# Two Weeks on the Trail in NM



## Steve in VA (Aug 7, 2022)

I thought you all might enjoy a few pics from the recent hike my son and I did at the Philmont Scout Ranch in NM. 

We had a crew of 10 with 6 kids and 4 adults. We ended up hiking just over 100 miles and summited Tooth of Time at 9,000', Black Mountain at 10,800, Mt Phillips at 11,700', and Baldy Mountain at 12,400'. Lots of adventures and extreme weather along the way, including going from 80+ degrees to 35 and a hail storm in 30 minutes, and one lightning strike where we saw it hit a tree. The lightning and thunder were simultaneous and we stayed in the "lightening position" for a solid 30 minutes waiting it out. We also saw lots of game, including a large cinnamon color black bear with cubs, plenty of mule deer, and flocks of turkey.

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## Steve in VA (Aug 7, 2022)

Pics

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## Steve in VA (Aug 7, 2022)

Pics

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## Steve in VA (Aug 7, 2022)

Pics

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## trc65 (Aug 7, 2022)

Looks like a trip/experience of a lifetime!

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## FLQuacker (Aug 7, 2022)

Great experiences right there! Great pics Steve

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## Wildthings (Aug 7, 2022)

You definitely know which pictures are above timberline. Great memories being made there. What's up with all those dead trees


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## Nature Man (Aug 8, 2022)

Nothing like the great outdoors! Congrats on a trip that will long be remembered! Chuck


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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

Wildthings said:


> You definitely know which pictures are above timberline. Great memories being made there. What's up with all those dead trees



In 2018 there was a major fire; the Ute Park fire. It burned more than 30,000 acres and essentially split the ranch (200+ square miles) into the North portion and the South portions. 

Just by coincidence, we were the first crew that was allowed to hike through the burned area unaccompanied since the fire. We were given a GPS unit to carry with us that allowed the rangers to know exactly where we were.

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## Mike Hill (Aug 8, 2022)

I can't give enough woo-hoo's and thumbs up for this!

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## JerseyHighlander (Aug 8, 2022)

That's a sweet trip! Nothing to recharge a man's soul like a long walk in the deep woods. 
You camped in cabins as you went or were you carrying tents?


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## barry richardson (Aug 8, 2022)

Awesome, great pics,!, I'm sure those young people will remember their accomplishment with pride for the rest of their lives...

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## DLJeffs (Aug 8, 2022)

Philmont seems to be notorious for drastic weather changes.

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

JerseyHighlander said:


> That's a sweet trip! Nothing to recharge a man's soul like a long walk in the deep woods.
> You camped in cabins as you went or were you carrying tents?



No cabins; tents all the way! We had strategic food re-supply every 3 days or so, which helped with the weight a little bit. Water management was key as we had to carry enough to cook and drink. And you definitely go through water out there! While some places had potable water, most of the time we were using Micropur water tablets as some of the camps on our itinerary were dry. Most of our packs were 55 +/- pounds, but we had one kid who's pack weighed 63 lbs. He was the one who brought 5 charging cords....not kidding

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## Tom Smart (Aug 8, 2022)

Steve in VA said:


> He was the one who brought 5 charging cords....not kidding


Was one a REALLY long extension cord?

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

Tom Smart said:


> Was one a REALLY long extension cord?


No, but they did connect to one of the *two* solar chargers he decided to carry with him. He was really the only one we had to keep on top of to stay off his phone for anything other than pictures. No cell service out there at all, but he even downloaded a few movies for the trip. By and large he stayed off after the first few days though. It was no wonder he had a 60+ lb pack after seeing everything he thought he needed!

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## SENC (Aug 8, 2022)

Great pictures thanks for sharing! My son loved his Philmont experience, about 8 years ago - led to a love of hiking and being outdoors that he's continued. He hiked the El Camino a few years ago from SW France to NW Spain a few years ago, PNW last year, and trekked a but of South Africa and Mozambique this summer (PNW and SA as a counselor/guide with Moondance).

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## JR Parks (Aug 8, 2022)

How very awesome experience for the two of you. Few words to describe that trip but maybe summed up in pic # 9. Jim


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## Herb G. (Aug 8, 2022)

Sweet ! Beautiful scenery there my friend.

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

SENC said:


> Great pictures thanks for sharing! My son loved his Philmont experience, about 8 years ago - led to a love of hiking and being outdoors that he's continued. He hiked the El Camino a few years ago from SW France to NW Spain a few years ago, PNW last year, and trekked a but of South Africa and Mozambique this summer (PNW and SA as a counselor/guide with Moondance).



That's fantastic Henry and two of the boys on our trip, my son being one of them, are talking about applying to work there next summer.

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

JR Parks said:


> How very awesome experience for the two of you. Few words to describe that trip but maybe summed up in pic # 9. Jim


That's how I felt many days as well!


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## Gdurfey (Aug 8, 2022)

I missed you stating this was at Philmont! Wow, have heard so many great stories about the place.

Did you try, or think of trying, filtering water? the new personal water filters are great.

May I suggest that y'all consider the Colorado Trail! And their are great pieces of it you can do sort of similar to section of the AT. My oldest stepson just completed it by mountain bike!! What an epic adventure.


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## SENC (Aug 8, 2022)

Are they 21? Happy to connect our sons by phone to chat so yours can get the lowdown. Moondance is preferential to kids who did Moondance trips, but my son didn't and they always need young men. My son (also Henry) is a huge fan of the organization and loved doing it.

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## djg (Aug 8, 2022)

Wow! Thanks for the pics. Takes me back to my days back packing in MT. Then I used a film camera (what's that?) and those batteries last forever. Now, if I were to take a trip like that, I carry multiple batteries with my DSLR. Like the solar charger idea. So I can kind of understand the extra pounds one of the kids had.

You pics, cell phone?


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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

Gdurfey said:


> I missed you stating this was at Philmont! Wow, have heard so many great stories about the place.
> 
> Did you try, or think of trying, filtering water? the new personal water filters are great.
> 
> May I suggest that y'all consider the Colorado Trail! And their are great pieces of it you can do sort of similar to section of the AT. My oldest stepson just completed it by mountain bike!! What an epic adventure.



We didn't use filters, though we had a few with us just in case. The Micropur tablets worked great and left the water even tasting fresh. It was pretty clean to begin with, so we didn't have any major concerns.

I'd love to get back there and hit the Colorado Trail. My son and I stayed one extra day to tour UC Boulder as it's one of the top 4 schools he's considering. And after spending an afternoon on the campus, it's probably now number #2 right behind Virginia Tech. We'll see where he gets into, but part of me is hoping for UC Boulder just so I can visit. Not happy about the price of out of state tuition though!!


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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

SENC said:


> Are they 21? Happy to connect our sons by phone to chat so yours can get the lowdown. Moondance is preferential to kids who did Moondance trips, but my son didn't and they always need young men. My son (also Henry) is a huge fan of the organization and loved doing it.



Scouts age out at 18, which my son will hit this November. This was his last major scouting trip and we had the opportunity to scuba dive at Sea Base in the Florida Keys twice as well, so he definitely made the most of it. I'm not familiar with Moondance, but will look it up later this evening! Thanks!!

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

djg said:


> Wow! Thanks for the pics. Takes me back to my days back packing in MT. Then I used a film camera (what's that?) and those batteries last forever. Now, if I were to take a trip like that, I carry multiple batteries with my DSLR. Like the solar charger idea. So I can kind of understand the extra pounds one of the kids had.
> 
> You pics, cell phone?


 
Yes, these were all on my cell phone. They take amazing picture and if you put it on airplane mode the batteries last a long time. I'll try to post a few videos later this afternoon. I just need to upload them to YT first.

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## SENC (Aug 8, 2022)

Steve in VA said:


> Scouts age out at 18, which my son will hit this November. This was his last major scouting trip and we had the opportunity to scuba dive at Sea Base in the Florida Keys twice as well, so he definitely made the most of it. I'm not familiar with Moondance, but will look it up later this evening! Thanks!!


I misunderstood, thought you meant they were applying to work for Moondance, but suspect re-reading they are applying to Philmont. Good luck, would be a great job. You have to be 21 to work for Moondance, I think, but he should definitely put it on his radar if he likes outdoors and leading kids. They do some amazing trips in the US and internationally.


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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

Here is one more pic I wanted to initially post, followed by a few short videos.

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

The bear and cubs. Listening to the video is funny as you hear the kids singing happy birthday, which is what we were told to do if we encountered any in order to keep them calm. In reality, I think it was meant to keep the kids (and a few adults) calm vs. the bears 









Black Bear with Cubs at Philmont Scout Ranch


Video of a large cinnamon colored black bear and her two cubs at Philmont Scout Ranch. If you turn the volume up, you'll hear the boys singing happy birthda...




youtube.com

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

The hail storm from inside the tent. Crank the volume and you'll just begin to get a sense of how loud it really was!









Hail Storm at Philmont Scout Ranch


Volume up! It went from 80+ degrees to this in a matter of minutes. Welcome to Philmont!




youtube.com

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

Mule deer early one morning. I had just stepped outside to relieve myself and they came around the corner. 









Mule Deer at Philmont Scout Ranch


These two mule deer were wandering by early one morning as I was in the middle of my "morning routine" upon exiting the tent. Good thing I had my phone and ...




youtube.com

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## Steve in VA (Aug 8, 2022)

360 view from the top of Tooth of Time









Tooth of Time at Philmont Scout Ranch


View from the Tooth of Time at just over 9,000'




youtube.com

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## Tom Smart (Aug 8, 2022)

Great stuff, Steve!


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## 2feathers Creative Making (Aug 8, 2022)

Awesomeness


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## Gdurfey (Aug 8, 2022)

Steve in VA said:


> The hail storm from inside the tent. Crank the volume and you'll just begin to get a sense of how loud it really was!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


we had hail like that last Thursday. Driving to work Friday morning, there were still piles along the road and in next to the trees where it piled up. Would not want to be caught in that, even that small stuff!!!!!


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