This area is for questions and discussions about Philmont Scout Camp
While we do not have an official trek for 2019, we have 5 scouts who are headed to Philmont. They will be doing the Rayado trek. 21 days of adventure. Each day, not being sure where they are headed or what they will do. It will be amazing.
In 2009, 2012 and 2014 we came across Rayado crews. They were loving it. In 2012, our Ranger had an all female Rayado crew teach our crew how to set up camp. I’ve never seen the boys so attentive for any training.
They will have stories to tell for years.
Just finished teaching the lastest class of Wilderness First Aid last weekend. I think that was the 9th class in the last 10 year that I have helped teach. Its still a very fun class to teach and really IMPORTANT information that you will hopefully never need to use.
I say that because in 2014, we were near the top of the Tooth of Time. I watched a man fall about 15 feet into a crevasse in front of me and watched his head bounce off of 2 rocks. Nobody around us had a clue what to do. Luckily, in our crew, 3 adults and 2 scouts had taken Wilderness First Aid. The program works! The training kicked in, and everyone did their role.
That story is now the intro to our course, with photos!
In 2016, when we climbed the Tooth again, we found the spot, where the man had fallen into. It made the whole story very real to the scouts to see the actual spot. And they understood why I push so hard to have as many crew members as possible trained in Wilderness First Aid.
The lottery results came back today and we were awarded 2 treks for June 2020. We were even given our first choice for dates! oh yea, after missing this year due to fire, we are psyched for 2020. We have room for 24 adults and scouts. Its going to be amazing!
Our final trek request has been submitted. Tweaked a few dates, but everyone seems happy with the final submission.
Now, if we can be lucky with the lottery . . . fingers crossed.
We have lots of adults and scouts excited to go . . . . . . .
Do we really have to wait for the lottery? Almost as bad as waiting for Christmas day.
It seems a long way off.
After losing our trek this summer due the terrible fires at Philmont, the time has come to submit our entry into the lottery for 2020.
This is exciting for Troop 55 as we have enough scouts and adults to submit for 2 crews. If we get 2 crews, it will be the second time that we have had 2 crews there at the same time. The last time was a lot of fun.
Hoping for the best from the lottery.
We will find out in December.
Stay tuned . . . . . . . .
PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH ANNOUNCES CLOSURE FOR 2018 SUMMER SEASON – 7/5/18
After careful consideration of the situation and available options, the difficult but prudent decision has been made that the Philmont backcountry will remain closed for treks and individual programs for the remainder of the 2018 summer season. This means that the following programs scheduled for this summer are canceled: 7- and 12-day treks; and individual backcountry programs, including Rayado, ROCS, Trail Crew, STEM and Ranch Hands.
This has been a difficult and at the same time inspiring summer at Philmont. For the first time in its history, Philmont is closing its backcountry. As difficult as this situation has been for our Philmont family and for Scouts across our country, we have been truly inspired by the incredible enthusiasm and perseverance shown by our staff, the resourcefulness displayed by displaced crews to find other summer adventures, and the understanding and good wishes from thousands of Scouts and Scouters from around the world. For all of these blessings, we are truly grateful.
Fire danger in northern New Mexico is currently classified as “extreme.” The fire danger has led to closure of most public lands near Philmont. The Carson National Forest’s nearby Questa and Camino Real Ranger Districts, including the Valle Vidal area that Philmont utilizes, have been closed to public access. The New Mexico Game and Fish Department has similarly closed all of its properties that border Philmont, including the Colin Neblett Wildlife Management Area on our western border and the Elliott S. Barker Wildlife Management Area adjacent to our North Country. Links to these closure notices are included at the end of this release.
On Friday, June 29, 2018, the Morris (Moras) Creek fire started south of the Philmont property line on private neighboring property near the Rayado River Canyon. This fire is currently more than 1500 acres and is burning on Philmont property.
Knowing the disappointment our crew went through when we learned that our trek was cancelled, I feel bad for the remaining crews that just learned their treks were cancelled.
As many of you are aware, Philmont has a major fire currently. Over 30,000 acres have burned or are burning. For safety sake, they have made the difficult decision to cancel ALL treks until July 14, 2018. This includes our trek. While we are all disappointed at losing our trek, we certainly understand them doing what they must do to keep everyone safe. We know they will make the best of what they can for the other crews coming to Philmont later this summer.
The dark border is the outline of Philmont National Scout Ranch. The red area is what has/is burning. Just devastating.
