Troop 149 Philmont 2007 Cavalcade Crew 803-CX

Introduction (Top)

Forms & Documents (Top)

Forms

Documents

Crew Roster & Photos (Top)

Crew Roster

Crew Photos

Note: Mr. Guy is collecting all photos to compile a consolidated collection for everyone on CD. Please provide him with electronic copies of your photos ASAP.

Here a few early sneak peaks!

Crew 803-CX ready to leave at the Pingree Road train station

Tooth of Time, Sangre de Christo (Blood of Christ) mountains, behind our Base Camp tents in the red morning sunrise.

Spar pole climbing at Pueblano camp.

Pueblano crew entertains the crews with some pickin', bad jokes and skits at the evening campfire.

On the trail heading down towards Miranda, Ute Meadows and on to Baldy Town.

Our first good look at Baldy from the trail.

Baldy peaks above the shed at the Baldy Town corral.

The crew atop Mount Baldy!

The meadow at Miranda (note our blue tents in amongst the trees).

Heading down Graveyard Canyon back to Ponil (Note the fire damage from the 2002 Ponil Complex fire).

Barrel riding event at the Gymkhana. Crew 803-CX won all five events!

We'll always remember the view from the top!

Trek Information (Top)

Our trek, 2A-N, will begin with lunch on August 3 and end with breakfast on August 11. 

More information will be added as I get it.

2A-N Trek Calendar (back)

The Rides (back)

2A-N Camp Information (back)

2A-N Program Information (back)

Coming soon

Northern Treks (back)

The PACKS booklet arrived.  Here are the choices for the northern treks. Please let Mr. Vannerson know by Thursday morning (3/29/2007) your preferences, if any.  There are basically 5 treks. A & B are the reverse of each other. Two crews leave each day so we may not get our first choice if the other crew selected it first.  Based on your comments during earlier crew meetings as well as some of my personal experience from my last trek, I'd recommend the following top three choices; 2A-N, 2B-N or 1A-N.  Those cover most of the program areas that seemed to raise interest.  But we'll see what you decide to send me.  I'll be home tonight if you have any questions. And remember, there are no bad treks at Philmont. So even if we don't get any of our choices, we'll still have a great time and a lifetime experience... i promise.

All treks Days 1,2, & 8 are identical. So only the days 3 - 7 present changes for choosing.  Here are brief descriptions of each.

Ponil to Dan Beard (5.6 miles)

This is a medium long ride up Horse Canyon and along Ridge Trail. Dan Beard borders the Valle Vidal Unit of Carson National Forest and offers a challenge course and no trace camping.

Dan Beard to Pueblano (7.9 miles)

This is a long ride down Bonita Canyon and over Wilson Mesa on the Barker Wildlife Area. Pueblano offers spar pole climbing and lumberjack skills.

Pueblano to Baldy (5.4 Miles)

This ride is fairly easy and can follow several routes. Baldy Camp sites on the site of an abandoned mining town and the mill site, and is the usual starting point for a hike to the top of 12,441 foot Baldy Mountain.

Baldy to head of Dean (7.7 miles)

This is a medium ride which can pass through Miranda for the Mountain Man Rendezvous program. Head of Dean offers the Dean Challenge course.

Head of Dean to Ponil (7.1 Miles)

This is a spectacular rise along Dean Skyline.

Ponil to Pueblano (5.0 Miles)

This is an easy ride up the South Ponil Canyon. Pueblano offers spar pole climbing and lumberjack skills.

Baldy to Miranda (2.4 Miles)

This is an easy ride down the Ute Creak valley. Miranda offers Mountain Man Rendezvous.

Miranda to Head of Dean (4.3 Miles)

This is an easy ride with a spectacular view from the Baldy Skyline. Head of Dean offers the Dean Challenge Course.

Dan Beard to Indian Writings (8.5 Miles)

This is a fairly long ride either along Ridge Trail or down Cook Canyon to the North Ponil Canyon. Indian Writings offers very interesting archaeological sites and petroglyphs of the Anasazi Indians.

Indian Writings to Dean Cow (7.4 Miles)

This is a long ride down the North Ponil and over Chandler Pass. Dean Cow offers rock climbing and environmental awareness.

Dean Cow to Ponil (6.2 Miles)

This is a medium ride over Chandler Pass and up the Middle Ponil Canyon.

Dean Cow to Head of Dean (7.6 Miles)

This is a long ride up the entire length of Dean Canyon. Head of Dean offers the Dean Challenge course.

Miranda to Pueblano (3.6 Miles)

This is an easy ride over the Baldy Skyline. Pueblano offers spar pole climbing and lumberjack skills.

Treks 1 & 2 (both A & B)

Lay over at Baldy allows for hike over Baldy Mountain and a visit to French Henry where you can pan for gold.

Trek 3 & 5

Lay over at Miranda allows for hike over Baldy Mountain.

Trek 4

Lay over at Indian Writings allows for side hike to Hart Peak

The Philmont Way (Top)

Here's an archive of tips and techniques used at Philmont.  Some are from former Philmont trekkers or staff.  Others are articles recommended by them.  These are all in Adobe Acrobat format.

Gear Info & Reviews (Top)

Crew 803-CX Equipment list & Notes

Sleeping (back)

Stuff-able sleeping bag go down to  25 – 40 degrees, depending on how warm you sleep. It must be NO LARGER than 20” long and 10” in diameter and weigh 5 lbs. or less. If you sleep cold, then use lightweight long underwear (polypro) and a watch cap to keep warm. Otherwise shorts and a t-shirt for sleeping clothes will suffice.  Sleeping cloths stay packed in your bag and will add some to the final stuff size.

Your sleeping bag should stuff into a waterproof stuff sack lined with a heavy duty (4 – 6 Ml.) plastic bag. This may sound like unnecessary redundancy, but your sleeping bag is the last line of defense for hyperthermia. Just imagine how you’d feel if the pack horse buck off your bag an it ends up floating down the Cimaroncito River for a ways. The troop has some lightweight Tyvec ground clothes and will provide for the crew. A second, personal tarp or pad may be added for inside the tent, but remember that all of your gear must it into your stuff sack and saddle bags. In most cases, a self inflating pad will be too big to fit.

Wearing (back)

Western riding boots with a smooth sole, pull on with no laces.  Tennis shoes are for around camp, it’s truly a welcome relief to slip into some light shoes after a long day. It’s also good practice for Leave No Trace low impact camping. Philmont concentrates traffic at designated camp sites that see hundreds of campers each week. Heavy boots can trample and destroy the sites with such traffic.

Note the single pair of jeans for the entire week! I plan on bringing two light weigh synthetic t-shirts. I may also look for light wool or synthetic shirts instead of cotton. Wool and synthetics can help wick away moisture and act as a warmth layer in the cool night air. It’s also likely that we will get rained upon during the trek and synthetics in particular dry quickly. Jeans are usually cotton denim, but I may look for a blended fabric with synthetic fibers. You’ll want a straight leg cut (western) and not too baggy. Baggy jeans cause chaffing in the saddle – ouch! I also recommend synthetic underwear for it’s wicking and quick drying ability. I like the tight boxers as they protect the thighs against chaffing, which may be an issue with wet cotton jeans.

We will use Class B polo shirts for train travel and switch into Class A just before we arrive. Class A uniforms are to be worn around base camp and for the crew photo. Our troop doesn’t have a set policy on uniform pants, but I request that taste and common sense prevail so our crew photo looks presentable. I brought two pairs of zip off pants for travel and base camp last time. The train gets cold at night so the long pants were welcome for the ride, but I zipped off the legs once we arrived in the near ninety degree heat of New Mexico. Remember that travel and HQ clothes must fit inside the crew lockers at base camp, along with any other non-trail gear.

Rain pants are not required by highly recommended. Philmont will issue a raincoat (duster) but having the pants will help keep your legs dry, especially if we are wearing cotton jeans. If we happen to run into a wet spell, your jeans may be wet for several days before they can dry out, and we have only on pair!  Rain pants will help protect them and provide an extra layer for warmth if it gets cold, or to wear as backup if you hang your jeans to dry. The rain coat is an optional item for wearing around base camp before and after the trail.  It can be stored in the crew locker.

Light weight leather gloves pull double-duty. First, you will likely need them when we do our conservation project. Our last crew hauled bales of straw up a canyon wall. Other possible jobs may be trail repair or building requiring digging or laying rocks, or even cutting down invasive trees from meadows. All of these jobs are easier on your hands if you have protective gloves. Second, they can be a welcome source for warmth on very cold nights. I was glad to have them on two nights on our 2004 trek.

I recommend heavy duty ziplocks or “space” bags, where you can squeeze out the air, to store clothing in your stuff bag. This will help keep them dry as well as make it easier to manage your gear when setting up and breaking camp.

Eating (back)

The 2004 crew used disposable Zip-Lock bowls and we treated them as crew gear. I still have them and will pick up a few more. A cup is not required but nice. If you have Nalgene bottles, some backpacking aluminum cups are design to fit around the bottom of the bottle to save space. I recommend at least one Nalgene type bottles. You can also pick up a wide mouth bottle insert that acts a sipper lid for easy drinking. Hydration bladders are not allowed on horseback as they may hook branches as we ride, but a small one may be considered for day hikes if your stuff sack allows the luxury.  I have a lexan spork but any plastic spoon will do.

Personal and Miscellaneous (back)

Several items, such as toothpaste and butt cream may be shared by several crew members. Since you only use a little bit of toothpaste (pea sized dollop) there’s no sense in everyone bringing a separate tube. Boudreaux's Butt Paste may seem like a joke but is worth it’s weight in gold hike you suffer from “hikers rash.” We’re not hiking but I image saddle sores would be unwelcome as well.  The money is for root beer and peanuts at the cantina and maybe a post card and stamp or two.  There are not too many opportunities to spend on the trail. This is separate from travel meal money and souvenir money, which we will discuss later. You can buy a hikers towel but the car wash chamois is about the same. It’s light weight and small so it’ll fit in your stuff sack (notice that there’s already a lot of stuff in your stuff sack). They are also very absorbent and will dry quickly in the arid New Mexico air.

A waterproof ditty bag with your name on it is useful for putting all of your smell-ables in one bag. It makes it easy to unload when setting camp as well as to pack when breaking camp.  If you have meds I recommend a separate ditty bag for them. They will go up in the “oops” bag, a separate bear bag that goes up just before lights out. This will make them easier to retrieve if needed before morning. Inhalers and epi-pens stay with the campers during the night in case of emergency.

Large safety pins can be used as clothes pins to hang wet socks and such to help them dry. A backpacking trick is to pin them to the outside of you pack in the morning if they are still wet. By lunch they would be dry in the arid New Mexico climate. I don’t think the wranglers would let us practice this technique on the saddle, but they’ll be useful in camp. Philmont policy prohibits using tree braches for drying clothes to protect them from thousands of campers each year. 

Equipment Provided by Crew (back)

Adult Advisors will provide or procure what the troop doesn’t already have.

Optional (back)

Most years, Insect repellant is not needed. Mr. Vannerson will follow email reports from the Philmont mailing list to see if inbound crews report mosque toe problems before we leave.  If needed, the crew should bring two bottles to share. I highly recommend the notepad and would encourage crew members to make some notes everyday about their experience. It may not seem like much now but even a year later it’s fun to go back a read your notes as they’ll trigger memories of your adventure that may have already faded. Write In The Rain brand is a waterproof paper that will hold up in your pocket or saddlebag. Philmont’s Tooth of Time Trading Post sells a souvenir pad that’s water proof.

As mentioned earlier, Philmont provides rain dusters for Cavalcade members, but I suggest you bring a coat for use in base camp before and after we get our Philmont gear.

Suggested/Optional Travel Needs (back)

These items are optional depending upon your personal preferences. I brought onboard a day pack with items I needed for the 20 hour train ride. I brought my medium weight fleece jacket that I wore at night to sleep in. The air conditioning in the train car makes it rather cold and the jacket kept me arm. You could also bring a small fleece blanket, but I think that would be a harder to manage and would take up more packing space. My jacket was also the same one I packed for the trek (double-duty). The train offers small pillows, which are okay, but I may bring a inflatable neck pillow that I bought at Ace hardware in the dollar section to see if it’s more comfortable.

You will wear your boots on the train and will want to put on something lighter for the train ride. Amtrak policy prohibits you from walking through the train in stocking feet. I have a pair of hard soled moccasins that worked perfectly and packed small. Optionally, you can use your lightweight sneakers you bring on the trail, just remember to repack them in your stuff sack at base camp. I prefer using separate shoes as I’ll have less to do at base camp and I don’t have to worry about transferring a lot of gear, just my jacket. The same with toiletries and medications for travel. I recommend a separate small kit for the train rides.

Ear plugs should almost be mandatory! The train makes many stops to pick up passengers, the biggest is a stop at Kansas City around Midnight. Even quiet folks boarding make quite a racket. Many crew members complained the next morning that they were awakened and had a difficult time returning back to sleep. I don’t even remember the stop and slept the night through. (when our return train was late and we were guests at the Raton Fire Department for the layover, one of our crew members mentioned the problem to one of the fireman, who then opened up their supply cabinet and pulled out a supply of ear plugs, which he gave to our crew!)

Electronic games and personal music players are allowed, but only on the train. And be forewarned that they must be stored in the crew locker when we are on the trail. The lockers are in a covered building that’s open to the outdoors. They will not get rained upon, but are exposed to the heat and will only be as secured by our padlocks. It’s not likely to be damaged or stolen, but bring them at your own risk.

We will discuss meal money at a later date in detail, but $75-$100 should cover your needs. The train has a dining car and a snack bar. The snack bar is expensive so I recommend a few meals as a crew in the dinning car. The meals are much better and it’s a nice experience (I’m still amazed how the wait staff can pour coffee or orange juice while the train rocks back-and-forth without spilling!). I recommend packing some snacks from home as they’ll be much less expensive than what the snack bar charges. On the return trip, our late train disrupted the meal schedule, both for us and Amtrak. We had planned on being home before dinner but ended up getting in around midnight. So we had an extra meal to pay for that we hadn’t planned on. Amtrak also had an extra meal they hadn’t planned on and ended up running out of food. (I still can’t believe that they don’t have a contingency plan for this considering how notorious they are for running late.) Since there are no grocery stores near the Raton depot, we should consider setting up a “care package” shipment from home to arrive at Philmont while we are the trail with snacks for the return train ride.

Check List (back)

Note: a printer friendly version of this checklist is available on the last page of the Gear Checklist PDF document

Shopping Links (Top)

Here are some internet links to places for purchasing your gear.  The companies are listed in alphabetical order. 

Philmont Links (Top)

General Sites

Preparation Sites (back)

General Cavalcade Information (back)

Troops that have done Cavalcade (back)

Travel Information (Top)

The most economical way to get to Philmont is via Amtrak from Chicago to Raton, NM. We will take Metra from either McHenry, Crystal Lake or Fox Lake (depending upon the schedule) to Downtown Chicago to catch the Southwest Chief heading westbound across the plains and up into the edge of the Rockies (Trinidad, CO). A Philmont bus will meet us at Raton to take us to Base Camp. The return leg of the journey will be in reverse. The Amtrak fare will be a blended fare of all age groups divided evenly amongst the crew members. Metra tickets are half price for students so they need to remember to bring their school ID, which is a good thing for them to have with while they travel anyway. We will set up a calling tree for the parents so we can let them know when we arrive safely as well as to alert them to any changes in our plans. Amtrak usually runs late so expect a call on our return leg to confirm our true arrival time. The adult advisors will have cell phones on the train but they will be turned off most of the time to save batteries as there are very few cell towers our in the plains. The phones will be left in the crew locker at Base Camp while we are on the trail. Emergency contact information for Philmont will be provided before our departure.

Estimated Transportation Costs

Travel Meals

We will be eating several meals during our travel. Our first lunch will be at Union Station where there's several dozen fast food restaurants to choose. Then on board the Southwest Chief we will have dinner and breakfast in the dining car on the outbound leg. The advisors will make the reservations for the crew with the steward for the entire crew so we will eat together. In Raton, the Philmont bus will first stop at a fast food restaurant before heading to Philmont. Then, upon our return to base camp, we will eat at least one meal in Cimarron during our free afternoon. Simple Simons Pizza is a traditional stop, but the boys will also likely get ice cream at an old fashion soda fountain in town.   We may also have an opportunity to visit Cimarron a second time, or we may opt to visit the near by Kit Carson Museum. The bus schedule (free) will determine if we miss our meal in the dining hall.  I also recommend the boys pick up some snacks for the train ride home while in Cimarron as there is no place near the Raton train depot to buy them and the snack bar on the train is expensive. I have learned of a caterer in Raton that can set up a steak diner at the depot for our last dinner in New Mexico. I will find out what that would cost for our crew.  Then we will have breakfast in the dining car and then let the boys purchase lunch for themselves, either in the dining car if they'd like, or in the snack bar. If the train is running real late, our last dinner may be on the train. Our experience from 2004 was that Amtrak doesn't plan for the extra meals when late and they tend to run out of food. This is where the extra snacks from Cimarron are a bonus.  Or, we may grab a quick meal at the Metra food court depending upon our true arrival time and the train schedule.

Estimated Travel Meal Costs

Schedule (Top)

Train Schedules

Training Sessions (Top)

This spring we will have several group training sessions.

C.O.P.E, April 29, 2007, Camp Duncan, Fox Lake, IL

We are scheduled to attend Camp Duncan's C.O.P.E team building course on Sunday, April 29 between 9:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

Agenda

Check out the link below for an explanation of C.O.P.E. and its purpose

Kettle Moraine Northern Unit, April 20-22, 2007, Plymouth, WI

This is a troop outing during which we will practice the Philmont way . All crew members should pack using backpacks and pack as if you are backpacking. That means no extra gear.  We will sleep in the troop's lightweight high adventure tents and the only gear allowed in the tents will be your sleeping gear and your sleeping clothes.  That means your packs will be outside protected by either a pack cover or heavy duty garbage bags.  All clothes in you pack should also be protected by waterproof bags or gallon sized zip-lock bags.  Anyone who needs to borrow a pack should see one of the advisors.

Horse Training Sessions (TBD)

We have several options with details coming soon.

Philmont Contact Information (Top)

Parents are encouraged to send letters to the boys. The letters will not be delivered while we are on the trail but will be waiting for the crew when we come off the trail at Base Camp.  Remember that mail delivery to Philmont will take an extra day or two as the camp is not especially close to any major cities. 

Regular Mail

All mail to the crew will be picked up by the advisor upon return to Base Camp.  If you plan on sending treats for the train ride home, remember that the package will not be refrigerated and will be subjected to high heat before it is opened. Make sure that all letters or parcels have the crew expedition number, 803-CX, or they may not get delivered.  

Scout Name, Crew 803-CX
Philmont Scout Ranch, BSA
47 Caballo Rd.
Cimarron, NM 87714

Emergency Phone

Telephone calls to crew members should be restricted to extreme emergencies only. Philmont comprises of 215 square miles of rugged mountain wilderness, it can require several hours to transport a participant from some camps to return an emergency call.  If an emergency call is necessary, provide the crew member's full name and expedition number, 803-CX

24 Hour Emergency Number
505-376-2281