Troop 227 Philmont Guide
Feb 24th, 2002
This guide contains all the information for Troop 227’s trip to Philmont this summer. It will grow over time so make the date at the top is recent.
Content
- Other
information sources 1
- Pre-trip
activities 2
- Uniform wear 2
- Travel gear 2
- Photo Co-op 3
- Trip Itinerary 3
- Trip Costs 4
- Payment schedul 4
- Trek selection 5
- Equipment
required 6
- Physical
conditioning 12
- Skills 13
- Bear
management 13
- Keeping advisors
happy 15
This guide is intended to provide you with the information you’ll need for our trip. If you want more general information or get some background, there is a wealth of information about Philmont available online. The best overall source is Selden Bell’s compilation of web page references. It’s located at:
http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/philmont.html
There are other good sources as well. Use “Philmont” as the search key in any good search engine and you can spend all your waking hours between now and the trip reading. There are references to online resources scattered throughout this guide if you want more information about a particular topic.
A trip like Philmont requires skill, attitude, and conditioning. We’ll be conducting several training sessions including two shakedown campouts. Each crew member is expected to participate in at 75% of the training sessions, both campouts, and the on going conditioning program. We expect you to make these sessions a priority and schedule around them. That includes missing sports or other activities, restructuring work schedules, and adjusting family plans. We will make allowances for emergencies and other difficult situations. We all have an obligation to the other crew members to be ready for the trip. The adult advisors may drop someone from the trip without refund if that person isn’t ready for Philmont.
Currently scheduled activities –
Feb 24 crew training session
May 17-19 shakedown campout
June 28-30 shakedown campout
July 1 medical forms turned in
July 8 backpack inspection and check-in
Everyone in the crew will wear his Class A uniform (shirt with all patches correct, neckerchief and slide, neat jeans or pants) at these times:
- on the plane out and back
- while at dinner in Colorado Springs
- when arriving at and leaving Philmont’s Basecamp
- at meals in Basecamp when required
- at Basecamp opening and closing campfires
Everyone will pack their backpack and check it in with the troop on July 8th. We’ll prepare the backpacks for check-in with the airline at that time. You’ll need to bring a second bag with clothes and gear for Colorado Springs plus clean clothes for the trip home. Bring a swimsuit and shoes that can get wet for the rafting trip plus clothes for mountain biking.
Electronic gear is allowed on the plane and in the van. It will be stowed during activities in Colorado Springs and again when we drive through the gate into Philmont.
Rather than have 12 people carry 12 cameras and take12 pictures of the same thing, we’re going to institute a photo co-op. In order to save pack weight, we’re going to take one or perhaps two cameras and share them amongst the crew. One of the Scouts can take on the role of Photographer, although everyone will be able to take pictures. We’ll split the cost of the film and developing. The $15 cost is an estimate based on 14 rolls of film (one per day) plus 4 prints of each picture. We can get extra prints made afterwards to accommodate high demand for certain pictures.
The
itinerary is fairly well set. The
details of our time in Colorado Springs remain to be finalized.
-
July
10 – Leave Minneapolis airport, arrive Colorado Springs airport. Current flight
info is NW #1293, leaving at 11:33am and arriving at 12:47pm. The flight info is subject to change. Pick up 15 passenger van and drive to Pike’s
Peak. Ride the cog railroad to top of
Pike’s Peak. Camping location to be
determined. Possible extra touring
around Colorado Springs if time allows.
-
July
11 – Leave Colorado Springs early and drive to Buena Vista, CO (2 hour drive)
for whitewater rafting and mountain biking).
Return to Colorado Springs by way of Royal Gorge. Camping location to be determined.
-
July
12 – Leave Colorado Springs early in the morning. Arrive at Philmont base camp by 9am. Check in, meet our Ranger, start equipment checkout, medical
checks, leader meetings, training sessions.
Opening campfire ceremony in the evening.
-
July
13 – Hike out of base camp and start our selected Philmont trek.
-
July
23 – Hike back to base camp. Equipment
checkin and other wind up activities.
Closing campfire in the evening.
-
July
24 – Drive back to Colorado Springs and fly home. Current flight is NW 1654 leaving at 2:10pm, arriving at
5:14pm. That’s subject to change.
Some
of the costs noted below are fixed.
Others are estimated. Estimated
costs are marked with (*).
-
Philmont fee $415
-
Airfare 231
-
Van rental & gas
110*
-
Colorado Springs camping 20*
-
Colorado Springs meals 40*
-
Colorado Springs activities 75*
-
Troop T-shirts
40
-
Photos 15*
-
Contingency fee
50*
total $996*
The
T-shirt item covers the cost of two Coolmax t-shirts. We’ll be getting two Philmont logo shirts for each
crewmember. One of the shirts will have
the troop logo screened on. These two
shirts will be your two hiking shirts for the trek.
The
contingency fee will be used as in case of emergency or to cover
unexpected
expenses. Any unused money will be
refunded at the end of the trip.
-
Philmont deposit $ 50.00 Jan. 2001
-
Philmont 1st payment
182.50 Oct. 2001
-
Airfare deposit $ 40.00 Nov. 2001
-
Troop 1st payment $
50.00 Mar
1, 2002
-
Philmont 2nd payment $182.50 Mar
25, 2002
-
Airfare payment $191.00 Apr 25, 2002
-
Troop 2nd payment $300.00 July 1, 2002
The
payment schedule may be adjusted to reflect changing amounts and deposit
needs. Note that the payments don’t
include spending money. Each crewmember
should bring extra money if they want souvenirs or other extras. There’s a trading post at Philmont and there
will even be occasions on the trail where some extra money would be good -
extra shots at the shooting events, root beer at one of the cantinas, snacks at
one of the trail commissaries.
Philmont offers about 35 different treks. The treks differ from each other based on starting point, distance covered, route taken, activities available, scenic spots,
and hiking difficulties among other things. The crew will submit our trek choices numbered 1 to 5 and Philmont will do their best to schedule one of our top choices. We’ll receive a packet of information in March with a card to send back with our trek choices. The sooner we get the card back in, the better chances we have our getting
Trek selection should be based on the following factors:
- How far do you want to hike?
- What do you want to see?
- What do you want to do along the way?
While the program activities are an important part of the trek, they’re not the only consideration. Program activities will take up about an hour per day. Hiking will take six or eight hours a day. Where you want to hike is at least as important as what you want to do. There is a lot of good information online about the characteristics of each trek. See the next section for details. Most of the information is about 2001 treks. The treks don’t vary a lot from year to year so we’ll make our preliminary selections based on last year’s data and finalize it once this year’s information is available.
See the following web sites for more information:
http://www.bsatroop62.org/Philmont%202001/2001%20Itinary%20Guide/Itinerary%20Guide%20for%202001.htm
Descriptions and maps for each 2001 trek.
http://www.danyoder.com/philmont/trek.asp
Descriptions of each campsite and trek. Includes a trek search mechanism.
Everyone
who went to Isle Royale should be in reasonably good shape. You should only need a small amount of
extra gear. We’re really going to focus
on lowering pack weight for Philmont.
The goal for each crew member is a pack weight of no more than 35 pounds
including crew gear, food, and water.
That means your pack weight before crew gear, food, and water should
weigh no more than 20 pounds. Lower
your pack weight by following these steps:
-
Determine
if you really need the item. Is it
something you’re going to use daily or is it something that’s “just in
case”. Do you want to carry it for 10
days?
-
Do
you really need your own item? Can you
share the item with a tent mate or others in crew?
-
Look
for the smallest and lightest item you can find.
Remember
that ounces count. You might figure
that something that weighs only a little bit won’t matter. If you add a little bit here and a little
bit there, pretty soon you’ve added 5 pounds.
Carrying 5 extra pounds for 60 miles makes a big difference. A good weight breakdown is:
-
Backpack 5 lbs
-
Sleeping
bag 3 lbs
-
Sleeping
pad 1 lb
-
½
of a tent 3 lbs
-
clothes
& personal gear 7 lbs
-
crew
gear 6 lbs
-
food
& water 10
lbs
total 35
lbs
Temperatures
on the trip can vary from 30° at night at some of the
high mountain campgrounds to 90+° during the afternoon at
Basecamp. Afternoon thunderstorms are
common. You’ll need the following
equipment. Bring everything on the required
list. Be very selective about items on
the optional list. Consider sharing
with others, etc. If you bring anything
that’s not on the list, you’re going to have to convince the crew leader and
the adult advisors that you really need it.
We will have pack inspections before leaving.
Required
clothing:
1 pr long pants
2 pr shorts
2 pr underwear
2 hiking t-shirts (provided)
3 pr hiking socks
3 pr sock liners
1 long sleeve shirt
1 shorts or lightweight long
underwear for sleeping
1 t-shirt or lightweight long
underwear for sleeping
warm jacket or vest (polarfleece or similar)
rain jacket/windbreaker
broad brim hat
hiking boots
Lightweight camp shoes (sneakers,
moccasins, etc – no sandals)
Knit cap (delete if your sleeping
bag has a hood)
Lightweight work gloves (for service
project, handling pots, warmth)
Required
personal:
Backpack
Rain cover for backpack
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Eating utensils – plastic bowl,
spoon, cup
4 liters water carrying capacity
Whistle
Stuff sack with name on outside for
smellables
10 ft duct tape
4 large safety pins
Matches in waterproof container
Tooth brush
backpacking towel or chamois
Optional;
Sunglasses
Flashlight
Pocket knife
Seat pad
Trekking poles or hiking staff
Gaiters
Lip balm
Book
Journal pad & pen
Games
1 lb personal food/snacks
Don’t
bring your own soap, toothpaste, sunscreen, bug repellent, camera, or
binoculars. Those will all be part of
the crew gear
Notes
on equipment choices:
è
Backpack
The troop recommends an external frame
backpack. It’s less expensive than an equivalent
external frame pack, it’s cooler to wear, and it makes carrying the weight
easier. If you already have an internal
frame pack or want to use the same pack for more off-trail activities, an
internal frame pack will work just fine.
An external frame pack should hold between 3000 and 4000 cubic
inches. An internal frame pack should
hold 4000 to 5000 cubic inches because the sleeping bag and other items must go
inside rather than get lashed to the frame.
è
Pack
cover
You can get a ready made cover designed to go over a
backpack or make one out of plastic (such as trash bags) and duct tape. If you do choose to make your own, use
sturdy plastic and reinforce the stress points with duct tape. A thin plastic bag won’t survive 10 days on
the trail.
è
Hiking
boots
Good sturdy hiking boots are required. If your boots from Isle Royale still fit
come May, you’re in good shape. If they
don’t fit or you don’t have any boots, you need to buy them in early May. Don’t buy them before then in case your feet
grow. Look for midweight boots. Lightweight boots don’t have enough support
and heavyweight boots are more than you need.
If you buy new boots, you must get them before the May campout and you
must walk 50 miles in them before we leave for Philmont so they’re broken in
well.
è
No
cotton
None of the clothes on the required list can be
cotton. That includes underwear. No jeans, no cotton t-shirts, no cotton
socks, no sweatshirts, no cotton underwear.
Cotton absorbs moisture and takes forever to dry. It can cause hypothermia in cooler
weather. The trapped moisture can cause
rashes in hot weather. We’ll be
washing/rinsing clothes on the trail and they must air dry quickly. The troop provided t-shirts will be
CoolMax. Get nylon pants and shorts,
wool or synthetic socks, polypropylene sock liners, Polarfleece jackets,
synthetic underwear
è
Zip-off
legs
If you get a pair of pants with zip-off legs, you
can leave one pair of shorts at home.
è
No
underwear
If you get lined shorts, such as lined biking
shorts, you can leave one or both underwear at home.
è
Sleeping
bag
Your sleeping bag should be rated down to 20°
and ideally should have a built-in hood.
If it doesn’t have a hood, you need to bring a knit cap to wear at
night. Synthetic bags are preferred
over down bags. Down bags lose all
their insulating properties if wet. As
an option, you can get a 35° bag and a lightweight
sleeping bag liner and then bring long underwear for sleep clothes. The combination probably weighs about as
much as a 20° bag but gives you more flexibility in
dealing with different temperatures.
è
Sleeping
pad
Bring either a closed cell pad (fairly stiff as
opposed to the squishy open cell pads) or a ¾ length inflatable pad (such as
Thermarest). Think light.
è
Sleeping
clothes
Your sleeping clothes are used for nothing but
sleeping. If you bring long underwear
for sleeping clothes, it can be worn in other circumstances in case of
emergency.
è
Raingear
There are several choices for raingear. A waterproof/breathable jacket and pants
(Gore-Tex or equivalent) is the most expensive and most flexible choice. You’ll be more comfortable when wearing it
while hiking because sweat can dissipate. It can also be worn as a windbreaker. The pants are optional. We’ll be wearing shorts most of the time and
hiking in the rain in shorts isn’t a big deal if you’ve got quick-dry
fabrics. Gaiters might be a good idea
if you skip the pants. If you bring
rain pants, you might be able to skip bringing other long pants.
A waterproof/non-breathable jacket and pants (coated
nylon or similar) is less expensive. It
can work well if you look for ventilation features and are willing to live with
more sweat build-up on the inside. It will
also work as a windbreaker. It’s more
important to be warm than dry.
Note that “waterproof” is the operative word with
raingear. Don’t bring something that
“water repellent” or “water resistant”.
Those fabrics might work for heavy dew or light rain but not a Philmont
thunderstorm.
A poncho is the third alternative. Philmont does not recommend ponchos. It offers passable ventilation but isn’t as
good at keeping you warm and doesn’t work well as a windbreaker. You’ll need to
bring a windbreaker jacket if you bring a poncho. Wind can drive the rain
inside a poncho and the extra fabric can be dangerous around stoves or
fires. Ponchos are also heavier. If you choose a poncho, get a sturdy one
that has snaps to close the sides and is cut long enough to cover a
backpack. If you choose a poncho, you
may be able to avoid a pack cover.
è
Water
containers
You must have enough water carrying capacity to
carry four liters (or quarts) and you must have at least two separate
containers. A two-liter water bag (such
as Platypus) with a drinking tube is highly recommended for one container. Two one-liter bottles or a second water bag
can be used for the rest of the capacity.
One of the rules at Philmont is that you never go anywhere without
water. It’s easier to carry a water
bottle than a bag when you don’t have your backpack on. You won’t have to carry them all full very
often but we will have some situations where we’ll need extra water.
è
Flashlight
Do you really need one? We’ll get up at dawn and hit the tents when it’s getting
dark. About the only time you’ll need a
flashlight will be if you need to use the latrine in the middle of the
night. In this case you can share a
flashlight with your tentmate. If you
do bring one, get the smallest and lightest flashlight you can find. Start with fresh batteries.
è
Eating
utensils
Bring a plastic bowl, spoon, and cup. That’s it.
You won’t need anything else.
Don’t bring a disposable spoon.
Get a good Lexan or other tough plastic spoon.
è
Pocket
knife
Do you really need one? You might have to cut open a food packet but most of them can be
ripped. Otherwise, there will be
nothing to cut. Share one with someone
else. Make it small.
è
Seat
pad
It’s nice to have a dry place to sit if it’s wet
out. A hunk of closed cell sleeping pad
or a plastic placemat makes a good seat pad.
The pad can be used under your feet at night if you have a ¾ length
sleeping pad. You can draw game boards
or other entertainments on the pad for use during down times.
è
Gaiters
Gaiters are plastic wraps that cover the tops of
your boots and the bottoms of your legs. They help keep your boots and socks clean and dry when it’s
raining, especially if you’re wearing shorts.
è
Personal
food
Each crewmember can bring one pound of personal
food/snacks. The food must be carried
in your smellables bag.
è
Smellables
bag
Get a nylon stuff sack 12” to 15” long and 6”
wide. Write your name on it in big
letters. All your personal smellables
(food, toothbrush, etc) must be carried in your smellables bag and must be
stashed in the bear bag at night.
è
Plastic
bags
Pack your clothes in ziplock bags before packing
them in your backpack. This provides
another layer of protection from water and allows you to squeeze all the air
out and pack them smaller. Line the
stuff sack for your sleeping bag with a plastic bag that can be twisted shut
before you close the stuff stack.
è
Names
Write your name on EVERYTHING that you bring so
we’ll know whose stuff is whose. This
is particularly important for eating utensils and water bags/bottles.
è
Trekking
poles
We’ll be hiking up and down a lot of hills. The upping and downing can be hard on knees,
particularly adult knees. Whether it be
trekking poles, a hiking staff, or a walking stick, crewmembers should consider
bringing some kind of arm-actuated hiking assist device. Trekking poles are
collapsible and lightweight. A solid
hiking staff is heavy but can be used as an emergency stretcher pole. Using a pole of some kind can transfer as
much as 30% of the load from the legs to the arms, relieving the stress on your
knees and leg muscles.
If
you need to purchase equipment, most outfitters will offer Scouts a discount if
you show your membership card. There
are several online catalog stores that offer discounts as well.
Physical conditioning is an important part of enjoying our trek. Each crewmember should begin NOW to get into shape for the trip. Any physical activity is good but there are some that are particularly effective. Concentrate on developing your aerobic capacity to better deal with the effects of high altitude and work on developing leg strength and endurance. Suggested activities include:
-
Hiking
with a full pack with elevation changes.
Stairs work quite well.
-
Running
-
Brisk
walking
-
Bicycling
Other
activities such as weight lifting, swimming, or other exercise are good
additions to the above activities but aren’t a substitute for them. In addition to strengthening your legs and
wind, these activities also toughen up your feet and help prevent blisters on
the trail.
The
first thing to do is to figure out your target heart rate. Your maximum allowable heart rate is 220
minus your age. That’s about 200-205
for the Scouts and 170-180 for adults. Next, learn how to take your pulse by
finding your carotid artery on the side of the neck (you need to know that for
first aid as well). Count pulses for 10
seconds and then multiply by 6. The
result if your heart rate for one minute.
Your target heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute you want
to sustain during training. When you
first start training, your target heart rate should be 70% of your
maximum. You’ll want to exercise enough
so that you can sustain your target rate for 20 minutes 3 times a week. Extend your training over time so that
you’re exercising the frequency, length, and intensity of your workouts. By the time we leave for Philmont, you
should be exercising 5 times week for 30 minutes at a target rate of 85%. Each crewmember will fill out an exercise
log to track his progress and will bring the log to each crew meeting.
There are lots of things to know for happy camping on a wilderness backpacking trip. You’ve experienced many of them on Isle Royale. Others are unique to Philmont. This section covers most everything you need to know.
There are bears at Philmont. Bears come in three flavors – black bears, grizzly bears, and mini-bears. Grizzly bears are rare and can be treated the same as black bears for the most part. Mini-bears aren’t life threatening but can be really annoying. The first thing to learn is that bears don’t like to be around people for the most part. They’ll avoid people when they can. They do really like people food, on the other hand, and they don’t like to be surprised by people. Therefore, most of bear management consists of avoiding mixing people with people food and avoiding surprising a bear.
Avoiding bear surprises is relatively easy. Make lots of noise. Talk. Jingle. The average crew will make plenty of noise without trying. The bear will either hear you or smell you long before you see, hear, or smell the bear. The bear will leave the neighborhood. This is yet another reason why we use the buddy system. Most bear encounters happen to solo hikers because they don’t make enough noise and can sneak up on a bear in some circumstances.
If you do happen to come across a bear, stop right away. Gather together in a close group. Make lots of noise. Back up slowly. The bear will almost always leave. If the bear does charge, hold your ground as a group. The charge is almost always a bluff. Do not run. You can’t outrun a bear and a running person triggers the bear’s pursuit instinct. It makes you look like food.
Bear encounters are far more likely to happen in camp than on the trail. Bears are interested in food or anything that smells interesting. The first thing the crew must do when entering a campsite is to locate the Bearmuda Triangle. The Bearmuda Triangle is the triangle defined by the campfire ring, the sump, and the bear cable. Cooking takes place at the campfire ring. Cleanup takes place at the sump. Food is stored at the bear cable. The bears know this. If a bear enters a campsite, it’s looking for food. It tends to travel inside the Bearmuda Triangle. We’ll set up the tents well outside the Triangle. Once the Bearmuda Triangle has been located and the tent locations have been determined, the crew will search the campsite looking for food or trash left behind by previous campers.
The bear may not have smelled your brand of camera film before and may want to investigate to see if it’s edible. Smellables include food, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, toiletries, duct tape, first aid supplies, etc. All smellables must be carried inside sealed packages or in smellables stuff sacks to avoid transferring odors to your pack. At night, all smellables must be placed in the bear bags and hung from the bear cable near the campsite. Backpacks, sans smellables, are stored under the dining fly. The only things that go into the tents at night are your sleeping bag, your sleeping pad, your sleeping clothes, a flashlight, and you. Everyone will change into their sleeping clothes by their backpacks at the dining fly and leave their day clothes in their backpacks. No food is ever opened or eaten anywhere in the vicinity of tents or sleeping gear.
No crewmember will use sunscreen, insect repellent, soap, shampoo, or topical medications after 5pm. No one will use deodorant, lotions, hair goo, or similar products at all. Everyone will take extra care to avoid spilling food when cooking or eating and will clean up any spills that do happen. See the section on cooking and clean up for more details on food handling.
The crew never leaves their gear or campsite unattended unless all the smellables are properly hung from the cable and packs stowed under the dining fly. The same bear management rules help avoid problems with mini-bears.
Campers that religiously follow the bear management rules do not have problems with bears.
Check out the following web site for a good discussion of bear management:
http://www.troop111.org/bear.html
The adult advisors‘ motto for the Philmont trip is “I don’t know. I’m on vacation. Ask the crewleader.” The advisors would like to enjoy their vacation. They will enjoy their vacation if they can do as little as possible concerning the execution of trip. They would like to leave that in capable hands of the crewleader with help from the entire crew. On the other hand, the advisors want to do lots of stuff when it comes to having fun - lots of hiking, lots of activities, lots of challenge, lots of scenery. The advisors don’t care too much about which fun we have as long as there is lots of it. The advisors are spending two weeks of time off work plus $1000 to be advisors. They realize that a Philmont trip is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of us. They’ll get cranky if they’re not having fun. They won’t have fun if:
- The crew picks a really easy trek because they don’t want to work hard.
- Crewmembers don’t get physically and mentally prepared for the trip.
- Crewmembers adopt a “me first” attitude.
- The crew sleeps until 7am then takes 3 hours to get out of camp which means they have to hike through the heat of the day plus the afternoon thunderstorm and then miss the program at the next campsite because they got there too late.
- Crewmembers argue over whose job it is to pump water or hang bearbags.
- The crew decides to skip a 2-mile side hike to do a great extra program activity because they’re too tired.
- Crewmembers whine about how glad they’re going to be when they get back to Basecamp.
Philmont is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If each crewmember comes with the attitude that we’re going to work hard and play harder and that we’re going to suck every drop of adventure out of the trip that we can, the advisors will be happy.