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)