Day 12: Tooth of Time Ridge [7.7 miles]

Darkness still gripped the meadow when we awoke at 4:45am to hike up Shaefer's Peak and the Tooth of Time. Although we knew we wouldn't see sunrise on the Tooth, we hoped to see the sun as it rose in the sky over Shaefer's Peak. We packed quickly and had a cold breakfast, our last on the trail. We had been told to wait until we could see our feet in front of us before hiking, so we got started shortly after 5am. Unfortunately, in the darkness of the camp, we left behind one of our bear bag lines.

Everyone still felt a bit groggy, so there wasn't much singing as we quietly climbed up the switchbacks to Shaefer's Peak. When we reach the start of the summit climb, we grabbed some snacks out and dropped our packs. Without weight on our backs, the trek up to the summit was easy, and we arrived in time to see an orange ball of fire glowing in our faces. The view over the southern side of the ranch was spectacular, and Alex and I paused to take in together how far we'd come over the past 10 days.

Back on the trail, our spirits rose with the sun, and it almost felt like we were running to the Tooth of Time. The ground grew rough and rocky, with unstable boulders rocking beneath our feet. By the time we reached the Tooth, nothing but granite could be seen all around. Putting down our packs, we looked up and saw huge slabs of rock stretching upwards. No trail could be seen, just a scramble over haphazardly leaning boulders. Despite our eagerness to reach the view at the top, we had to follow a line of other troops picking their way over the stones. When we reached the peak, we gathered around to enjoy our lunch and the 360-degree view of our entire journey. Looking back towards Mt. Baldy, our first tough climb of the trek, we were amazed to see it was a barely-visible bump on the horizon.

The trail descending the Tooth of Time Ridge gave us views of the Base Camp which were tantalizingly close, yet the hike seemed endless. As we left the higher elevations we could feel the hot desert climate once again asserting itself. The trees fell away, replaced by yucca and cactus. It was with weary legs and quite a bit of relief that we came upon the "Welcome Back" gate at the edge of camp. We had completed more than 80 miles on the trail, and we were ready to enjoy the benefits of civilization once more: showers, clean clothes, and hot food.

After returning our gear and cleaning up, we rushed to catch the bus to Cimarron for an afternoon of restaurant food and souvenir shopping. It felt great to stroll around with no load on our backs and to sit down to a hot cooked meal in a proper chair.

Day 11: Shaefer's Pass [6.6 miles]

On our way out of camp the next morning, the staff warned us that the route down the canyon was wet, with 43 stream crossings. This turned out to be a conservative estimate, as the boys counted no fewer than 50 crossing during our morning hike down Urraca Creek Canyon. By the end, not a single boot was dry.

We had a lunch stop at North Fork Urraca Camp before tackling the steep and muddy switchbacks up to Shaefer's Pass. As Shaefer's was labeled a dry camp, we filled up with water at a spring outside the camp. Shaefer's Pass was located in a beautiful meadow with lots of areas to play frisbee and have a good time. The only downside was how crowded the camp was — we hiked from one end to the other before finding a spot to set up our tents. With so many troops in the camp, voices could be heard ringing through the night late into the evening.

Day 10: Rain and Hail at Black Mountain Camp [5.5 miles]

We woke late and moved slowly, still feeling tired from the prior day. Frank had a ferocious headache, so we waited until 9 to let it subside.

The effects of 9 days hiking were definitely wearing on the crew. We got another late start and slowly climbed up a dry draw to the base of the Big Red summit. A few scouts felt too tired, and we split up — 4 to rest and play cards, while 4 of us dropped our packs and quickly scrambled up the short hike to the summit. At the top, we were surprised to find, instead of a treeless view, a band of 3 rangers, including Kentucky's ranger, Dan. They were covering 7 peaks and 28 miles on their day off. They shared stories and some surplus chocolate chips from the commisary.

Rejoining the other scouts at the base of Big Red, we descended the valley to Black Mountain staff camp. Unfortunately, we were caught in a heavy hail storm, with pea-sized pellets pelting us as we made muddy stream crossings. Undeterred, the boys burst into song and hurried to reach the shelter of camp.

After waiting out the rain in the blacksmith forge, the scouts were rewarded for their patience with a chance to shoot black powder rifles and split wood in the axeyard.

Day 9: Comanche Peak [9 miles]

After climbing up to the high elevations of Sawmill and Whistle Punk, our itinerary begain to head downwards. We hiked up Comanche Peak before lunch, were rebuffed by lightning in our attempt to summit Mt. Phillips, and then descended along the creek to Red Hill camp. We covered 9 miles for the day, and all of our knees ached from the miles of descent with packs laden with food. Red Hill was damp and lacked flat viable tentsites, but the running water lulled us to sleep.

Day 8: Through the Burn [10.2 miles]

As we awoke on heavy dew at sunrise, we were greeted by a clear sky, promising a hot day of hiking. We were scheduled to meet our ranger guide at 6:45am, to be led along with our sister crew from Kentucky through the fragile ecosystem left behind by the 2018 Ute Park Fire. The uphill sections were steep, and George, the lead advisor for the Kentucky crew, soon began to struggle. He had been battling altitude sickness and dehydration since Mt. Baldy. Jake, our enthusiastic ranger, first took some of the weight from George's pack, and eventually carried the entire pack, allowing George to continue. The landscape we traveled through was a stark, alien one — filled with the blackened corpses of trees. And yet, wildflowers and young aspens covered the eroding hillsides, beginning to stabilize the loose rock and soil. Jake told us that Philmont expected it to take 15 years before trail camps and paths within the burn area could be used again.

Due to the slow pace and frequent stops, our 7.7 mile hike to Sawmill staff camp took about 6 hours. A hot and thirsty group of scouts entered the camp for a late lunch and our final food pickup. For our last 5 days, we would carry all our food and trash back to Base Camp. The boys were excited to not only be able to shoot .306 rifles but to reload their own bullets. Each scout was taught to fill their 3 cartridges with powder, add a priming cap, and seal with the bullet tip. While they hiked to the firing range, I napped on the porch — a nap soon interrupted by an afternoon hailstorm.

Once the shooting was done, we packed up and hiked in the late afternoon to our camp at Whistle Punk — a short 2.5 miles. After a day hiking 10.2 miles, we were tired, but happy to settle into a warm dinner with generous helpings of jambalaya. Whistle Punk was a strange environment, littered with hundreds of dead, bleached branches and trees, and the remaining live trees draped with Spanish Moss. A campfire followed by stargazing completed the evening.

Day 7: Kicking back at Cimarroncita [5.8 miles]

After such a strenuous day, we set no alarms, and everyone slept in until the sun woke us. We continued to enjoy the companionship of the Kentucky crew. Eventually we hit the trail around 9am and began our descent to Cimarroncita. Our hike took us down long switchbacks to a dry gulch. The riverbed was hot and dry and showed signs of prior flash floods. Finally, we passed through a channel under the highway and hiked uphill to Cimarroncita camp, a sprawling compound spread out over a large field.

Since our hike was short, a mere 5.8 miles, we had a long afternoon to enjoy our campsite and the activities at the staff camp. We tried our hands at 3D archery, shooting lions, turkeys, and a T-rex. The rangemaster taunted us, offering a free pastry to anyone who could hit the turkey in the head. Mike Ferraro had some terrific shots, but it was Mike Duffy who rose to the challenge and pegged the turkey's head. Later, he graciously shared the hard-won danish with the whole crew.

Afterwards, we got to shoot at wild boar in a virtual hunting simulator. Avid gamers Frank and Mike excelled at the game. After some strenuous frisbee-playing on the meadow, we had a quick dinner before Mike and I headed to Advisors' Coffee. It was fun to swap stories with camp staff and other crew advisors until the sky darkened. We all headed to bed to get ready for our early hike the next day.

Day 6: Where is Camp Mistletoe? [14 miles]

After days of ascending, it was nice to leave Baldy Town on a long gradual descent. We hiked through beautiful landscapes: aspen groves; breath-taking meadows at Camp Miranda; creeks and valleys. We climbed muddy switchbacks behind burros to get to Head of Dean Camp. Our route there had been scenic, but after 7 miles, we still had a way to go to our camp.

I played some basketball with Griffin and Duffy after lunch, and then the boys began a COPE teamwork challenge. They were presented with physical challenges requiring communication and coordination, and discussed their on-trail communication breakdowns.

The final leg of our hike took us through Camp Santa Claus to Mistletoe, a hike measuring 5 miles. When we came to Santa Claus, we were able to look back and see Mt. Baldy, looking very distant after a day's travels. Unfortunately, a mile out of the camp, we found ourselves descending a steep and unexpected valley, and quickly realized we had taken a wrong turn. Now facing the pressure of impending darkness, we pressed on. Along the trail, we came across our sister crew, 708-L from Frankfurt, KY, who had followed the same false trail. Together we all tried to find Camp Mistletoe, but the entrance trail was still under construction and poorly marked. Just as darkness fell, we bushwhacked up the hill to where the GPS indicated our camp should be. To the strains of Battle Hymn of the Republic, both crews stumbled into the first campsite we found and hastily setup camp and made dinner in the dark. A shared campfire seemed a fitting end to a tough day. We covered an unexpected 14 miles.

Day 5: Summiting Mt. Baldy [6 miles]

Brrrring! Alarms rang in the darkness at 4:30am, forcing us to confront the impending 3000-foot climb. We quickly ate and packed our day packs, meeting in Baldy Town to start the climb at 6:00. By 6:40 we were trudging up the trail. What started as rapid switchbacks eventually turned into long steep grades. Despite our breathlessness, the boys continued our practice of singing in unison as we hiked.

Before the hike started, Griffin had led a discussion of the troop's discontent, and everyone aired their frustrations. They agreed to let some of the slower scouts lead the pace-setting. We took frequent breaks up the steep hill, but at long last arrived at a high alpine meadow above treeline. The view was beautiful, but above us loomed the red crown of Mt. Baldy. The ascent to the summit was a tough and treacherous climb up loose scree. Finally, at 9:40, we reached our goal. Thr summit was cool and blustery, and we were glad for our jackets and clothing layers. We found reprieve in the lee of a stone circle, and ate our lunches and rested before the descent.

A brief aside on Philmont lunches: many consist of pouches of tuna, chicken, or ham, to be eaten with crackers. Our boys are almost universal in boycotting these meat pouches. They try to scrounge extra energy bars where they can, to supplement their calories.

After taking a look at the sketchy North side trail down, we elected to return the way we came up, on the southern trail. The hike back down was tricky, but we made it back to camp by early afternoon. The afternoon was filled with picking up food and much-deserved showers. We completed 6 miles and 3000 vertical feet in the day.

Day 4: Towards Baldy Town [6 miles]

We woke with the light, and had to say goodbye to Jack, who was headed back to Base Camp for his day off. Our hike to French Henry staff camp followed the creek. We crossed the creek many times as we followed the muddy path up the canyon wall. After a few miles, we came to the camp, which is on the site of a former gold mine. The staff explained the history of mining in the area, and then the scouts got to try their hands at gold panning in the stream. The most interesting finds were shiny flakes of mica and green malachite.

After our break, we started a tough climb up to Baldy Town (elv. 9825ft). The climb was steep, and as the elevation increased, we struggled to catch our breath. Tempers flared as the scouts struggled to stay togther.

Arriving in Baldy Town, we found our campsite was nestled in a stunning grove of aspens. Our hiking for the day covered 6 miles. Although afternoon rain and hail kept us pinned under cover for a bit, when it cleared, sun filtered down through the rustling aspen leaves.

After hanging bear bags and eating dinner, we got to bed early, knowing that we had to rise early for our hike up Mt. Baldy the next day. Overnight, we awakened to a long thunderstorm, with lightning, hail, and rain pounding the campsite for what seemed like forever.

Day 3: Conservation Project [9.1 miles]

We awake in darkness to hastily pack up and get to our conservation project at 7am. The trail we travel is narrow and eroded, snaking along a canyon and through draws. All of a sudden we came around a corner to hear, "I know you guys." Will Swanson, returning to Base Camp for a new crew, greeted us. How lucky to see him on the trail.

At our trail conservation project site in Flume Canyon, we met "Barbs," a civil engineer, and the "Flume Wizard," who explained the construction of the trail. The CONS team was building three reatining walls and need rocsk smashed to gravel, dirt moved for backfill, and large boulders broken up for removal. For two hours, the scouts gleefully wielded 8- and 12-lb sledgehammers and hauled buckets of dirt. The CONS staff were very appreciative of our efforts.

As we put our packs back on, our ranger, Jack, suggested we take a side hike up to the top of a mesa for lunch. We enjoyed our lunch, tossing the frisbee, and a 270-degree view of the ranch.

After lunch, we hiked back down and finished up with a two-mile hike to Camp Pueblano, where we learned to saw logs with a bucksaw. Our campsite for the day was at Pueblano Ruins, surrounded on both sides by streams. The total mileage for the day was 9.1 miles.

Day 2: Ponil Trailhead [2.1 miles]

Waking up to our beautiful view of the tooth of time, our crew made last-minute preparations to depart. At 10:00 we caught the bus to the Ponil trailhead. As we were still getting acclimated to the altitude, we hiked only a short distance, ending up at Camp Ponil. The scouts (and advisors) were excited to have a fresh root beer at the camp saloon. We all tried our hand at lasooing "metal cattle" with one success each by Griffin and Charlie.

Leaving the staff camp at 2, we had only another short mile hike to our campsite at Dean Cutoff. Our ranger, Jack, demonstrated how to hang the bear bag, to keep food out of reach of hungry bears. Later, we setup our dining rain fly and ate a communal meal of Mexican beans and vegetables -- the flavor of which was greatly improved by Mike's habanero salsa. As soon as darkness came, I hit the sack. It was a great feeling to go to sleep to the sound of the nearby burbling brook. Total miles: 2.1

Colorado Springs Arrival [2.8 miles]

We arrived in Denver early in the morning and were taken by bus to Red Rocks. In order to begin acclimating to the mile-high altitude, we took a 1.8-mile hike around the park, ending in the stunning Red Rocks Ampitheatre concert venue. Unwilling to be satisfied wuth their exertions, the boys challenged each other to run up the 67 rows of benches to the top a couple of times. This was, in the words of Daschel, “a bad idea.” Looking up at the towering rocks which formed the amphitheater, it was amazing to see the striated rock thrust upwards by geological forces to almost a 45-degree angle. They called the two large natural formations on either side Ship Rock and Creation Rock.

After another hourlong bus ride, we arrived at our second location, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. While we were unable to tour the campus due to COVID, we hiked along the academy property for a bit, getting a bit more exercise before we headed to the hotel.

We were all pretty excited when we arrived and found out that we were staying at Great Wolf Lodge and had the full run of the resort. The boys spent the rest of the afternoon at the waterpark, and after Blue Sky provided a warm dinner of spaghetti and meatballs (with plenty of breadsticks), they even convinced me to join them on the whitewater raft. They also convinced me to try the Wolf Tail, a vertical drop in a darkened tube. Following Alex's advice, I held my nose to avoid getting my sinuses filled by a jet of water.