Going to Philmont for the first time ?

Philmont should be enjoyed, not endured.

Shakedown trips are when you find out if your gear works in all kinds of weather, if your tent and rain gear keeps you dry, if your boots and socks are comfortable and don’t cause blisters, if your pack is too heavy and if your stove and cookware work. Training is when your crew learns how to purify their water, pitch & strike their tents, set up a dinning fly, cook & clean-up, Bear Bag and backcountry sanitation.

I believe it is best to conduct at least three such shakedown training trips locally, preferably in line with the Backpacking Merit Badge requirements of two nights and at least 15 miles each. You may need to offer four trips so everyone can make at least three.

You should conduct crew pack shakedowns before you leave the meeting place before every trip to be sure every member has the essential gear to be safe and dry, eliminate unnecessary inappropriate or duplicate items.  And a chance for experienced advisors to counsel members on good gear choices and packing techniques. Weigh packs before and after the shakedown.

To properly train at home before you go to Philmont you need to train and practice with the same or similar crew gear items your crew will be using at Philmont. The Guidebook to Adventure lists and describes all the crew gear items your crew is responsible for bringing with you and all the crew gear Philmont will issue to your crew once you arrive.

Some crews elect to use some of their gear instead of the gear Philmont issues either because theirs is lighter or they are just more comfortable with gear they have trained on and that is fine as long as it meets Philmont’s requirements.

Philmont does require crews to use some of their issued gear such as Bear Ropes, Micropur water purification tablets, Campsuds dish washing soap, sump strainer, hand sanitizer, etc. But you should be training with these same or similar items.

Philmont should be enjoyed, not endured.

When I went to Philmont almost 15 years ago, we spent a weekend in Albuquerque before heading to the camp, doing some local hikes in order to get a little acclimated to the altitude. I have not heard of anyone else doing this, do you know if it’s a common or recommended practice?

You can pay a little extra to spend an extra day at Philmont base camp, from what I’ve read.

The last time our troop went, they spent a couple of days playing around the Denver area first.

I think it is wise to arrive early and get any possible altitude sickness out of the way before hitting the trail.

Our normal plan is to arrive at DIA a couple days early and let Blue Sky Charters take us to Colorado Springs for some exploration, and acclimatizing. Then the bus ride to Philmont.

For us low landers living at 500 feet above sea level 7,000 to 12,000 can be challenging.

I don’t know if spending more than a couple of days acclimating at elevation is affordable for most Scouts.

We too have used Blue Skies Adventures and other tour providers to pick us up at the airport, provide lodging and tour local attractions in Colorado Springs a day or two before delivering us at Philmont. We have taken the Cog Rail Train up on Pikes Peak, toured the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods and such to spend time to. They take the work and planning out of getting to and from Philmont.

Having experienced the tour providers we have since been doing our own logistics and bookings to save their fees and only go a day before arriving at Philmont.