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.
