TROOP 157
As you know, the troop was extremely fortunate to
get a reservation for a 12-person crew (9 boys and 3 adults) for a 7-day trek
at the Boy Scouts’ Philmont Scout Ranch in northeastern New Mexico for August
14-21, 2001. The attached roster lists
the boys and adults who sent in a $50.00 deposit earlier this year and are
therefore scheduled to go on the trip.
Our next payment to Philmont is due at the end of this month, so we now
need to collect the next installment from you.
Please send a check for $202.00 payable to “Boy Scout Troop 157”
to Mrs. Wright (15 Linden Circle,
Weston).
Half of this amount is non-refundable if you decide
to cancel and another boy does not take your spot. The other half is refundable before March 1, 2001 if your find
that you cannot go on the trip for some reason. In addition to this $252.00 total that you will have paid, the
balance of the cost of the trip (e.g., airfare and other transportation,
activities in Colorado before we go to Philmont, etc.) is likely to cost about
$1,400 and most of that will be due soon after the first of the year.
Also, please e-mail any additons or corrections to
the contact information on the attached roster to Mr. Sallay (at jsallay@mediaone.net).
We have reserved 12 spots, for 9
boys and 3 adult leaders. We now have 9
boys and two adults who have signed up and sent in deposits. A couple of other adults have indicated a
possible interest in attending and we will work this out over the next few
weeks so we can send Philmont the appropriate payment. If you have changed your mind about the trip
or cannot go for some reason, please let Mr. Sallay know as soon as possible. We can’t take more than 12 people on the
trip and there are certain constraints on how many (and few) adults can
participate, so it’s important to keep us informed about your plans.
We will begin planning our preparation, travel, trekking and other activities sometime later this fall or early next year. In preparation for the challenge of carrying a 50-60 pound pack several miles each day, we will schedule a mandatory “shakedown” hike somewhere in this area before we go, to simulate the Philmont experience. Our shakedown hike is currently scheduled for the weekend of June 22-24, 2001.
For the trip itself, we will probably leave Weston and fly out of Logan Airport to Colorado Springs very early in the morning of Friday, August 10. We will spend a few days camping at the Air Force Academy to begin getting used to the altitude, as we did on our 1995 Philmont expedition. That year, we used the few extra days to go whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River, bike down Pike’s Peak, explore a cave, go horseback riding in the Garden of the Gods, and have a chuck wagon dinner at the Flying W Ranch. We will probably return to Boston on Tuesday, August 21, arriving at Logan Airport very late in the evening.
We will plan the trek itself with our ranger at Philmont when we get there. In 1995, we hiked 5-8 miles per day with all of our gear and food – about 50-60 lbs. per person – and camped mostly in the established camps. That allowed us to participate in programs like horseback riding, black-powder shooting, rock climbing, and blacksmithing. We also climbed the Tooth of Time, a mountain with a sheer rock face that was an important landmark on the Santa Fe Trail in pioneer days.
Cost
The total cost of the trip will depend on our ultimate cost of airfare and on how extensive our activities are in Colorado Springs. Based on the cost of the 1995 trip, overall inflation and the significant recent increases in the cost of air travel, we expect the total cost to be in the range of $1,600-1,700 per person.
As his Eagle Scout project several years ago, Ed Walker set up a scholarship fund to help defray the cost for boys in Weston to attend Philmont. The fund is administered by leaders of both troops in town, and might help modestly reduce the total cost for a few boys. More information about these scholarships we become available once we begin our detailed planning process.
Next Steps
Please send a check for $202.00 payable to “Boy Scout Troop 157” to Mrs. Wright (15 Linden Circle, Weston) as soon as possible. If for some reason you cannot go on the trip, or if you have any questions, please call Mr. Sallay at 235-7089.
Philmont offers you and your unit a mountaintop,
high adventure experience. Since the first camping season in 1939, more than
650,000 campers and advisors have enjoyed trekking through the 137,493 acres of
the rugged, majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Philmont. Fascinating
backcountry programs and 330 miles of challenging trails inspire both youth and
adults who backpack this remote and historic area.
Once inhabited by Jicarilla Apache and Moache Ute
Indians, Philmont was the site of one of the first pioneer settlements in
northeastern New Mexico. The present ranch is part of the original Beaubien and
Miranda Land Grant, which was granted to Carlos Beaubien and Guadalupe Miranda
by the Mexican government in 1841. Beaubien's son-in-law, mountain man Lucien
Maxwell, led the first settlers to the grant in 1848. With the help of his
friend Kit Carson, Maxwell's settlement on the Rayado River prospered, despite
frequent Indian raids and harsh wilderness conditions.
Maxwell moved his ranch north to the Cimarron River
in 1857, the site of present day Cimarron. There it became a famous stop on the
Santa Fe Trail, bringing American trade goods into New Mexico. Ten years after
Maxwell moved to the Cimarron, gold was discovered on his ranch near Baldy
Mountain. For years afterward, the mountains and streams of Maxwell's Ranch
swarmed with prospectors and miners. In
1870, Maxwell sold his ranch to an English land company known as the Maxwell
Land Grant and Railroad Company. After several years the land was again sold to
a Dutch-based company who attempted several development schemes, but eventually
sold the land in tracts for farms and ranches.
Oklahoma oilman, Waite Phillips, became interested
in developing a ranch out of the old land grant in 1922. He eventually amassed
over 300,000 acres of mountains and plains in a ranch he named Philmont
(derived from his name and the Spanish word for mountain, "monte".)
The Philmont Ranch became a showplace. Immense herds
of Hereford cows and Corriedale sheep grazed its pastures. Phillips built a
large Spanish Mediterranean home for his family at the Headquarters, naming it
the Villa Philmonte. He developed horse and hiking trails throughout the scenic
backcountry along with elaborate fishing and hunting cabins for his family and
friends.
Waite Phillips believed in sharing his wealth with people outside his family. In this spirit, he offered 35,857 acres of his ranch to the Boy Scouts of America in 1938 to serve as a national wilderness camping area. The area was named "Philturn Rockymountain Scoutcamp" (after Phillips' name and the BSA slogan, "Do a Good Turn Daily"). After observing the enthusiastic response of the first Scout campers, Phillips augmented his original gift in 1941, with an addition including his best camping land, the Villa Philmonte, and the headquarters farming and ranching operation. The second gift was made so that "many, rather than few” could enjoy his rich and beautiful land. The property, now totaling 127,395 acres was renamed "Philmont Scout Ranch".
Phillips realized that the cost for maintenance and
development of the property could not and should not be derived entirely from
camper fees. As an endowment he included in the gift his 23-story Philtower
Building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1963, through the generosity of Norton Clapp,
vice-president of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, another
piece of the Maxwell Land Grant was purchased and added to Philmont. This was
the Baldy Mountain mining area consisting of 10,098 acres.
Since Philmont's first camping season in 1939, more
than 650,000 Scouts, Venturers and their leaders have participated in the rugged
challenge of its backpacking program. Philmont's camping season is from
mid-June to late August. Scouts and Venturers must be in top physical
condition, at least 14 years of age by January I of the year in which they
attend or have completed the eighth grade, and registered members of the Boy
Scouts of America. Organized into crews of 7-12, including at least two adult
leaders, participants hike Philmont's mountains for ten full days, spending
nights at various backcountry camps. At staffed camps, crews can participate in
a variety of programs presented by Philmont backcountry staff. Among these
programs are horseback riding, burro packing, gold panning, rock climbing,
30.06 rifle shooting, archaeology, mountain biking and interpretive programs
such as homesteading and mountain man rendezvous.
In addition to regular expeditions, Philmont offers
several special programs. These include Cavalcades (expeditions on horseback),
Mountain Men and Mountain Women (a provisional 6-day experience for family
members of Training Center participants), Rayado Treks, an extended expedition
for Scouts and Venturers who have attained a high degree of backpacking skill
and who are at least 15 years or ninth grade graduates, and not yet 21, and
Trail Crew, a 28-day combination trail building and expedition.