Philmont Trek Day 2: Bent to Baldy Skyline
(This is the eighth posting in a series on my experience at Scouting’s oldest and most popular high adventure base, Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM. ~ k.f.) After a casual trek from Ponil to Bent,...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 3: Baldy Skyline to Baldy Town
Baldy Skyline. Baldy Town. The anticipation of finally getting to Baldy Mountain continued to build as we made our way westward to the once-active mining town established in 1868 at 10,000 feet up the...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 4: The Ascent to Baldy
As I awoke on the fourth day of our trek through Philmont–the day we were to climb Baldy Mountain–I wondered if the rest of the trip would be anti-climactic. A footnote, maybe. I saw the ascent to...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 4: Descending Baldy’s North Face
It was easy to kill time on Baldy’s summit. The crew worked so hard to get there and you just couldn’t beat the view no matter where you stood. Heck, I stretched out and rested for about 15 minutes...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 5: Baldy Town to Head of Dean
(This is the 11th in a series about my summer experience at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM. ~k.f.) A magnificent adventure atop Baldy Mountain now behind us, we prepared to leave Baldy Town and...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 6: Head of Dean to Visto Grande
Those of you following our trek have read all the good things that have happened, but no trip would be complete without its woes. This isn’t to say that this section of trail was a bummer, but it did...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 7: Visto Grande to Webster Parks
This is the 13th in a series about my Philmont trek experience from summer 2012. (It’s just taking me a long time to finish.) If you’re just joining in, you can begin the adventure with my first post,...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 8: Webster Parks to Miners Park
Our morning departure from Webster Parks was glorious on two fronts: The early morning weather was absolutely stunning and we were closer to finishing a very challenging trek (“Strenuous”, as the...
View ArticlePhilmont Trek Day 9: Miners Park to Aguila
Miners Park turned out to be a pleasant surprise and one of the more enjoyable stops along our trek. We arrived in Miners Park early enough on Day 8 to spend some time on the outdoor climbing wall....
View ArticleMSR’s new Thunder Ridge tent out of reach for most Scouts
The Boy Scouts of America announced via its daily Bryan on Scouting blog that Philmont’s familiar two-man Thunder Ridge tent manufactured by MSR was now available for sale. Author Gretchen Sparling,...
View ArticleHiking vs. Backpacking: a footwear guide
I have been following my Ohio nephew’s journeys on the Appalachian Trail with great envy. Matt, his brothers-in-law, Stephen and Tim, and their pal, Jeremy, have been taking on the trail, one section...
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