Early 2021 Trek Review

[Rob Reynolds]

Just back from Philmont, trek 612-7F, along route 7-10.   We had a great time, but a few things to bring up for those going later this summer.

1) Green Staff – over 80% of the staff is new and they were limited to mostly online training.  There were and will be hiccups.  These are mostly 18-20 year old kids, so be patient and provide coaching when issues arise.  Most of our issues were in basecamp and with the usual Philmont basecamp scavenger hunt to get forms signed off.  The staff at field staff camps were much better trained/prepared than those at basecamp.

2)  Trail conditions – most of these trails have been closed for 18+ months.  There were several trails where it was obvious that we were the first to pass in over a year.  The trail thru Lookout Meadow was completely gone!

3) Along with the trails, the wildlife hasn’t been seeing humans for a while either.  We didn’t have any issues but we did see fresh bear and mountain lion sign/tracks on multiple days.

4) Heat – we were leaving as the heatwave hit, and it was HOT in base camp.  The lowest temp we saw was at Clear Creek and that was 46.5 degrees.  Most streams were running due to rain the week before so access to water was not an issue.

Our boys had a blast, best of luck to those headed our later this season.

[Rob Reynolds]

Forgot to mention the Dining Hall is closed.   Basecamp meals are packed in crates and picked up by two crewmembers for eating in camp, then the trash and crates are returned to the kitchen.

[Jason G]

Crew 620-B-02, itinerary 12-18, and I agree with all of the above. Some of the trail camps were also a disaster with down trees and forest debris (e.g., Whistle Punk and Thunder Ridge).

One important tip to combat the green staff is to teach the scouts to double-check everything: did they get all the Philmont gear (ours missed the bear ropes)? Did they get all the right meals (we had a couple incorrect ones)?  *And* the right number of supplementals (initially only got 1 days worth instead of 3)?

Supplementals, while noted as being required to meet calories, were actually scarce at the backcountry commissaries. We never got tortillas after base camp. We only got a couple more boxes of Ritz (our preference) as well, limited to Saltines at one pickup and Club crackers the other. One commissary only had honey roasted cashews (my preference 😀) instead of the (more-desired) trail mix with chocolate.

Weather turned on us a few days into the trek, raining almost constantly days 7-12 with highs in the 50’s and lows in upper 30’s. Keeping the scouts warm and dry (and in good spirits) was a challenge. “Get out of the rain.” “Get your boots off and dry your feet.” “Stop wearing your puffy under your rain jacket while hiking!”

Even with all that, it was fun and “we made it!” We even completed most of the program activities despite the rain.

[Rob Reynolds]

+1 on the Supplemental check.  Our range did a good job of making sure we had plenty of them, but we ran into two crews that had NONE.  Their ranger didn’t inform them they were to request them.  I would get MORE than needed at basecamp, since they were also scarce at our resupply too.

[Author]

Posts