Philmont – Day 4 – Cimarroncito

We were up early today as we wanted to get moving before we had any rain.  The sunrise was on the edge of the meadow and it was nice to see some blue sky.  It had rained last night, sometimes a little heavy.



After getting a few things done, we went on a meadow walk.  Our ranger, Chris had us walk out into the meadow and think about why we were at Philmont and what we wanted to get out of our being there.  It was a beautiful morning and it was nice to be in the sun.  My answer was to have fun.



As we made our way back to our camp we came across some turkeys and their young moving through the tall grass.  Depending were they were at, you could see the young.



We also had a chance to get a photo of all of us.



Soon enough we were on the trail.  It was a nice walk in the forest as we made our way to Ute Junction to pick up food.



One of our stops in the past has been at the edge of the ridge overlooking the valley where Ute Gulch is.  It is a good place for a group picture.



It also seems to be a better place to get on the edge of things.



We were a bit on edge as well as the sky seemed to be filling with clouds.  It was after 10 and we still had a ways to go.



We got to Ute Gulch, picked up our food and ate lunch.  We still had a few miles before we made it to Cimarroncito.   Unfortunately those miles were mostly uphill.  Just the thing you want to be doing after picking up four days worth of food.  The good thing was that the trail was nice.



As we neared Cimarroncito, we could see more large rocky outcroppings.  Hence the activity there is rock climbing.



We made our way to the porch for the porch talk.  The clouds were getting a little darker and more ominous.  We chose to leave our packs at the staff cabin to go rock climbing.  I always am fearful of leaving my pack with mini-bears lurking as they like to eat holes in packs.  That is just a chance one takes.

We climbed up at one spot.



We then rappelled down another spot.



There was also a nice view from up on the rock.  It was also not a surprise that it rained lightly for a few minutes when we were climbing.  A few weeks before the rock was so hot people were blistering their fingers.  A little moisture is not a problem either.  The problem that will get you off the rock is thunder and lightning.



When we got back to the staff cabin we chose to shower before going to our camping spot and setting up camp.  We got two keys for two showers for an hour for the seven of us.  I was ready to go so I got a key and headed to the shower.  It started to rain lightly when I entered the shower.  As I showered, I could hear thunder and the rain was heavier.  By the time I got out of the shower there was hail.  We were lucky that by the showers there is a laundry area that is covered.  We waited there before showers and after showers.  It also rained the whole time we were there with a fairly heavy downpour.  You could say the laundry was not drying very well.



In a light rain we made it back to the staff cabin, got our packs and headed up to our campsite.  We set up the dining fly, hung the bear bags and set up our tents while dinner was started.  We needed to be careful with our bear procedures as a bear was seen that afternoon in one of the other campsites just lumbering through.



As it was fairly drizzly and cold, most everyone retired early.  As for the night, it rained most of the night with some fairly close lightning and thunder.  It was a little difficult to sleep when you see a flash and start counting and waiting for the thunder in the middle of the night.

As for the flora, we have Scarlet Beardtounge (Scarlet Penstemon), Mexican Hat, Cactus and an unidentified yellow clustering flower.

Philmont - Day 3 - Deer Lake

We woke up to some blue sky which was good as it had rained a little overnight.

 

We finished up more training and prepared to travel to Harlan. Things were damp like the dining fly and our tents.

 

 Once on the trail, we were back at the Vaca meadow where we got a picture of the group. The blue sky began to disappear.

 

 At Harlan we received our “porch talk” and then waited for our time to reload 12ga shotgun shells and then shoot at clay pigeons.

 

 As we waited, some played cards and other chased the wildlife, or should I say domesticated wildlife types.

 

 We then went to the reloading shed where we reloaded 12gs shotgun shell that we would use in shooting at clay pigeons. Then there is the gun safety talk going over gun safety. Once all that is complete it is down to the range to shoot at those bright orange clay pigeons.

We then made our way back to the staff cabin to pick up our backpacks and prepare lunch. The sky looked a little threatening and there was some rain so we set up our dining fly to keep our packs dry as we all put on our rain gear. We got the stove started and a pot of water set on top to heat up to boiling so that we could prepare our dinner for lunch as there was no water at our next camp.

 The lightning and thunder was in the distance, however, it got closer. It was getting closer so we assumed the lightning position, kneeling down or squatting and keeping our heads low. The lightning only got closer. It was to the point you could not count between the flash of the lightning and the sound of the thunder. However, for the 40 plus minutes we were in the lightning position, the water came to a boil so that we could prepare dinner for lunch.

 

 After lunch we packed up and headed for Deer Lake. There was still off and on rain coming down. The trail up to Deer Lake was a bit muddy. Then there was the road as the last part of the trail has not been complete. This road is steep. It also had water flowing down it. It was most efficacious to walk where you could see the stones peering through the mud rather than walking on the mud. As you would expect, walking up a steep muddy road also includes sliding down with each step.

 

Once we got close to Deer Lake, we could see that there were plenty of clouds in the sky and there was no indication of when they would move on from the area.

 

Later in the evening, the rain stopped for a while. There were plenty of clouds still in the sky so we had no indication of how long not having rain would last.

 

We had the opportunity to eat our lunch for dinner. It was tuna fish and saltine crackers along with some other things. Many of us were hungry and no problem eating the tuna. One young man opened his tuna to try it and gagged and intimated that he was going to have a physiological reaction that included hurling the small piece of tuna and anything else he ate today into the atmosphere.

 

We had been concerned because some of the young men were not eating enough calories. You can be picky eaters at home because there is other things you can find around the house to eat. In the wilderness, you eat what you have because you need it. A couple of us finished up the tuna so we would not have to pack around an open can of tuna. That would get real disgusting.

 Dinner went well and Chris, our ranger brought out a pound cake and icing for us to eat. I was thinking that if you ate your tuna, you should be able to have some. That was just me. Everyone had some of the pound cake. We then cleaned up and finished anything we needed to before we hung the last bear bag with anything that had a smell that a bear may be interested in.

 

It rained late into the night and we really did not know what we would be in for the next day.   As for a miracle for the day, there was enough time without rain to get things done.  Everything seemed to fall into place.

As for the flora and fauna, I took several picture. Many of them were not in good focus. However, for today we have wooly mullen or “cowboy toilet paper.”

 

Philmont – Day 2 – Vaca

Today we got up early and got ready to get to the Welcome Center to wait for our bus to the trailhead. At 9:10 we were loading our packs on the bus and waiting for the adventure to begin. I tried to get a picture and it appears that this group has a few that want to run and hide from the camera.

 

 At the trailhead we received more training. We then picked up our packs to begin our trek on the trail and one of the packs broke. It was the rented pack. We were lucky to have cell coverage and could reach base camp. They advised us that they were going to bring us a replacement pack. Within 40 minutes we had the replacement pack. We got ready and put our packs on and began the hike towards Vaca. The first mile was a long one as it took us almost an hour. There were a lot of pack adjustments as most of us had more weight in our packs. Additionally, some of us were not used to having the extra weight. The next two miles passed quickly as we hiked each mile in under 30 minutes. As for Vaca, I remember it from 2011 when I took a picture of the well there. It was dry and brown.

 

 As for this year, it was a lot greener. It is amazing what some water can do.

 

 We got to the campsite, hung our bear bags and continued with some training. The process of cooking dinner was covered as that includes sterilizing the dishes before you eat.

 

 We also had a campfire, which took a little work to get going. Rain has a way of making combustion difficult. Ranger Chris is in the foreground.

 

Some of the miracles for the day are 1. receiving a replacement backpack so quickly; 2. making it to camp without any trouble and; 3. getting a fire started.

 And new for this year is the flora and fauna of the day section. The pictures at the bottom of the post will all be dependent on what we see of may have seen as we trekked and camped in God’s country. Today we have a member of the Aster family, most likely a daisy and the One Seed Juniper.

 

Philmont – Day 1 – Base Camp

We arrived at Philmont Scout Ranch this morning and checked in. We met our Ranger, Chris from Texas. Our first task was to unpack the van and take our backpacks to the trail-bound tent area where we were assigned our tents. The young men did well as they learned the tasks they needed to accomplish to get ready for the trail. We all had a medical recheck and picked up our crew gear and tents. One thing we did was get our picture taken. While there, I heard a familiar name, Brother Cardon. I turned to look and it was Brother Cardon, who once lived in Riverside, California where we are from. They had moved to New Mexico several years ago when the youngest was very little. Now he was at Philmont to do a Trek with his son and their Crew. We met up again at the commissary and snapped a picture. In the early evening we had meetings for the adults, Crew Leader, Chaplains Aid and Wilderness Gila. As the evening meeting started, it started to rain. Then as the meeting progressed it rained even harder. There was about 40 minutes of a good heavy downpour. It has been dry in the area so the rain is welcome. After the meetings we attended church. It was Sunday evening so there was a regular Sacrament Meeting. Church was very spiritual and I was touched. The speakers talked about the characteristics of Christ. We were also challenged to look for miracles when we were in the backcountry, which is commonly referred to a Gods country. I really felt the spirit as we sang the closing song; I am a child of God. From there it was off to the opening campfire. The campfire was held at the Welcome Center, which is covered, as opposed to its usual outdoor location. The reason, more rain. As we were at the campfire, more rain came. We walked to our tents in the rain. In fact, it rained most of the night.

Pertrified Forest

We are out and about this morning as we move east on Route 66.  First stop was the Petrified Forest.

We looked at a lot of pertrified wood. 

Holbrook - The Journey Begins

We left Riverside this afternoon.  As for Riverside it was hot.

We have arrived in Holbrook.   Just need the room to cool down from 80.

Philmont - Traveling Home

It was an exciting day. We got up, had breakfast and then cleared out our tents in tent city. We got our gear together and headed for the Welcome Center to wait for our bus to Raton.



As we left the view of the Tooth of Time, I was thinking about how quickly the trip went. There is an old saying, if you look over your shoulder as you head home to catch a glimpse of the Tooth of Time, you will be back. I looked . . .

When on the bus on our way to Raton we looked at the landscape and it was much greener. The rain was helping out the plants and animals.



After several miles I took a look around and most of the boys were a sleep. It did not take them long. Soon we arrived at the train station, only to realze that the train was late. In fact, it was going to be three hours late. We walked around Raton and looked at several of the stores.

Soon enough we were on the train. We had planned to get pizza in Albuquerque during the 50 minute lay over. Now that we were running late, they were going to cut that short. I called several times on the way into Albuquerque and lost signal. The big question was, would we be able to order pizza in time to have it delivered.

The call finally went through soon enough we found ourselves in front of the train station waiting for the deliveryman. He finally made it and we made our way back to the train. We had a couple of tables saved up in the observation car waiting for the pizza to arrive.



The pizza was great. It was getting late and I was tired. Soon enough the sun was setting. I decided to get to sleep as early as possible to at least have sleep if it took me all night long.

In Williams, the train had to drop a rail car. Not something that you would sleep through at about midnight. During the brief stop at Needles, sometime in the early morning, I jumped off the train. To my horror, it was like 90 plus degrees and very humid. It had rained with the temps over 100. I quickly got back on the train and went back to my chair to go to sleep.

As we passed through the California desert, the sun was coming up. It was the day we would arrive at home. I was glad to soon be there.