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.
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