Monday, July 30, 1990

Four adults and six young men (Blair Naifeh, Ten & Don Stanek, [Jason Bunch], Ron Barnes, Tom Wygant, Neil Stanek, Chris Mannahan, Ryan Stafford, Trent Barnes and Steve Moore)* left the Stanek's driveway at 7:16 a.m. in Ron Barnes Itasca Motorhome and headed for Cimmaron, New Mexico. Our 1st stop was in Shamrock, Texas for gasoline at 10:10 a.m. The boys have been watching videos almost since we left OKC. Stopped in Amarillo for lunch at 11:45 and at 12:15 we stopped at Texline for 18 gals. at 1.06 per gal vs. 1.12 per gal at the 1st stop on the New Mexico side. Went to Capulin Volcano, hiked the trail and were all a little surprised at how winded we became. The trail was full of deer and beautiful flowers. We then went to the little museum in Folsom, N.M. and did some arrowhead hunting in a stream bed. Headed for Raton, N.M. and enjoyed a good meal at the All Seasons Family Restaurant about 7:30 p.m. Went to the Armory and bedded down about 10:30. (We all packed a small separate overnight bag for this sleepover so we would not have to unpack our backpacks) Shared the armory with a Army Major's troop from Ft. Sill, OK. This man was the perfect definition of a "GUNG HO-HURRAH" Major; all rigid, clean shaven, erect and shouting instructions to his "troops"! *This listing is the order we are sitting for the official Philmont Photograph.

Tuesday, July 31, 1990

Up at 6:00 a.m. for showers and breakfast at McDonald's in Raton. Arrived at Philmont about 9:00 for check-in and final shakedown. This procedure took us all day and finally got finished about 4:30 with dinner being served at 5:00 and an adult meeting from 5:30 to 6:30 and the opening campfire ceremony at 8:30. Got to bed at 9:30. Got to see the museum for about 30 minutes before it closed at 5:00. Our troop was selected to perform the evening flag ceremony and Ryan, Neil and Blair felt quite honored.

Wednesday, August 1, 1990

Up at 6:00 for breakfast and on the buses at 10:00 for the start of the trek. (Before boarding the buses we all weighed out backpacks-the Major weighed in at about 65 lbs-said it was no big deal-had all kinds of junk hanging off of him and his pack-was quite comical to see). The boys weighed in around 50-55 lbs, Don at 421bs and me at about 331bs. Hiked to campsite #4 (Rayado River Camp) with our Ranger, Jason Bunch and arrived about 11:45. We saw a yearling BLACK BEAR about 30 minutes into the hike. We kept on walking and he just ignored us. Made true believers out of us about the importance of bear safety rules. Jason patiently instructed us on the Philmont camping skills and rules that we would need for the next 11 days. Lesson #1 was that we all needed 12 tent stakes, not 8 and over the course of the trek we found them left behind by other trekkers. Our 1st trail lunch was peanut butter, graham crackers and beef jerky. Dinner was beefsteak and Ranger Cobbler. Had a cold rain and slight hail between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. That night at campfire Jason told the adults that if we stood in the smoke it would kill or mask all odors on us that might attract the bears but not to totally rely on this and use safety measures we had learned. Jason showed us how to hang the Bearbag and taught us the Bearbag chant that would guarantee the safety of our clear while we slept. We all stood in a circle with hands in the air and chanted: Hey Mister Bearbag (three turns to the right) Don't fall down tonight (three turns to the right) Hey Mister Bear (three turns to the right) Don't knock down our Bearbag (three turns to the left) Hey Mister Bearbag (three turns to the left) Take care of our Bearbag tonight (snap fingers three times) Went to bed at 9:30 - slept well with no rain but a pretty good wind blowing.

Thursday, August 2, 1990

Up at 6:00 for cereal and breaking camp. We saw 3 does, 2 fawns and 2 bucks in velvet. Left camp at 9:15 and arrived for rootbeer at the Canadian at 9:45. After a pretty good climb up to Toothache Springs we arrived at 12:30 - 3 miles total. Learned to breathe more slowly to hold oxygen longer at this altitude. Our campsite was beautiful with the Urraca Ridge to our north and the Rayado River Valley to our south. We arrived too late and with lightning on the Urraca Ridge we could not do the Urraca Challenge. We explored, napped, enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and at sunset we saw deer and foxes in the valley below. Dinner was Lasagna, green beans and pudding. Had a one match campfire built by Ryan and Ron. Did the Bear Ba9 Chant again that Jason taught us and had some good old scary campfire stories told by Jason about Urraca Mesa and some told by our sister troop from the Ozarks. Tom Wygant asked Jason about the horses he had seen in the valley when he was here two years ago and was informed that there are absolutely no horses here and that they are a part of the mystery of this place. That night, Tom and Ron both swear that they had a horse sniffing around their tent!

Friday, August 3, 1990

Up at 5:30 for oatmeal and goodbyes to Jason. He took us all to a beautiful lookout point and gave us our Wilderness Pledge cards and was off. We went up the LEFT, MUDDY, SLIPPERY, WRONG TRAIL to the top of Urraca Mesa. We noticed fresh bear droppings and paw prints and kept a keen lookout for the furry beast. We had missed the lower trail and it turned out to be a cold, long and sometimes rainy trip to Miner's Camp but we made it and were rewarded with hot showers and a chance to do some laundry. The boys and Ron went rappelling. Dinner was Chicken Noodle dinner and we had a deer come right into camp with us. Went to bed at 8:30.

Saturday, August 4, 1990

Up at 5:30 for pancakes, bacon & syrup that Ten spilled because she was afraid that the boys might spill it! Good breakfast but very slow to prepare and clean-up. Set out about 8:00 for a pretty good climb to Crater Lake. Arrived at 9:30 and the boys did log rolling and sparring. Ate lunch (tuna spread, crackers & cookies) with the 1st black kitten and some mini-bears. Left for Lower Bonita at 12:30. Hard climb and slow going up a loose rock path. While we were stopped for a rest and a nature break, the Troop 168 Angels relieved me of some of my heavy gear to make the climb a littler easier for me. At the top of the climb we scared up some Grouse that were nesting in the trees. We went through the most beautiful meadow of wild flowers to get to out camp, (#2). The place certainly lived up to its name, BONITA. We encountered our first OUTDOOR, OPEN AIR Latrine and a friendly baby bunny rabbit. The boys played frisbee and Ron went exploring. Tom and I did some hand laundry and Don took a snooze. Nice afternoon.

Sunday & Monday, August 4, 5, 1990

Ate our breakfast on the top of the pass so as to get an early start on our trip to Apache Springs with a stopover at Fishcamp. At Fishcamp Tom, Chris and Trent went to Phillips Junction for our next supply of food. The rest of us had lunch and learned fly-tying. Some of the boys fished, some napped and some of us shared the 3 inviting rocking chairs that sat on the front porch at Fishcamp. Tried not to rock on the tails of #2, 3 and 4 black kittens. On the trail to Apache Springs, Neil leaned over to pick something up and the weight of his backpack toppled him into a headstand. He could not right himself and we had to put a foot on his behind and cull him upright. We all had a great laugh and he was teased about this and the story was retold at his Eagle Court of Honor. We got caught in a sudden downpour of marble size hail, took cover and tried to wait it out. By the time we got our rainsuits on we were soaked. It was not going to let up so we marched on. It rained all day and all night. The next morning, Ron got up and he and the boys gathered what dry wood they could find and started a roaring fire. We hung clothes, socks, boots, everything, across the fire to dry them out. Tom fixed the rainfly so we could cook without getting drenched. Took all morning to dry our stuff and about 1:30 we went to get the sweat lodge ready. Just about the time we got a fire started it started raining and hailing again. Much later day, Tom, Ron and Don went to the flintknapping demonstration and finally to the sweat lodge. It was wonderful they say but it started raining and hailing again so they came running back to camp, COLD again. We cooked, ate and cleaned up as fast as we could so we could go to bed - wet again! This had not been a good layover day.

Tuesday, August 6, 1990

We arose to a wind chill of 120 and ice on our water. We decided to fix the pancake breakfast again and Tom did the honors of spilling the syrup because we thought the boys and Ten might spill it. We could not wait to leave Apache Springs. Finally got to hike to a warmer, dryer climate and enjoyed a brief stopover at Phillips Junction (I grabbed a quick shower while the boys ate lunch and did some shopping at the general store) before arriving at Crooked Creek just in time to do our conservation project. We built 45 feet of new trail on our hands and knees and were told we had done the best work yet. We went to camp for dinner and the boys went to help chase down the chickens and put the donkey and cow to bed.

Wednesday, August 7, 1990

Up at 5:30 for breakfast and to the log cabin for a story about the pioneer way of life. On our way out we noticed a chicken with a broken leg and I tried to mend it with some lambswool and surgical tape. Hoped it worked. Left about 9:15 and arrived at Clear Creek at 12:15. Set-up camp and the boys went black powder shooting at 1:00. Went to the Trader's Cabin and learned all about fur trapping and trading. We threw tommyhawks and had a good dinner with Pineapple Cheesecake for dessert. With a strong hint of rain, we went to bed about 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 8, 1990

Up at 5:30 and on our way out, we came across a tree that had to be cut down to make way for a solar panel. The tree rings indicated that it was around 230 years old and we all walked away with some pretty mixed feelings about it being sacrificed.

We were in for a hard 1900 foot climb to the top of Mt. Phillips. Took from 7:45 to 9:45 to go 2 miles. We had a beautiful view and a good lunch at the top. Started the long hike down; very difficult and tiring. Took from 11:30 to 3:00 to make it. All enjoyed hot showers (we had to gather wood and build a fire in the boiler to heat the water) and washed some clothes at Cypher's Mine. Some of the boys took the mineshaft tour and some learned how to blacksmith. Saw a doe and her fawn and had an interesting dinner of gravy, mashed potatoes and pinto beans. We enjoyed an old fashioned hoedown put on by the camp staff and learned of the Kuwait invasion by Saddam Hussein. Also petted the 5th black kitten of the trip. The boys slept on a concrete slab with cover while us adults set-up tents on top of the mine they boys had visited earlier in the day. We had a good time rockhunting and packed a few interesting samples to bring home (like we needed more weight in our packs!!)

Friday, August 9, 1990

Up at 5:30 to travel to Clark's Fort where we branded our walking sticks and hiking boots with the Philmont horse and cattle brands. Encountered the MAJOR on this hike who was bringing up the rear of his group until he caught sight of us. He suddenly stood up real straight and jogged to the front of his group just in time to greet us with a cheerful hello and injury as to how we were doing. We all chuckled knowing that he was miserable and had dispersed some of his gear among his hikers to lessen his overload. We had observed all along the trek that he would make his group jog thinking this would speed up their arrival time at each camp. They would have to take long rest breaks which would put them back to equal arrival time with everyone else. It was reminisce of the old rabbit and turtle story. We had lunch by a slow running creek, the boys went horseback riding and some of us napped and enjoyed doing absolutely nothing. Here we met the 6th black CAT who we found out was the mother to all the kittens we had been meeting. After she had her litter, all the kids who staffed the various camps had taken one or some of the kittens with them for the summer. We left Clark's Fort about 3:30 hiked 1200' up to Schafer's Pass arriving at 6:00. Set-up camp and got a little worried about our sister troop who had been consistently slow to arrive at each campsight. (They had 10 young boys and 2 dad's who did not know each other until the trek began. They had a rough Philmont experience from beginning to end). They arrived way after dark and by the time they set-up camp, fixed, ate and cleaned up dinner it was close to 11:00p.m. Schafer's Pass was the last night for several groups and the Pass was full of campsites. We had some very tame Bucks come and lick salt from our hands. What a thrill. We had a good dinner with an excellent Peaches and Cream Pie for dessert. Brushed out teeth over the sump-pump with campsuds and crawled into our bedrolls for our last night in the wondrous mountains of Philmont.

Saturday, August 10, 1990

We arose at 4:00 a.m., packed and started the climb to the top of Schafer's Peak. I had a very difficult time on this last climb and did not understand my deliver until about 2:00 that afternoon at Philmont Base Camp when I found out I had around 1020 temperature. Don and I did make the peak just in time for sunrise. It was truly the most beautiful and breathtaking sunrise I have ever seen. I do not think there was anyone on the mountain top who was not deeply moved by the majesty of the moment. Being a female I was able to express my feelings though some well hidden tears. Everyone ate some breakfast and we started down at 7:00 a.m. with a side hike to the Tooth of Time for lunch. The day grew increasingly hotter and dryer as we descended in altitude. Even after spotting bases we knew we still had a long, steep hike down which included some switchbacks. Once we all arrived at basecamp we SAT down on real seats (not tree logs or stumps or ground) and thoroughly enjoyed coca colas. Some called home with news of being finished, some went for any mail we might have received while gone and others just caught up on world events. We accounted for and returned all Philmont gear and tents and headed for hot showers and clean clothes. Went into town for real knife and fork food and then went to the ice cream parlor for milk shakes, banana splits and cones. We returned to camp for the closing ceremonies where the staff made fun of all the adventures we had on the trail. Ron, Don and Tom decided that we should leave that night for home and get a hotel room somewhere in between. This turned out to be a mistake as we could not find lodging until about 2:00 a.m. and we were very tired by then. We recommend that you go ahead and stay the night at basecamp and get a fresh start the next morning.

This was an experience to last a lifetime and I know that I will never again see such pristine beauty. You do not leave Philmont without being deeply thankful to Mr. Phillips for donating the land and to the Boy Scouts of America for protecting it for all of us.

Teri Stanek