| vBuddy - check your reputation | Cheap Web Hosting - starting at $5 |
This is the log for our 1997 Philmont trek, as kept by Paul Haydel. This was the second trip for our troop. This time we sent one crew with 13 people in it - 4 advisors, 9 scouts. About half of the people on this trek had been on the previous trek in 1994. The itinerary for this trek was picked to be in the southern part of Philmont, since the first trek was in the north. There were no common camp sites between the two. This trek was organized by Paul Haydel, who went on the last trek. The attendees for this trek were: Advisors Paul Haydel, Dennis Benoit, Lou Hocker, Paul Zugelder; scouts Ian Jaeger (crew leader), Chris Haydel, Barret Benoit, Nick Benoit, James Hocker, John Zugelder, Aaron Whitaker, Alan Jaeger, and Matt Brock.
We arrived at RBF at 6:45 am. We split up the gear and people between the three cars (me, Dennis Benoit and Paul Zugelder), and were on the road at 7:30. There were no traffic problems going north on 75 to hwy 380. Stopped in Childress, Tx. for lunch. We split into 3 groups and ate at various places. Dennis and I found a catfish restaurant, which turned out to be very good. Also in Childress, we went to a Walmart and got some Coleman fuel and a few other supplies. This whole process took about an hour or more.
We drove the rest of the way into Cimarron, got there at 7:30 local time. Thirteen hours door to door. We had dinner at Heck's Cafe - good burgers, but slow service. There was another troop in there also. After this, we checked into the Ponil camp ground, about a mile up the road from Cimarron. We got the same site as 3 years ago - toward the back, right by the river. We got the tents set up, and were into bed by 10:30 - 11:00. A good start to the trek - the travel was uneventful, no car problems, but the road from Dumas, Tx to Cimarron was DESOLATE!
Got up at 5 am - Ian still had his watch set for Dallas time, so he thought it was 6 am. I didn't notice this til I had been up for a while. Lou said this was the earliest he'd ever seen me up. Ian took some kidding over this. We struck camp and got everything back into the cars.
Went back to Heck's for breakfast – it was very good. We went around Cimarron and shopped some, saw the Old Mill Museum, the St. James Hotel and some of the other few stores on the highway. Dennis and I bought some ceramic pottery at one small store in Cimarron. We got to Philmont at 10:30 and met our ranger - Bob Doyle, from Chicago. We are his first crew ever. He seems very likable. We went through the usual check in process. The medical check was really backed up - we'll do that tomorrow morning. We don't leave base camp til 1 PM - a bus trip to the drop off point. The meals have been the usual - same as last time. The advisor's meeting this afternoon was likewise the same as before.
The opening campfire was similar to the last one. Found out at the end of the camp fire from Bob that we'll have to be out of the tents by 7 AM. This causes us to get disconcerted - too early. None the less, we have to live with it.
We got up at 5:30 and got our packs to the Welcome center by 6:30, then onto breakfast - eggs, sausage, hash browns, French toast. Not bad - the eggs actually tasted real. Then on to the Health Lodge at 8:30 I turned out to have high blood pressure - 160/100. For my physical, it was 135/85. The reading here is above their limit. They sent me to the Infirmary where they had me lay down in hopes of bringing it down. After ~1 hr., the nurse hadn't come back - turns out she had forgotten about me! My BP was still high. She then had me run across the field out side the infirmary to see how it reacted to stress. Turns out it did OK (the lower number came down), so they cleared me. I was getting a little worried. Several other people had health run ins - several Asthma inhalers were dispensed.
After this, it was on to our shake down inspection by the Welcome Center. This took a long time, up to 12:30. We had to gobble down lunch, then race to the cars to store the stuff we weren't taking on the trail. The bus came at 1 PM, and took us to Zastrow Turnaround. We had a short (1.5 mi.) hike to Rayado River camp. There were numerous short stops along the way, plus just before arriving, the rain started. We had to suit up, and got wet from sweating. The camp is very pretty, in woods next to the Rayado River - a small mountain stream flowing over rocks. The trail leading here was cut into the site of the mountain, and one or two spots were pretty treacherous - not much trail left for footing. The sun came our and the camp site went up just fine.
Dinner was Chicken Noodle soup, Chicken and Rice, Apple Brown Betty - all very good. We ate all 4 bags of it. Clean up and bear bags took a while - the boys were hanging the bear bags in the dark. They got one rope caught around the cable. They finally came back for Thorns and Roses, then bed around 10:30.
Happy Birthday, Mom!!!
Got up at 6:30. Everyone moved at a leisurely pace, and we got on the trail at 10am. This was entirely too late - there was an incoming crew waiting for our site to free up. We saw another crew go by at 7 AM. By the time we got going, the sun was up and it was fairly hot, but with low humidity. The last mile was a killer up the side of the mesa, in the noon sun, with no shade. There was a bunch of scrub oak every where - it scrapped at your legs as you went by on the trail. Finally made the camp site, Tooth Ache Springs, just as rain started. Got the fly and tents up in the first few drops, ~1:15, then some ate lunch. A few others and I sat out the storm in our tents. Lunch - tuna spreadables, raisins, Nutter Butter cookies; pretty grim.
We are camped in a level area about 3/4 of the way up the mesa. Very pretty. We have to go further up the mesa for water from a rain tank. The tank had an assortment of bugs and algae in it - we pumped most of the water using Dennis's and Paul's pumps. I took a short nap, then the boys went up the hill a short ways with Bob for the Philmont Wilderness Pledge. It's now 5 PM, still cloudy and threatening rain, with lots of wind.
I woke up this morning with a splitting headache and a bad stomach. I drank 2 quarts water, took 2 Advil, took it easy before getting on the trail. By the time we left camp, the nausea was gone but the head ache stayed til noon. I feel OK now, just tired. I didn't sleep well - I can't turn over in my sleeping bag. My long under wear grab the lining and the whole thing wraps around me too tightly. I'm going to try turning it inside out tonight to see if it helps.
Dinner tonight was mashed potatoes, green beans, beef gravy - the infamous "brown glop" meal from '94. This time we kept the potatoes and gravy separate. Better, still not great. After dinner, we saw 3 deer across the meadow.
Up at 6 am. Breakfast was Golden Grahams, Nutrigrain bar, banana chips, hot chocolate and coffee. We had camp down by 8am and on the trail by 8:15. We stopped for water at the rain tank across the meadow. There was some confusion about which trail to take. Spent 15-20 minutes looking at the map and reconnoitering before deciding. Some people thought they heard a rattle snake while they were scouting the meadow by the water tank. We proceeded very carefully, but had no problems. We had several cases of not being sure which trail to take, but Ian and Matt did a good job of reading the map. Stopped for lunch on the trail at 12:30, back on the trail at 1:15. It was starting to cloud up at this point. We got a few drops along the way, but not bad enough to put on rain gear.
Got the camp about 2 PM - Miner's Park. A very nice setting - a large wooded area, lots of Spruce and scrub Oak. There were also a lot of camp sites. The camp ranger was from Ft. Worth - 18 yrs old. They have 11 staff here, including 4 females. They offer rock climbing and environmental awareness (LEAP - Laura's Environmental Awareness Program). The boys wanted to rock climb, but the usual afternoon rain came by and canceled it out. There are HOT SHOWERS here, and a wash area for laundry. The adults and a few boys (not Chris, Barrett or Nick!) took one. Felt great!!
Lunch was Ritz, PB&J in squeeze tubes, jerky and a chocolate survival bar. There was lots of bartering over the PB&J and survival bars. The staff offered us Gatorade when we arrived. Dinner was Stroganoff, rice, beef noodle soup, Oreos. It was a lot of food to eat. We went back for advisor’s coffee after dinner. There were lots of adults there. We saw 6-8 deer go past in the twilight. They also had a hummingbird feeder out, and several flew in for that. We got back to camp at 8:30. We did Thorns and Roses, then in the tent by 9:45. I slept fine - I've started turning the sleeping bag inside out, and am sleeping next to the smooth outside covering, making it much easier to turn over.
Sixty degrees this morning, clear, no wind. Beautiful. Breakfast was raisin and spice oatmeal, jerky sticks, pop tarts. There was more trading for oatmeal and pop tarts. We broke camp, then the boys went to rock climb at 8 am. They should be back by 10. We have ~4 miles to go today, all up hill, to 9,000 feet. There's an optional side hike to a plane crash site at 10,000 ft, but no advisors want to hike up to 10,000 ft, up a steep trail. We'll see...
Alan has not been eating much at all. He doesn't like the food. Ian had a long talk with him a couple of nights ago. He seems to be better, but still is not eating enough. However, he has no problems keeping up with everone else, in fact, he seems to be one of the stronger hikers, so we can’t complain too much.
It's now 8:30 PM. It's been a long day. The boys came back from rock climbing at 10:30, we were on the trail at 11:15. Got to Crater Lake (Continental Tie and Lumber) and stopped for spar pole climbing. I went up one, along with most of the boys. It was hard the closer I got to the top - funny how the telephone line men always made it look easy. We were in harnesses, with a rope hooked to the belt and held by some one on the ground. Basically, your safety was in the hands of the guy at the end of the rope. When I got close to the top, I couldn't go any further with my belt, so they had me unhook the belt and "hug the pole" to get up the last few feet. When you get to the top, you're supposed to kiss the carabiner that your rope is threaded through, then lean back and shout something at the top of your lungs. Then your safety person lowers you to the ground.
We got back on the trail to Lower Bonita about 3:30. Got in at 6-6:30. All of us are pooped. There is a girl’s trail crew here from Houston area. They showed us where the sites and latrines are. They have been here 18 days; tomorrow they leave to go on a 10 day trek. The girl that showed us around was dirtier than Barrett. We're at 9,000 feet now. There is a spring across from our site, where the trail crew has their camp set up. Bonita is a beautiful meadow with a stream running down the middle, surrounded by pine forests. Tomorrow we have 12 miles to go, plus food to pick up.
Got up at 5:30 to get on the trail earlier. Breakfast is granola, pineapple, slim Jims. This is the meal we mixed the granola in with the hot chocolate and coffee. It wasn’t too bad. We got on the trail maybe by 8, stopped for water at the spring, then hiked out. The Bonita meadow is really pretty. We went to Beaubien, then on to Phillips Junction for food pickup. Got there about 11. Some wanted to eat lunch there, other to go further before lunch. We voted to eat there.
We got back on the trail about 12:20. The rest of the hike was long, basically a killer from the length. The scenery was great, though. We went through a couple of more meadows like Bonita, other times through forests on the side of mountains. The trail was cut along the side of very steep mountain slopes. The forest was a mix of Douglas Firs and Aspen trees. Lots of dead wood on the forest floors. Passed through a couple of trail camps before arriving at Apache Springs about 4 PM. I was dead by then - I had nothing left in my legs. This site is also in a big meadow, full of ankle high grass and very marshy in places.
When we stopped along the trail after Phillips Junction, Nick lead a devotional for Sunday. It was very well done. I crashed for an hour after setting up camp. I feel better now but still tired. We are at 9,000 feet. Tomorrow some are going to fish camp, (~1.5 miles away) to fly fish and visit Waite Phillips' fishing cabin. We were in bed by 9:20. There was no rain again today - two days in a row.
This is our layover day in Apache Meadow. Most slept in - I got up about 7:30 or 8. Chris around 10. The fishing crew (Lou, John, Paul, James, Matt) left around 9 to hike to fish camp. Breakfast was Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, beef jerky, power par, hot chocolate. I couldn't get all the oatmeal down. After breakfast, I did laundry, put in new contacts and washed my hair. We filled up the Sun Showers - this afternoon will be shower time. I also sewed a couple of buttons on my wool shirt. This afternoon is a program about Apache life at 1-3 PM. We picked up some biscuit mix yesterday, but this camp has no Dutch oven. Not sure what we'll do with it.
It's windy this morning, about 68, with bright sun. A good day to rest for the last half of the trek. The hike over Mt. Phillips should be another killer - 11,700 ft high.
It's now 5pm. It's been a pretty relaxing day, but I'm still feeling the altitude. Took a nap n the afternoon, then took a sun shower with the other advisors. It felt great. The water was nice an warm from sitting in the sun all day. The boys (Chris, Aaron, Nick Barrett) went to the Apache sweat lodge at 1 PM. They said it was great - they all felt clean. They sat in the lodge and poured water over hot rocks for 20 minutes or so, then came outside to dry off and pour some cool water over them. The advisors and other boys went to the Apache life program at 3. It was pretty interesting - we sat in a teepee and the staffer showed and talked about Apache life and some of their artifacts.
The fishing sounded like a bust. It was a pretty hike and nice camp and fun tying the flies, but no fish were caught. I'm glad I stayed behind and rested. It turned very windy and cold in the evening. Dinner was turkey and noodles, peaches and cream pie. The pie was very good, but one batch made with the PolarPure water didn't taste very good. John Zugelder said he'd eat it all, but then couldn't. He got kidded for the next few days about that.
Woke up at 6 a.m. with lots of wind and 50 degrees. Every one broke out rain gear for extra layers. We go on the road by 8:15 - this seems to be our standard departure time. The hike to Phillips Junction for food pick up went quickly, about 2 1/2 hours. Spent about an hour there sorting the food, deciding what to leave, and buying more fuel. They have it in a big metal tank, and pump it by hand into your fuel bottles. The guy that did it got fuel all over the tank, the bottles, his shoes and the ground. Basically he made a mess. He didn't seemed concerned, so neither were we.
We decided to eat lunch after we get to Crooked Creek. Got there about 1:30. This is a home steading camp - a log cabin on the side of a mountain, over looking another beautiful meadow with a small stream running through it. They have cows, chickens, ducks and donkeys, also a vegetable patch. The stream is where they, and we, draw water. We noticed the abundance of live stock all around the stream, and wondered why the staff makes such a big deal over the humans being 200 ft. from a stream before going to the bath room, when the cows and horses obviously operate under no such restrictions. I guess that's why there is Polar Pure.
Matt, James, Aaron and John tried splitting wood for the cabin staff, and also looked at the animals. Diner was beef stew and apples. It was very good, but there was too much of it. We borrowed a Dutch oven and I made the biscuits. They never cooked completely, and came out more like dumplings. Also, when Lou was checking on them one time, he dropped some ashes in them. We tried to eat them any way. Dinner took a long time - 5:15 to 8, plus clean up. We missed the advisor's coffee and animal care for the boys.
This is another forested camp, with fir and Aspen trees. All our sites have been very pretty. We were in bed at 9:30.
Up at 6am. 40 degrees, calm and clear. Breakfast was peaches and cream oatmeal, apple cinnamon power bar, jerky. On the trail by 8:45. It's all uphill today, but gradual (I hope!).
It's now 7pm. The hike wasn't a bad uphill, but as we got closer to 10,000 ft I ran out of wind - lots of short rest stops. Got into Clear Creek at noon, not bad time at all. The staff here is fun - mountain man, tomahawk throwing, black powder rifle shooting. We all took a shot with the rifles. Chris got his Aggie cap shot 3 times in the bill.
I really feel the altitude. Tomorrow will be the killer hike - up Phillips peak at 11,700 ft in about 3 miles, then 3 hours conservation project before going to Cypher's Mine. If we get through tomorrow, it'll be down hill, literally, most of the last two days.
Went for advisor's coffee, then a sunset walk up the side of the mountain. We had a spectacular view of Eagles Nest, N.M. in the valley in the distance, as it lit up as darkness fell. Also the mountains in the back ground, some snow capped, some with ski trails cut in them. The 3 staffers to a story ("Eagles Nest Caribou, none finer!" is this trek's catch phrase), and one of them played a few songs on his guitar ("Sweet Home Alabama", among others). It was very good, but ran til 9:15 or so, and were atop the mountain with no flash lights. We weren't prepared or warned that the program would last that long. There was no Thorns and Roses tonight - too late.
Woke up a 5 am, 40 degrees, very cold. We decided to not make hot water for washing to speed the clean up process so we could get on the trail sooner. Got going at 7:30. The hike was hard, as expected. There were many pauses for Dennis and I to catch our breaths. We made the top at 9:45 - a very good time regardless. The view there was superb - Baldy, snow capped mountains, valleys, all from 11,700 ft. The peak still had snow on it in the shade - the boys had a snow ball fight. Not something the folks back in Dallas were doing, I bet!
There was a memorial being placed on top of Mt. Phillips by a troop from Illinois who had a scout killed 3 years ago, the morning after his Eagle Board of Review. They had a one page memorial at the base of a pole, and a stone marker. His dad was there with the troop. It was very moving.
The trail up and down was in terrible shape - very rocky and steep, not many switch backs. We did our conservation project on the other side - trail building. It was dusty, but not too bad. We felled a couple of trees, and the boys had a great time. They don't seem to be bothered by the hiking and altitude. I guess 30 years makes a big difference. Part of what the ranger said to do when digging the trail was to throw the dirt and stuff down the mountain, so Chris and others had a lot of fun just tossing shovel fulls of dirt over their shoulders down the slope.
We finished up at 4pm, and hiked the rest of the way to Cypher's Mine. It was a long trail, but in good condition. There were few rocks, but a lot of down hill along the side of a steep mountain. I rubbed a blister on my heel from walking at a fast pace on an angle. We're doing the program here in the morning. We arrived around 6:15. Dinner was Lasagna and banana pudding - very good.
We're sleeping in Adirondack shelters - concrete pads with a roof and walls on three sides. It's too rocky and steep here for tents. There is a stream that runs by our site. The boys took one shelter, the adults moved down the hill a bit and used another one. Tomorrow is shower time - you have to heat your own water in a wood burning heater. I'm pretty rank right now. We also have some concern about water once we get on the trail to Shaefers pass – we’re not sure if the spring there is running or not.
We slept a little later, up around 6:30, temperature about 45 degrees. Breakfast was granola, jerky, cereal bar. Some of the boys and Lou went to the mine tour and black smith til about 9:30. The other 3 advisors took showers (coolish water, just warm enough to be tolerable). It still felt great. Got on the trail about 10:15. All down hill to Clark's Fork. The trail was terrible - extremely rocky and very hard going. Rocky down hills put a lot of strain on your ankles and knees, plus you can't watch the scenery because you have to watch where you step all the time.
We ate lunch at the Hunting Lodge site - PB&J on Graham crackers, jerky. This was the hunting lodge that Waite Phillips used when he would bring friends up here. We got to Clark's Fork about 2 pm. This is a Western Lore site. We had our boots branded there, while some of the boys practiced roping. They also have a chuck wagon dinner here, but we weren't eligible since we weren't staying over night. Then we went on to Shaefer's Pass. This leg was all up hill - another killer for me, but not as bad as Phillips peak.
A brief rain shower caught us on the way - we suited up, but sat it out rather than hike. Got to Shafers about 5:30. The spring here is slow, but at least there's water - we had been concerned from the outset that we'd have to hike a half mile or more to get water. The site is situated on the side of some gently sloping hills, mostly grassy, but also with some wooded areas.
Chris, Nick, Barrett and John were fooling around singing songs from the Philmont Devotional Guide. They sounded pretty good when they weren't laughing. Dinner was chicken Teriyaki with rice, strawberry cheese cake, Minnestrone soup. All tasted good. This is a trail camp, no planned activities or staff. The latrines here are fairly exposed, especially since there are several coed crews across the way. Actually, they are just "bombardier chairs", two seats back to back, with no surrounding walls or anything else. I think we got a couple of pictures of Nick and Barret sharing a moment (movement?!) together. There were some deer that came through at dusk.
Our Last Day!!! We got up about 6 am. The tents were wet from either dew or a night rain shower. While we were fixing breakfast (cereal, energy bar, jerky, hot chocolate - something different :) ), we dried them out. We were on the road by 8:15. A not too bad uphill to Shaefer's Pass, then mostly down hill to the Tooth of Time. The trail was extremely rocky again - really hard on the ankles and thighs. You had to be constantly looking at your feet to decide where to plant them for fear of tripping or twisting an ankle.
We got to the Tooth about 11. All but Dennis and I went up. They said the view was spectacular, but the climb was very steep and rocky. Before and after the Tooth, the trail was almost all boulder strewn - again, very rocky along the crest of the Tooth of Time ridge. We eventually got to the trail overlooking base camp - more scrub oak, but a good view of the surrounding low lands. We followed the trail around the side of the mountain as it wound its way down toward base camp. We made it to camp about 2:30. We came in across a field, and through an arch way that said "Congratulations, you made it". It put us into camp right by the logistics building, which had a sign on it saying to shower before turning in your gear. We went to the welcome center, got tent assignments, the showered. Needless to say, it felt great. The home bound showers were still in a communal room, with a bunch of shower heads around the wall. It was all one temperature, but not as hot as the trail bound showers, which I found to be too hot to stay under.
The check-in process took about 1 1/4 hours, and was uneventful. I wanted to get my blood pressure checked after coming off the trail, but didn't have time to make the health lodge and the trading post, so I put souvenirs before my health. After the trading post, I called home - all was well there. Then we went into town to Heck's Cafe for dinner - hamburgers and French fries never tasted so good!
The closing camp fire was another dud. It wasn't quite as bad as the last time in 1994, but still more lame comedy. They have much better programs in the back country. I don't know why they can't do as well at base camp. If that wasn't the only way to get the Philmont arrow head patches, it wouldn't be worth wasting the time.
We were in bed by 10. I couldn't sleep very well - my cot springs were held to the frame with nylon cord. It was not very comfortable. If I had thought about it, I would have slept on the ground. Some of the boys pulled their cots outside and slept there.
We got up at 5 am. We had the continental breakfast at 5:45 in the mess hall. We were on the road at 6:20. We made excellent time on the road back. Stopped at the same town in Texas for lunch. We arrived back at RBF at 6:15 - 11 hours drive time. Much better than the trip out.
All in all, it was another memorable, "mountain top" experience. I think the trek itself was harder than the first one in 1994, but the scenery this time was prettier and more spectacular. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to make two treks. Both were experiences I'll never forget and always treasure.
Paul Haydel
Philmont Log, 1997 Trek
Itinerary 20, June 23-July 6