and make sure that the get to do their activities. It was time to get to sleep for the night.
We woke up early today as it was going to be a long day. It was our rangers last day to be with us. We got out of bed and circled around the campfire ring. Our ranger quietly asked us to get our fleece coats and to follow him without talking. We hiked up the west wall of the canyon. It was a fairly steep hike. As we neared the top of the canyon we could not see the sun in the East, just light coming from the east. Towards the West the sun was lighting the Heart peak.
As the sun slowly spread it’s light lower and lower on the mountains to the West, the ranger read quotes from John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt and others that were about the beauty of the outdoors. Towards the end, he asked us to describe what we felt and what we saw. Most answers were simple.
I saw a box canyon before me, a symbol of those obstacles that can contain us and keep us from progressing unless we move past them. I also saw dead trees still standing from the 2002 Ponil Complex fire, a symbol of death now intermingled in the small oak trees and other plants filling the landscape. As the light crept down the face of the mountain it was as if light and life was filling what once was darkness just as the new plant growth was filling in around the dead trees as each year passed. As we should do the same, filling our lives with light each day and year so that we grow and any darkness in our life fades away.
Soon enough we were quietly walking down the steep canyon wall back into camp. We needed to make breakfast and strike camp. The boys worked quickly so we could get on the trail. Jacob was our navigator for the day. We headed North and came to the staff cabin area of Indian Writings and filled up our water containers. Today was going to be a long trip up over Heart Peak and down into Ponil. With a little discussion on which of the three trails to take, we soon were on our way up the side of the canyon.
Before we left, our ranger asked us to make sure that we stopped, turned around and looked at where we had been. If you only look one way, you only see half the journey. We took opportunities to turn around and look as well as take pictures of where we had been.
The trip was a little hot because there were no large trees to shade the trail. We made it to Heart Peak and ate the gift our ranger had given to us, a pound cake with frosting.
After some snacks, we got a picture on the peak and headed down the hill toward Ponil. We also noticed that the clouds were beginning to build up a little. Who know what the afternoon would bring us.
We made it into Ponil and had our porch talk. Horseback riding was at 1:00 and showers were from 12:30 to 1:00. It would be impossible to get to the showers and then down to the corral to ride horses. However, there were a couple of us that were too heavy to ride the horses as we were over 200 pounds. It would be a shower for us.
As we were headed back to camp we met up with the boys. Horseback riding had been canceled due to lightning. We decided to set up camp. We went to the staff cabin and got one of the staff to show us our campsite. It was starting to rain, but we thought it would pass soon.
Our campsite was up on the southern side of the canyon a couple hundred feet above the canyon floor. I was thinking, too much lightning to ride horses, but not too much to go up the side of a canyon to set up camp. As it was, we were only part way up the side of the canyon. We started to set up camp. We had chuck wagon dinner so there was no cooking. As we continued to set up, it continued to rain and rain. It was getting fairly wet in camp. We had hung everything in our bear bags, set up our tents so we were finished there.
We then headed back into Ponil for root beer and chuck wagon dinner. We also had one other thing to look for as there was a “wardrobe malfunction.”
The two boys that went early to help cook did not take their eating utensils with them. After helping they ran back up to camp. The rest of us were enjoying root beer under the cover of a roof as it rained like crazy. As it rained we were also able to purchase a new rain jacket for the problem jacket.
Soon enough the two boys that went early to help came to the “saloon” to find us and told us that some of our tents had fallen over and one could not be saved so it was stashed under the dining fly. We could not do anything about it, so we waited until it was time for chuck wagon dinner.
As we ate dinner, the sun came out. It turned into a nice afternoon. However, upon our return, it was obvious that there was a little water that had run through camp. We secured everything and made sure it was good for the night. Some of us even took the time to take care of business on out camp “pilot to bombardier” latrine.
Later in the evening, we had our thorn, roses and bud. Yet again there was that one thorn for that one young man, rain. We all looked forward to a good night’s sleep and an early morning as we had a long way to go the next day.
Day Three of our trek started fairly early. We did not have to travel far so we were not up at the break of dawn. It always seemed that the sky was a lot clearer than the evening before. There was no way of telling what type of weather was going to show up in the afternoon.
After breakfast we began picking up camp. We were ready to leave, had out packs on and were doing a sweep for trash when we had some visitors. Four dear came lumbering through our camp.
As we left camp we headed south to the well to get more water. It was a solar powered pump that put the water in a big tank with a hose bib on the front. We each filled up a liter bottle and put a water treatment tablet in the bottle with the water.
We then headed north, leaving Anasazi and heading towards Indian Writings. We did not travel very far before we started seeing campsites for Indian Writings. It was about a half mile further to the staff cabin. Once we got to the staff cabin we had to wait our turn for our porch talk.
Once on the porch, we learned what things there were to do in the area. We also learned that there were mountain lions that were active as well. If you needed to go to the bathroom or use a rock as we called it, because you peed on a rock, you needed to take not only a buddy, but two more people between dusk and dawn for a total of four people.
We got our campsite assigned to us and decided to stay in the staff cabin area for lunch. As we returned to our pack line, another crew member was shooing away a chipmunk, or more affectionately known as a mini-bear. He told us that the mini-bear had his cheeks full as he ran off. He had found the trail mix that one of the boys had brought along. Mini-bears as well as real bears do not use zippers; they use the tools that they have. In the case of the mini-bear, it chewed a hole in the pack to get to the trail mix.
After throwing away the trail mix we all got out the lunch for the afternoon. Because we were staying in the area, we ate at the picnic table behind the staff cabin. It was a nice change from eating while sitting on the ground.
After lunch we were off to our first activity, Archeology. The dig area was an old dumpsite for trash. The site was actually over 50 years old so what is found is considered to be historic artifacts. The person giving the talk to the boys showed them some of the things that have been found.
After digging in the dig zone, the dirt is then screened in case there is something small that was missed. The boys found pieces of plant material and burnt remains of wood.
Next up was the Indian writings. We grabbed our packs as the tour if you will was going south towards our campsite. There was thunder and lightning and some rain as we walked. It was actually nice because it cooled the air. As we hiked up and looked at the walls of the canyon there were several writings that we saw. The same canyon walls our friend the mountain lion lurked on looking for its midnight snack.
There was even a ceremonial structure that was found as well as evidence of old Indian dwellings.
Even rarer on the trip at this time was a smile from Jacob that was caught on a recording device. He would smile and laugh now and then, but pull out the camera and it was the stoic look. As I looked at the picture below, it almost appears that he may have the slightest smile.
Soon enough camp was set up and it was time to prepare dinner. It seemed that things did not move as fast as they needed to. For one, boiling water takes time. So camp really got set up as the water came to a boil.
Cleanup also required hot water and the time to clean the dishes. But it was also a time to relax.
After everything was cleaned up and the bear bags were hung we made our way back north to the staff cabin area. There was a “coffee” for the leaders where coffee, hot coco or hot cider was served with cookies and sometimes doughnuts. We sat on the porch and watched the boys chuck spears using an atlatl. There was a foam mountain lion and a paper target off in the distance. Some boys had good form and could chuck the spear using the atlatl and other would have gone hungry.
We made our way back to camp to have our closing. Every night we did thorn, roses and bud. We told of a torn or something that we did not like for the day, roses, things that we liked and bud, something we were looking forward to tomorrow. For one boy his thorn was the same for the second day, it was the rain. For some, the rain was a rose. Soon enough it was time to turn in and dream about things other than bears and mountain lions. But first, as it was after dark, there was a large contingent looking for a rock.
We started our day with our last meal at Base Camp. Soon enough we were at the Welcome Center waiting for a bus to take us to the 6 Mile gate, the start of our trek. When the bus arrived, we loaded our packs into the back of the buss and got onto the bus. There were 3 other crews also going to the 6 Mile gate.
Our first stop after unloading our packs was to examine a “Red Roof Inn” which was also known as the place to relieve oneself. The rangers had all of us, about 40 people, pile into the two sides of the Red Roof Inn. They asked us to take a deep breath as they explained no pee in the latrines or Red Roof Inns because that is what smells.
Our ranger, Taylor led our crew to a location where he covered basic map and compass and some other basic things that needed to be taught. Before the ranger leaves us on our own, he needs to make sure that we have a working knowledge of the basics needed to survive in the backcountry.
Soon enough we were lining up and ready to go. We had our navigator up front who was going to lead us on the trail towards out first camp in the back county at the unstaffed camping area of Anasazi.
It was a warm morning as we traveled the trail. Our first stop was going to be the worlds only confirmed tyrannosaurus footprint. We covered our packs and dawned our rain gear as the skies became cloudy and there had been lightning flashes and thunder. No sooner did we start eating lunch that we received some rain. It was pleasant and cooled the air.
After lunch we continued up the trail to find our campsite for the night. Everyone was happy to get their packs off.
Our ranger taught us the Philmont method of setting up the kitchen and cooking. Our bowls and spoons were to be passed through boiling water before we ate.
He also taught us the process of cleaning the dishes after eating.
After dinner we took time to set up our tents. We learned to set them up in a random placement with no more than two tents in a row and nothing parallel of perpendicular to each other. They also needed to be close and no one tent could be set apart from the others. The idea was to concentrate the human scent together so furry creatures would leave us alone.
We also had to make sure that anything with a smell was out of our packs and pockets so that we did not attract large fury four legged beasts in the night. It was then on to hanging our bear bags for the night. The bear bags were important because there had been a few cases that thing like hot chocolate had been left in the pocket of a pack and the bear did not use the zipper to get to it. Then again, there was the scout that left a Gatorade pack in the pocket of his shorts and the bear did not knock at the tent door to ask if he could enter.
So as the sun set, Jacob and our ranger gave us a pose we will never forget.
Soon we all went to our tent for the night. Some of us slept better than others. The ones that had dreams of large furry creatures visiting them in the middle of the night did not sleep as well.
It was nice to sleep on something flat where it was quiet rather than a reclined seat on a noisy train. As usual, when in the outdoors, the sun comes up sooner than one wants. Soon enough the sun was up and we were out of our tents. In the background on the ridge sits the Tooth of Time. We will be up there towards the end of our trek.
We then went to breakfast and were one of the first groups there. You can see that we were bright eyed and bushy tailed for the new day. Due to not having a ranger yet we were one of the last ones to go in for breakfast.
We then met our ranger and planned out our day. We had to get the tents for the trek as well as the other gear that Philmont was going to provide. The Crew Leader and I had to visit Logistics to get a rundown on our trek. Things like where water was available, how much we should have with us and some other safety issues. We also had to make sure there was time for our 2:00 tour of the Villa Philmonte. Soon enough it was lunch time.
We also had to get the official Philmont photo. The one that they use to identify us for Search and Rescue.
After lunch we picked up our tents and gear. Or should I say, we waited so that we could be first in line.
Then it was off the Villa Philmonte. There is a document from New Mexico Architecture that has lots of great information available on the Villa Phimonte
here.
While at the Villa Philmonte we noticed deer just lounging about on the grounds.
After the tour we continued getting ready. There were things that we needed to leave behind and things we needed to get. Extra water containers were purchased from the Tooth of Time Traders. Smellables that were not needed were to be left behind.
At 7:00 most everyone at Philmont went to church. There were services for Catholic, Jewish, Protestant and L.D.S faiths. A scout is reverent.
We also had the opening campfire which was good. After trying to put together all the final preparations, we got to bed somewhat late. But that is how it goes sometimes.
Jacob and I arrived at the Amtrak stop with many other scouts traveling to Philmont. There was a rather large group of us leaving from Riverside. It was three crew in all, 720 Q 1, 2 and 3.
 Crews 720 Q 1, 2 and 3 headed to Philmont Scout Ranch Jacob and I were part of Crew 2 which consisted of seven scouts and two leader for a total of nine members. It was a good size for a crew. Not too small and not too large.
 Crew 720 Q 2 The train was late and we all waited somewhat patiently. When it arrived at almost 8pm, we were put on the last car with two other crews from the Los Angeles area. One of the two crews was going to be doing the same itinerary as we were so we would be seeing each other through the trek. On the train the scouts played spoons and other card games to pass the time.
The scouts passed the time until 2AM before they came back to the car to go to sleep. The next day came and they slept in as best they could. It was a long day of sitting after a long night of sitting. Once we arrived in Albuquerque, we got off the train and got something to eat. It was then back on the train for about 4 more hours. As we were getting close you could see the Rocky Mountains off in the distance and the home of Philmont Scout Ranch.
 Philmont Scout Ranch and the Rocky Mountains of in the distant West Once we arrived in Raton New Mexico, we got off the train and onto buses for the trip to Philmont. We did have one stop in town to get some dinner.
The countryside was dry and brown. It was evident that they were suffering from a drought. We did see antelope and deer on the way. We passed through Cimarron and then to the Welcome Center where we checked in and got some tents to sleep in for the night. Tomorrow would be the official first day when we would meet our ranger and get all the paperwork done.
 Philmont Scout Ranch Welcome Center As for the boots, they cut them down every day. With about 300 people finishing their treks every day there is bound to be a couple of people that want to leave their boots behind. Or then again, bring an old ratty pair so you can contribute to the ambiance of the sign at the Welcome Center.
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