On June 5, youth from Nyssa Boy Scout Troop 450 and one from Ontario Troop 400 traveled to Cimarron, New Mexico, to the Philmont High Adventure Camp, where they completed requirements to earn the 50-mile hike patch plus hiking and backpacking merit badges.
The Scouts carried backpacks with everything they would need for survival on the five-day trek. In addition, the Scouts worked three hours on a conservation project, clearing trails to earn the Philmont Arrowhead patch.
During the trek, they visited historic cabins at an old mining town which was a resupply point. They also visited a blacksmith shop where they made a butter knife and a horse camp where they were able to ride in the evening.
Philmont Scout Ranch spans 140,000 acres of rugged wilderness with elevation on the trails ranging from 6,500-12,441 feet. According to the Philmont website, it is “the Boy Scouts of America’s premier high adventure camp and the largest youth camp in the world serving nearly one million participants since 1938.”
Waite Phillips of Phillips Petroleum donated 127,000 acres of “his favorite ranch” to the Boy Scouts in the 1930s.
Preparation for this adventure started almost a year in advance with both fundraising and training hikes. The scouts and their leaders completed several 5-mile hikes locally, with backpacks, which paid off as Scoutmaster Ed Peterson reported there were only “3 blisters on the 50-mile hike, all on the last day.” There were challenges on the trek, particularly from the altitude reaching 8,000 feet, a rigorous rock face climb, and evening rains and a lightning storm on the last night.
The Scouts’ mileage varied, with 13 miles covered one day.
The troop learned how to set up bear bags for their food at each campsite, and they did see three black bears.
En route from Nyssa, the troop travelled to Moab, Utah, where they visited Arches National Park. Continuing to Philmont they traveled through the Apache Reservation, stopped at Four Corners and viewed Shiprock on the Navajo Reservation.
At Philmont, the Scouts and leaders went through a physical check and the leaders participated in classes for the trek. The next day, the group was dropped off at the trailhead and hiked one mile stopping at a checkpoint before continuing with that day’s hike.
Following the week at Philmont, the troop traveled north to Colorado and spent the night at Little America before continuing home.
The trek was a life-changing adventure for the scouts.
“The kids had a blast,” said Peterson. “It was a lot of work, but they had fun and learned a lot about themselves and their friends. They are already wanting to go again.”
In addition to Philmont, there are three other high adventure camps operated by the Boy Scouts: Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys, Northern Tier National High Adventure Canoe Base in Minnesota and Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, which is also the home base for the National Scout Jamboree.
The troop and leaders thanked the businesses and individuals who supported the trip. Donations included finances, equipment and a van.
The Nyssa troop’s next event will be Nov. 8-9, when they participate in the National Boy Scout service project “Scouting for Food.”
Boy and Girl Scouts will be at Nyssa M&W to accept food and monetary donations for the Nyssa Community Food Pantry.
WE NEED YOU – The Malheur Enterprise delivers quality local journalism – fair and accurate. We depend on support through subscriptions to deliver our reports. You can read it any hour, any day with a digital subscription. Read it on your phone, your Tablet, your home computer. Click subscribe – $7.50 a month.
