Conquering More Than Mountains, Troop 70 Returns From Western Adventure

By Nancy K. Crevier

“Awesome.”

It is a word they use time and again, and this time it is not just some empty teenage expression. It is the most apt word they can find to describe their experience at Philmont Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rockies this past month.

“They” are ten young men from Boy Scout Troop 70 in Newtown who returned (a few pounds thinner and brimming with self-confidence) to Newtown July 23 after nearly two weeks and 65 combined miles of backcountry backpacking in the rugged mountain terrain of the West.

Philmont Scout Ranch is a challenging adventure camp founded in 1938 near Cimarron, N.M. It provides hundreds of miles of backcountry hiking trails, along with horseback riding, gold panning, rock climbing opportunities, and a huge array of other outdoor activities to scouts from all over the world. In its 67-year history, more than 700,000 scouts have visited the working ranch, which spreads out over 137,000 acres. Low impact camping techniques have remained the mark of the camp since its inception, and help maintain the wilderness atmosphere that is, for many, a growing experience.

Together with their Scout Master Rick Camejo and advisors Peter Van Buskirk and Thomas Cruson, and joined by Ryan Huebner and his father, Bob, of Wallingford, Tim Boncek, Kevin Herring, Andy Kirner, Matt Cole, Matt Brede, Jordan Reed, Ethan Reed, Ricky Camejo, and Dana Van Buskirk set off July 10 for the ranch, one of several high country adventure camps run by the Boy Scouts of America.

The Newtown group has spent the past two and one-half years preparing for this trip. Short, not-so-challenging backpack trips little by little grew into longer, more intensive hikes. The advisors gradually handed over the reins to the boys, too, so far as leadership goes, leaving all planning and preparation for the backpacking trips up to them. Sometimes it worked out better than other times, but in the end, Mr Van Buskirk believes it all paid off.

“It’s amazing how together our group was,” he says. “It’s a zany group, but they are way above average in hiking ability compared to other groups.”

From La Guardia Airport in New York the group flew into Denver, Colo., driving down to New Mexico from there. Jump starting their adventure, they spent a day white water rafting in the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River — another “awesome” experience. The gorge is spanned by the world’s highest suspension bridge, notes scout Ethan Reed.

Philmont Ranch base camp at 7,000 feet above sea level (that’s 6,500 feet higher than in Connecticut) was literally and figuratively breathtaking to the group. “Oxygen is good,” states crew master Matt Cole, a sentiment echoed by the other guys. It is a thought that stayed with them over the next few days as they worked their way up to a height of 11,300 feet above sea level.

Breathtaking, too, was the sight of nearly 700 two-man tents set neatly in rows around the central camp buildings. The tents would be their homes for two days while, under the tutelage of trained rangers, they were given final preparation for hiking into the backcountry. Most important for the scouts was the bear and wildlife safety issues the rangers stressed.

“Bear bags” are essential for hiking in the backcountry. Anything with a scent, and that includes not only food and drinks, but chapstick, candy, gum, film, and batteries, must be placed in the bear bag every evening and hauled up over a branch higher than the tallest man in the group can reach. Soap and deodorant, enticing to a bear, are not a part of the backpacking kit at all, which leads Dana Van Buskirk to comment, “The level of dirtiness” was a remarkable aspect of the trip. Jordan Reed adds, “How bad we smelled was memorable.”

Loaded up with six days worth of food, cooking stoves and cooking fuel (open campfires are forbidden this time of year due to the high danger of wild fires), tents, and one change of clothing, the crew of 14 finally headed out to conquer the mountains.

The equipment is divided evenly among the hikers. “Each backpack has to weigh less than 25 pounds with water,” says Jordan Reed. His brother, Ethan, adds, “And every person had to carry three to four quarts of water each day. It was really grueling. The terrain can go from rugged mountains to perfectly flat plains and then right back to rocky mountains again.”

Water was refilled each day from local sources, including streams and rivers. Because these sources are commonly contaminated with bacteria, they used iodine tablets to purify any water with which they planned to drink or cook. Powdered Gatorade helped to cover up any residual off-flavor left by the tablets, and helped to rehydrate the boys. Rehydration was vital in the high country of the West, and something that these East Coast dwellers, used to high humidity, had to keep in mind. Marvels Matt Cole, “The highest we saw was 30 percent humidity.”

Staff camps along the way broke up the hikes, which averaged about five rocky miles a day. At the camps, scouts can shower (sans soap) and have the opportunity to take part in activities such as “thirty-ought” shooting, knee-skinning rock climbing, and black powder rifle shooting taught by mountain people reenactors. Tomahawk throwing at one stop was a big hit, and the Newtown troop voted Tim Boncek their champion in the “ultimate tomahawk throwing challenge,” as one scout put it. “After missing close to 18 throws in a row, what happened?” prompts Mr Camejo, and Tim sheepishly admits, “Then it sort of kicked in, and I got four out of four….”

For the adults, the Philmont trip is mostly a vacation. “The crew functions on their own,” says Mr Van Buskirk. “The adults are there for safety and morale. The boys are in charge of everything.”

“The leadership skills I took away are the most outstanding part of the trip,” says Matt Cole. Half-joking, he continues, “You don’t know what you’re doing, so you make it up as you go.”

Mr Camejo is a three-time veteran of the Philmont experience, and “how well the boys worked together” impressed him. Fourteen people in a situation offering minimal comforts and little privacy can easily lead to angry feelings and difficulties. The Newtown troop rose above this. “These guys,” he says, “knowing each other, in the same thing together, showed good team work.” Tim Boncek also felt that “being able to live with each other for 14 days and not kill each other,” was an impressive outcome of the trip.

The panoramic mountain ranges, endless skies, and plains painted by an unimpeded sun were not the only views the scouts brought back from their trip.

“You see the real person when you’re with just 14 people,” says Matt Cole.

“Go to Philmont,” they urge fellow scouts.

Their final word on this high country adventure? “Awesome!”