Courtesy of Ton van Daelen:
This summer, Boy Scouts and leaders from University City’s Troop 271 went on a trek through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Philmont Scout Ranch is over 214 square miles of vast beautiful trails that rise as high as 12,441 feet and is the Boy Scouts of America’s premier high adventure camp.
During their trek the Troop 271 crew hiked 100 miles over 11 days and every person carried over 40 pounds of gear while hiking from camp to camp. There were many backcountry programs the crew participated in along the way including rock climbing, mountain biking, cowboy action shooting, and gold prospecting.
Their favorite activity was climbing a 30-foot tall pole with spiked boots. The trek also included a conservation project where the crew helped build a new mountain biking trail. Along the trek, the crew had to take precautions as Philmont is in bear and mountain lion territory.
The crew also had to endure the constantly shifting weather that is typical to Philmont. At the top of Mount Baldy, the tallest point on Philmont property, the crew experienced eighty mile per hour winds and they lost several possessions that day, including a rogue-sleeping pad that flew out of a boy’s pack and over the peak.
The crew also witnessed lightning hit a tree while hiking. All and all, Philmont was an amazing experience that they can recommend that to any boy scout.
Photo: Philmont 2016 crew from Troop 271: Rowan Hicks, Tyler Morton, Brandon Sutton, Daniel Fitchmun, Nathan Michalek, Adam Turken, Nick van Daelen, Dillon Carr, Nicolas Cridlig, Alan Turken (adult leader), and Ton van Daelen (adult leader).
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