In the summer of 2013, my dad, my good friend Heath Demartini, and I embarked on an 82 mile backpacking trip in New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo mountain range (part of the lower Rockies) Although the three of us are part of Boy Scout Troop 9, we went with a contingent from Troop 74, who are in the same town as us. If you are or ever have been a scout, you may know that in this area of NM is the famous Philmont Scout Ranch, the worlds largest high-adventure scout camp.
After flying into Albuquerque, we headed toward Philmont Base Camp, where we spent the night and prepared for our trek. The first day of the trek was a short hike where a Philmont staff member came along with us and taught us Philmont's Leave No Trace practices. The rest of the days consisted of hiking and various programs. For example one day we were fly fishing, one day rock climbing, 3D archery one day, search and rescue simulations another.
In addition we climbed two of Philmont's famous peaks: Mt. Phillips and the Tooth of Time, Mt Phillips being our highest peak at 12,000 ft. We covered 82 miles over the two week period with one rest day in the middle. Overall it was a wonderful trip and I would highly reccomend going yourself if you ever have the chance.
Top of the Tooth of Time
My fellow trekkers and I at Window Rock in Philmont
