disney4dan

On 4/8/2017 at 6:14 PM, NJBruce said:

Went to Philmont in 2008 with my son. One of the best times I've ever had. He is married with kids now and still has map of our trek on wall of living room. Hoping to go back with the grandkids.

I have 2 sets of the maps, one untouched and the other marked up showing the trek we did.  Those are going in a box to be saved for years to come.  I'm curious about which camps you did and which sites you got to see?  There is so much that can be done at Philmont. I bet you are as glad as I am that you got to spend time in scouts with your son.  The time I have spent with Matt in scouts has been a great time during what can be a really turbulent time with teenagers. Best position I was ever "volunteered" to do.

On 4/9/2017 at 7:07 AM, dblr....Rennie said:

My son did Philmont about 9 years ago and had a great time, they even fit a whitewater rafting trip on a section of the river called the racecourse, funny thing is he now lives in the Taos area so he must have really liked it out there. We drove out last year with the rv to visit and drove thru Cimmaron and some of the worst storms of our whole trip and all we thought about were the boys out there hiking.

The rivers in the mountain area are so different than they are in New England.  They can be just a trickle one minute and then a raging river the next.  There was a scout death in 2015 due to a thunderstorm unloading for a few hours in the mountain peaks while kids were sleeping in the their tents in the canyons below.  One scout in a crew at Indian Writings camp did not get out of his tent  in time, the river went from a few inches deep to 25 feet deep and 200 yards wide.  I don't bring that up to be a downer, but to mention that the rest of the crew spent the next day finding him, and then voted to continue their trek in his honor.  I don't know if I would have had the energy after that.  

So I spent about half an hour at the dealership service center and tried some editing. Got about most of the way into the second day when I lost the wifi connection. Let me know if the photos on page 1 are good!

Had about ten kids over last night for a campfire, all good kids and three of them scouts. I was headed to bed before them, and my wife was wondering if it was safe to leave the fire going while we slept. I figure four scouts was enough coverage to be sure it was out properly. There are several kids sleeping in the living room now. I wonder why I'm so busy?  I promise to edit this TR soon. Off to bring my daughter somewhere soon, then out to get rental vans for our troops trip to Gettysburg on Monday.

On 04/12/2017 at 7:19 AM, shoreline99 said:

His review went very well, and we officially have another Eagle Scout in the family. Pretty awesome. 

And yes, he wore his big a$$ philmont belt and buckle to his board of review for luck. 

Congratulations! Matt is at Life Scout and needs to get moving!

My weekdays are super busy right now, so let me try this one photo to see if I get it right before I launch into a complete rebuild of this TR!

You should be viewing a photo of the boys checking out a lizard.  They really wanted to see a rattlesnake while out there. Lucky for us, that didn't happen.

On 4/9/2017 at 9:26 PM, DaveInTN said:

Did you include the question mark?  It has to be ?.jpg added to the end of the URL when you paste into the "insert image from URL" option.  

Trying that next!  If not that, then maybe load all the photos to a different sharing site?  My Photobucket account isn't an option

16 hours ago, Seals said:

I really hope you can fix the pictures -- I can only see them in 2 posts -- because all 3 of my sons were at Philmont last July !  From around the 9th to the 22nd. They all loved it and it was an excellent experience for them. It was the second time for the older one and he begged to go back. I've never been to New Mexico, or Colorado (they flew into Denver and took a bus to Philmont) so I'm jealous of the opportunities I've provided for them. 

I am so glad that they got to go, and you should definitely go out there with them sometimg, even if to someplace other than Philmont!

16 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I can only see a few of the photos too.

I would love to see them all.  I was heavily involved in Scouting, but never made it to Philmont. Several of my friends got to go, and I know that I would have loved it.

I assume those leather belts and big buckles are still a thing?

TCD

Those belts are a big thing, and if I can get this to work correctly, I have a cool tie in to an historic visit.

13 hours ago, shoreline99 said:

I never got to go, either. I went to the national jamboree but not Philmont.

My son went in 2015, he still talks about it regularly. It was very impactful on his outlook on life and I believe he wrote both his NHS and his college essays about it.

He has his Eagle board of review tonight, so not to threadjack but send a little good vibes his way around 7:30.

I hope that his review went well!

8 hours ago, Seals said:

I hope your son had a good review. My older son is an Eagle and my other two are on their way. They are so fortunate to have an excellent scout troop that has provided them with a lot of opportunities. I was a girl scout and recognize the impact it had on my life (during the middle school girl drama years it was a lifesaver to me to have my girl scout friends and activities to give me self confidence). 

And my older son wrote his college essay about his experience at another boy scout high adventure -- Sea Base in the Florida Keys. He went once for scuba and once spending a week on a boat, with a visit to Key West. 

It is an amazing place!

Testing the file name issue with this.

Now it is not even letting me add photos like it did earlier today.

I did try adding .jpg to the end of the link while in Google photos and it would not let me do it there. Tried putting the link into the "insert image from URL" on this page and it let me add the extension, but it's not linking the photo either way now.

I'll give it a try in the morning.  What is frustrating is that I can see the photos when I log in on my desktop, but not on my tablet or phone right now.  I was able to see them on my phone earlier today.

46 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

I can't see a lot of the pictures.  Just curious, but are you copying and pasting the URL from Google Photos into here?  Are you adding "?.jpg" on the end of each URL?  Because that's what I have to do in the last several months or so since Google transitioned away from PIcassa to Photos.  A bit of a pain but if I add the ?.jpg to the end it works.  

I'll have to try that!

So, we finish our service hours on the trail and head on out to the next camp.  The problem with the next camp is that it is supposed to be a dry camp (no water) and we are supposed to carry 4 gallons of water to get us through to the next point. Instead, we decide to hike on in and plan to send some scouts off to a nearby well that is a mile away once we set up camp.  Don't you just love plans?  They always work out, right?

On to our next camp, Devil's Wash Basin (cue scary music now).

As you can see, the boys are dragging today. Lots of miles, lots of heat, muscles are sore.  But on we go. We are rewarded with a great view down into Ute Gulch (our destination tomorrow). The storm clouds are building and we need to hustle to camp.

(Looks like that is all I can add for photos today! Will pick up editing here when I get back!)

Looks like we are going to have company in this area - bears have been seen!  This area is not much more than a large puddle with a lot of green algaie in the pond.  But it is scenic.  We set up camp just in time for the downpours.  So we took a nice long nap in our tents and got our energy back!

35 minutes ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

Glad it's not over. 

Btw. I was wondering if you are using different websites to post your pictures. I started reading and posting right after the picture of Gary.  I can see the first three pics of your TR and then nothing until Gary. Then they disappear again. But since you responded to my post I see them all. 

Just curious.  Because I can't seem to post pictures with Photobucket anymore.

 

The pictures I am seeing are stunning.    

I have been using mostly Google photos since yesterday, as Photobucket was giving my machine heartburn.  I was seeing the same issue with photos last night on my phone, but today on the desktop I get to see all of them. I  hope they all show up eventually, this is a lot of effort if they aren't showing! Can you see the pictures from today?

We didn't get to do any burrow racing. The storm had left the race field a muddy mess and it would not be safe for the animals. Plus, I don't think the rangers wanted to deal with it. We hit the sack early and had to get up to do our three hours of conservation work the next day anyway.  Part of the Philmont experience, and a requirement to get a coveted Philmont patch, is to complete service hours.  Our project was trail building for a new trail out to Vacca. 

Matt and others at the training area. We had to learn how to safely use hand tools.  Those shovels are complicated instruments you know. So, you just pull up a comfy rock for a seat and wait.

Building a switchback on the trail.

A completed switchback in an area with a great view.  Break time

One of the kids got creative

The interesting point of this trail is that you cross under the highway as you head to Harlan camp.  It has developed a reputation because many scouts will call ahead and get pizza delivered to this crossing! The pizza delivery guys will wait for everyone to finish and take the trash back to town (for a hefty tip).  Our boys didn't have the time for it today, we were not making great time.

We rolled into Harlan just in time to watch a thunderstorm roll up the canyon.  It poured and the lightning was intensive, all around us. In this photo you can see two adults at the door watching the show while the scouts are loading recycled shotgun shells.  Something scary about being in a shed with gun powder during a lightning storm!

We ended up having to skeet shoot in a complete deluge.  It was cold, wet and windy. But it was cool to see the trail of the shot as it blasted it's way through the rain on the way to a clay pigeon. By the way, some of these kids can handle a shotgun, getting three for three on their shots.

July 24 - heading out of Dean Cow early. We have a lot of miles today to get to Harlan where the boys will get a chance to load their own shotgun shells and try some skeet shooting.  And if all goes well, participate in burrow racing after dinner.  Matt did not recover well over night and was still sluggish when we started.  We had a steep uphill climb out of the canyon at sunrise, so one of the adult leaders asked the other scouts to take some of his weight out of his pack so we could make decent time.  The kids stepped up and helped out, knowing that he would need that help if we hoped to make some distance on the trail. 

We checked in to Dean Cow.  Our expedition was chosen by the crew based on the opportunity for three rock climbing sessions, including an advanced skill course only open to this expedition number.  They were all stoked for the first session, even though it meant being on a rock cliff face in full sun on a hot day.

The female ranger had no problem keeping their attention while going over the rules.

And then off to our site for another hearty meal.  We were really enjoying the level ground at this site after sleeping on slopes for the past three nights.

The other nice thing about Dean Cow - showers!  Matt's friend grabbed this shot of him chillaxin at the showerhouse building and the reflection in his glasses.

Now we are back down in elevation, trudging our way through this canyon heading for Dean Cow camp.  The weather was sunny and hot.  Almost Florida in August hot. And no shade.

Matt was beginning to fade again. When we were at Baldy Town I had asked the staff if they had a thermometer to check for a temperature and they did not. Said it would not work at that elevation, and there really wasn't any need. I thought that was odd if you thought a kid was running a fever and they had a practical reply "What would you do if you thought he had a fever?" I said I'd give ibuprofen or Tylenol to bring it down.  So, that was what we were doing, with  the realization that even if he had a fever, he was going to keep walking while he was able!

Soon we encountered one of the "Red Roof Inns" of a staffed camp (outhouse) as we came upon the first tent sites around Dean Cow Camp.  We would be setting up here for our first rock climbing session.

8 minutes ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

What a great trip.  When I get a chance I need to reread it on my laptop so I can see the pictures.   But you have done such a great job I can visualize most of it. 

Thanks for sharing. I hope it's not over. 

Not over yet if I can keep posting more pictures.

Upper Dean Cow camp had a lot of straw in it, so I assume that a crew on horseback had been through recently.  I awoke before sunrise and went to start packing my bag by headlight. When I looked into the bag I was greeted by four little beady eyes staring back at me. Some field mice had moved in and stuffed the bag with straw.  A lot of it too!

Matt had been feeling a little run down since Baldy Town, but was being a trooper and keeping up.

Well - looks like no photos will link right now. Time for a break and I'll be back later!

A friend on the trail

One of the many solar powered water supplies on the trails. 

And finally, around mid-day, we stroll into Head of Dean Camp.  This area is very scenic, and the tent sites are scattered around in areas similar to this.  At the staffed camps, the scouts can participate in organized activities.  Here, the activity is a team building exercise on an obstacle course.  A great opportunity for the adults to put their feet up and rest their tired bones. And we did.

The cabin.

While we were relaxing here, the chipmunks were running in and out of our pack line trying to find food.  Because of the way everything was packaged, they didn't get any.  However, I had gotten lazy and did not put the bite valve for my hydration bladder inside the pack.  One of the little monsters chewed the silicon mouthpiece to shreds.  Lesson learned, carry an extra one - instead, I got to sanitize mine in boiling water and just deal with it. Every. Time. I. Took. A. Sip. Darn mini bears.

We were not sleeping at this camp, had to head out further down the trail about two miles to Upper Dean Cow.  We arrived before supper time and got set up on a sloping meadow.  Right after this photo was taken, the storm clouds rolled over the hill and dumped on us!  Some of our gear got soaked, but we survived.

Looks like the image won't fit.  Maybe in next post! (edited - Yeah for me, I got it to post!!!)

13 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Enjoying this Dan! Thanks for sharing.

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Welcome Dave!  Amazing how fast the kids grow up, isn't it?  Hope we get to meet up again some day either in the parks or maybe on a trail sometime.  With college tuition looming, it might be a while before we get a chance to visit the Fort.

More pictures from along the trail. I should have invested in a camera that could do a better job of capturing the colors.

In this next photo, taken mid-day, you can see how the clouds always build up in the afternoon and it will rain somewhere in Philmont. It was also around this point that we encountered our first military jet fly by.  There is a military base not far from here, and the pilots know that there are lots of scouts out during the summer.  We got to see a good size bomber screaming over this canyon at low altitude. Amazing how the canyon isolated us from the sound until the jet was almost over us.

We had an uneventful afternoon, nice and relaxing hike down, we grabbed our supplies and took it easy. The best part of the resupply days is getting a piece of fresh fruit for that day. I can still remember how good that orange was after eating meat sticks, envelopes of tuna, crackers, energy gel packs and dried fruit.  There is always a crowd around the building where food is handed out.  I have to say, the rangers have the whole food distribution thing running like a well oiled machine. And as much as I like to complain about the trail food, they did provide some high quality items. There is just so much you can do for that many scouts covering that many miles on the trail.

We got up early again the next morning for a fairly long hike to our next staffed camp where the kids can participate in an organized activity.  Here is what a typical breakfast was like before heading out on the trail. And yes, it was "Oh-dark-thirty am" before much daylight.

But the sun did come up quick.

And on the road we go!  Head of Dean camp coming up in the afternoon.

One of the crew decided to create a rock statue

And down we went. I forgot to grab a photo of my watch showing the altitude at the summit, but remembered a little way back down the trail.

If only there was a way to show how steep this trail is. My knees were so happy to not have an additional 50 pounds on my back today!

I hope the images are showing up in the posts. I checked on my phone earlier today and it seems like the only images that I could see were the ones that are posted on photobucket. I reached my limit on photobucket and have also discovered that my Malwarebytes software was having fits over that site and was fighting off a lot of malicious stuff, so I put all the photos on Google. The google images were not showing through on my phone, so raise your hand and let me know if nobody else can see those photos either. I can see all of them from the desktop.

Alright, let's pick this up again, shall we? 

We left off yesterday about 500 feet from the summit. We were making good time with a slow and steady pace and the best weather we could hope for.  The altitude was slowing most of us down. The night before one of the adults was hit with one of the lesser known side effects - confusion.  He spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to set up his tent before his kids came over and helped him out.  He was better by morning, luckily.  Now, here we are at the last push for the top and one of the kids was hit with an emotional outburst.  Totally unexpected and out of the blue and he was sobbing.  Of course, being a teenage boy just made it worse.  Luckily, it passed fairly quickly and he was good to go soon.  These are things that most people don't suffer from, and it is hard to predict.  The veteran adult scout leaders who had been many times before said that they have been hit with it as well, but not every time.  But, what I liked about our crew is that we all stuck together and waited it out.  We were going to summit the mountain as a crew and celebrate when we got there. 

Finally, everyone gathered for the last push and we hit the top with about 50 other scouts already there. The summit is the highest peak in this range (not the highest in NM) and the wind was coming in very strong from the north. We had been sheltered from it on the southern side all morning, and the gusts were pretty intense.  Luckily, it was not too cold and there were almost no clouds around. We hunkered down for lunch, photos, and a quick call home to let family know where we were.  My son couldn't wait to call his sister.

And then I got to keep my tradition alive and celebrate with a cup of hot strong coffee at the summit. I started this tradition in around 2010 on scouting adventures and have had one at every summit since then. In this view, the camera is facing east southeast toward the plains.  Behind me are mountains in Colorado. To my right, southwest of this peak are the slopes of Angel Fire ski area.

As you can see, the weather was great. There are lots of on-line videos and photos from other scouts to show that it can be pretty cold, windy and cloudy up here, but we won the lottery this day! We stayed around for a while and then had to head back down.  We needed to get into Baldy Town to pick up our food supplies for the next 5 days on the trail and get well rested for some longer hikes.  But from here, it is mostly downhill!

20 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

I'm in.

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That was quick!  Welcome aboard and enjoy the hike.

13 hours ago, NJBruce said:

Went to Philmont in 2008 with my son. One of the best times I've ever had. He is married with kids now and still has map of our trek on wall of living room. Hoping to go back with the grandkids.

I agree, so glad I got to do this with my son.  i debated about even posting this on FF net because it is not WDW related. But I know that there are some scout families out here who might not be considering this type of trip with or for their scout. I know I always thought of it as a "for other scouts" and "way too expensive for my taste" type of trip.  But when I got a chance to go I thought about this is the only time I could do this with my son.  We made it work somehow. Luckily, I have lots of coworkers in scouts, and my line manager is also in scouts with his kids. I had used a lot of time off over the prior two years for health issues with another child, and he told me not to worry about it - we found a way. 

Short answer, if you can do this with your kid I would find a way. 

27 minutes ago, dblr....Rennie said:

My son did Philmont about 9 years ago and had a great time, they even fit a whitewater rafting trip on a section of the river called the racecourse, funny thing is he now lives in the Taos area so he must have really liked it out there. We drove out last year with the rv to visit and drove thru Cimmaron and some of the worst storms of our whole trip and all we thought about were the boys out there hiking.

Those thunderstorms are brutal. And it is amazing how quickly it brings the cold air down from high altitude so you go from a 90+ day to about 45 - 50 degree wet afternoon or evening. I think I have some photos coming up that might show that. I just wish I had more video.  Most of the images were on my iPhone which, despite being fairly new, was one of the phones with the bad batteries and it was failing fast on my trip.

Eventually we reach the saddle, an open field at about 11,500 feet in elevation that is used for cattle.  I find it amazing the a cow would ever want to climb up here, but there was enough evidence that they had been there recently. This is Matt posing with the summit right behind him, just a few hundred yards through some trees and then the final push up a steep slope of broken shale to reach the top.  Making good time, and as you can see, weather is perfect.

Up we go! Our boys resting in the shade while another crew takes a break a few yards uphill.

This will probably be my stopping point for today, too many times that a photo won't link right now so I am taking a coffee break until tomorrow.  Until then, I will leave you in suspense.  Do we make it to the summit?  Does my tradition continue?  Where exactly is Conjunction Junction and what's it's function?