Troop 1 at Philmont in 2001

The 2001 Trip

Troop 1 went to Philmont June 30 to July 15, 2001.

The trip coordinators were Mr. Sterling and Mr. Elliott. Our Trek was #28 which took us from the southern edge up through the ranch, crossing Highway 64 which divides Philmont, and into the lower north country, west to Baldy, and then east to Ponil.

Our Crews and Treks:

Crew 703-D7 was led by Mark Elliott, taking Itinerary #28. Scouts: Adam Broders (Crew Leader), Alex Elliott, Simon Juul, Neil Bonner, Scott Frazer, Aaron Baum, Aaron Kotilainen. Adults: Mark Elliott, Jorgen Madsen (Juul)

Crew 703-D8 was led by Ed Sterling, taking Itinerary #28. Scouts: Matt Zayka (Crew Leader), Mike Sterling, Brett LeBaron, Adam Siegel, Doug Frazer, Jamie Weliver. Adults: Ed Sterling, Charlie Frazer, Dan West

June 30: We flew out of Logan Airport and arrived in Colorado Springs that afternoon. Our first night was spent in some old Army barracks at Fort Carson, Colorado in Colorado Springs. The building was pretty amazing, we were warned not to go down a certain hallway or we would fall through the floor! But hey, the price was right. It was a hot hot night, and loud fans droned all night trying to keep us cool.

July 1: After breakfast, we went on a cog railway trip up Pikes Peak. You always hear about the famous Pikes Peak road race, in fact it was run the previous day! But instead of taking the road, we went on a 2 hour train ride up the mountain in special Swiss-made railway cars that use a cog/gear system to keep the train on the tracks at steep angles. The weather was beautful. But late afternoon storms brewed as we came down, and then toured Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy with very little time to spare. That evening, we drove south to Holy Cross Abbey to sleep in their gymasium. No one got much sleep!

July 2: After breakfast at Holy Cross Abbey cafeteria, we took a whitewater rafting trip through the Royal Gorge. After the whitewater trip, we boarded the buses again, off to Pueblo, CO for lunch at ...where else, Country Buffet, a Scout favorite! We then had a short trip down to La Junta, CO to visit Bent's Old Fort (a trading post of the 1840s along the Santa Fe trail). Then we drove a short distance back into La Junta city to the Otero Community College for dinner. That evening we stayed at the Koshari Indian museum on the campus. We saw the local Scouts perform Indian dances in the Kiva (the "great hall") that evening, and then we slept in the Kiva when the dances were over.

July 3: After an early breakfast at the College, we had an all morning bus ride south to New Mexico and Philmont, arriving before lunch. We checked in, unloaded our gear, and said good-bye to the buses for 11 days. We were assigned a group of 2-man "army tents" similar to the beds and tents at Camp Wanocksett. We turned in our medical forms, and took our final medical exam to ensure everyone met the Philmont weight requirements. We drew equipment such as tents, ropes, dining fly, iodine for water purification, and cooking pots. Mr. Sterling's crew was assigned "Ranger Ryan" and Mr. Elliott's crew was assigned "Ranger Anne." 703-D8's Ranger Ryan was pretty cool, but Ranger Anne was difficult to deal with and 703-D7 could not wait to cut loose from her. After the somewhat frantic check-in activities, things calmed down a bit, and everyone relaxed, checking out the snack bar, and the Philmont Trading Post. That evening there was a nasty thunder storm far away in the north country, and we wondered if that would set the tone for the rest of the trip?

The incredible view from Aguila campsite

July 4: We spent the morning getting ready for the trek, and departed after lunch. A school bus with a large cargo area in back for our gear took us down the highway to the southern part of the ranch, to a jump off point called Zastrow Turnaround. After a very lame 30 minute hike, we arrived at our first camp, Rayado River.

July 5: We camped at Aguila. The ground was hard and dry, but the view was incredible.

July 6: We camped at Miners Park. About half the guys went rock climbing up at "Betty's Bra" an hour north of the camp

July 7: We camped at Upper Clark's Fork, and had a chuckwagon dinner at Clark's Fork

July 8: We camped at Ute Springs, did our conservation work, and picked up more food at the Ute Gulch commissary

July 9: We camped at Cimarron River beside Hwy 64

July 10: We should have camped at Black Jack's, but it made more sense to camp at New Dean

July 11: We camped at Miranda, where we shot black powder rifles, and threw tomahawks. At night, a bear scared the burros and they all got loose. We spent part of the night rounding them up.

Crew 703-D8 just finished their last hill climb!

July 12: We hiked up to Baldy Town, and most of us climbed Baldy Mountain. We spent another night at Miranda.

July 13: We made our final camp at Pueblano. A few of us did pole climbing, despite rain and hail.

July 14: We hiked down to Ponil, and had root beer (Barq's) and peanuts, yum! Then we waited at Ponil Turnaround for the bus, which picked us up around 2p.m. We got back to Tent City and took some long showers, debating whether to throw most of our underclothes and socks in the trash. The adults drove into Cimarron in Mr. Elliott's car and brought back pizza. Most of us decided to pull an all nighter.

July 15: The buses were supposed to come at 4a.m. but there was a screwup and they arrived an hour late. But most of us got up at 2 or 3a.m. in anticipation, so it was a LONG night. We tore up the Interstate and got to Colorado Springs airport with minutes to spare, whew! The flights back were uneventful and we were picked up on time at Logan. It was a toss up between what people looked forward to most: a flush toilet, a cold drink, or a soft bed.

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