Hey guys. I started this thread awhile ago asking for advice on going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Well, we leave for the train in just fourteen days now.:eek:
We’ve been staying in shape and doing last minute gear purchases and we’re going for a final meeting on Sunday to make sure everyone in our crew is ready.
I was just wondering if you guys had some last minute advice for us; any words of wisdom or reassurance would be nice right now.
`Brilharma
Lightning always strikes Mt Baldy at 1:00pm exactly.
Don’t play with the bears
You’ll need more water than you think
A camera is certainly a must
Be sure to completely rinse all cookware
You’ll have a great time!
HJ Philmont '73Take as little clothing as you can, except socks. Take plenty of those- more than you think you’ll need. You’ll reek like hell inside of 3 days anyway, so why worry about changing clothes?
Take a few gallon-size ziploc bags. If you get caught in a day-long downpour, this will ensure you have dry toilet paper and dry socks when it’s done.
Listen to whatever your district/council Philmont gurus have to say- they’ve probably been there recently and are in a position to tell you good advice.
Mark Philmont '86
Good luck and tell us how it goes.
Bring all your old event patches. Trade for obscure event patches brought by folks from far elsewhere.
I am so green with envy. I never got to go to Philmont when I was in the scouts, but I’ve heard that it is quite an experience. My troop did try to make a reservation, but they were booked for the next 3 years. 
Most of it’s common sense - don’t string up the bear bag in a thunderstorm, and so on. But here’s a few things I learned.
Make sure you don’t have to take a dump after nightfall. You’ll never find some of those pilot/bombardier latrines in the dark. As a corollary, never eat squeez cheez after 2pm.
Bring a spare wrist watch.
Save anything that requires cooking, even pancakes, for dinner. You want to set out as early as possible.
Make sure you get a chance to see sunrise from the Tooth of Time.
It may be a little late now, but to get the most food, have one more person in your crew than a number divisible by 4. 8 people will eat rather lean, but 9 will eat like kings.
First years will frequently mistake pemican bars for food. Save them, in case you have to throw something at an attacking bear (JUST KIDDING, RANGER!)
Good luck… have fun… this does bring back memories.
GT Philmont '88
Oh, one think I forgot to mention: not only is a camera a must, but you’ll want to make sure you never find yourself unable to take a picture. Within a day’s walk, you’ll see swamps, woods, icy lakes, desert, cow pastures, meadows bursting with flowers, and of course mountains. You’ll have at most two opportunities to restock on film and batteries, and I’m quite sure they aren’t selling memory sticks anywhere inside the ranch.
Lucky… I went to jambo in 2001, I’ll be working at the next one.
I hope to make it out to Philmont in 2006.
I wish I’d thought of this before I went. You will meet Boy Scout troops from all over the U.S., as well as many internationals (we ran accross a troop from Japan on our hike). Check out the board in…umm…it’s in one of the buildings in the base camp, like a store or something. They’ve got little pins in all the places people have come to Philmont from lately.
Umm, but anyway, don’t just take your event patches; buy a few extra from your local office (council patches, any old events, etc) and take with to trade. You will have many opportunities.
Which part of Philmont are you going to? Ours ran along the south end of the ranch (Fishhook Ridge or something like that?), then north up to Mt Phillips (?), then back over to base camp. 70-something miles. Or maybe it was 80-something.
ace, Philmont…96?
Thanks everyone.
We have a northern trek. Going all the way up to Rich Cabins and Cook Canyon.
We are gathering all our patches up to take with us and are excited to meet other Scouts from far away.
Any other Phimont Dopers?
`Brilharma
That is, of course, supposed to say Philmont.:smack:
Bring about three times as much moleskin as you were planning to. Also, keep a spare canteen inside your pack. Finally, all that hemp growing wild out there is low-grade; it won’t give you a buzz, and there’s no convenient way to dry it out fast enough to smoke it there.
Bob, Philmont '76
Thanks for all the info guys, this will hopefully be the last question I have before we leave on Friday.
During our last meeting they were talking about purchasing a Philmont coat or a Philmont belt/belt buckle. Now the question is, are they any good? And if they are, how much are they? Anybody out here buy themselves one?
Thanks,
Brilharma
Im not sure Good has a whole lot to do with it. A belt buckle is just the thing people buy there. I dont know why, but they do. Think rodeo champion style. My advice, if you havent already left yet, learn to barter, and learn it well. Make sure that you’re crew leader’s father is not there, stock up on those carbs if you go north of French Henry, that one mile is a beast, my first bout of exhaustion/altitude sickness-not fun, DONT BRING JEANS I saw many kids doing this, I dont know what the hell they were thinking. Stockpile beef sticks, they become valuable bartering tools, if you can do without those, you can eat like a kind later. Take any chance of a side trip, even if it means extra work. I saw bear twice on my trek, once was when it was just 5 of us getting food on a side trail while everyone else played cards. Yeah, I was tired, but there was a bear 10 feet in front of me, and she was beautiful. Keep 2 bucks for the last day, when you arrive, you will want a rootbeer float or something and diggin thru your pack is no fun at all.
Oh yeah, forgot. Philmont 2000.
And by the way, whats everyone think of that asshat Ted Turner wanting to release Grizzlies in North country?
Note from years back… rinse all cookware really well … then, rinse again …
That’ll save you from an unexpected colonic cleanse.
For the record, my tent-mate was the first kid “scratched” by the bear (the 18 year-old.) They said the scratches were minor, but my friend was pretty close to needing stiches, four very deep scratches on the head will do that to you. A lot of blood in the tent, let me tell you! We were all lucky nothing serious happened, but it was scary as Hell nonetheless. The weird thing is the other boy who was scratched got scratched in the morning as we were getting ready ot leave (my friend was scratche around 9 PM the night before.)
My advice?
Don’t be afraid to go on a small, two to three mile hike after you’ve arrived at your campsite for the night. If you’re not the one preparing dinner, it’s a great way to kill some time before you eat. You can see a lot more than you normally would. Also, when hiking, make sure, if possible, to avoid the 4x4 roads. They are hard, little shade, and just not nearly as fun to hike on as the trails.
The weather will be fine for the first four days, then, everyday at 1:00 it will start to rain, don’t worry, it will usually stop by the time you’re done hiking.
Bouv
Philmont 2000 (yeah, that means I got one of the super-special patches that no one else can get…hahaha!_
But the question still remains, how much is a belt buckle or coat. I don’t want to carry extra cash and leave it in the locker, but I don’t want to not have enough, either. Anymore Philmont Dopers out here?
`Brilharma
Ok… it’s been a month since your last post- how’d the trek go? What was your favorite part? Any good stories?