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When Alex Thebolt heard New Mexico’s Philmont Scout Ranch was the high point of Scouting, he couldn’t pass up a chance to go.
“The ranger (Robert Seigfried) for my crew said Philmont is the pinnacle of Scouting. He said that he never reached Eagle Scout rank, but that did not matter because Philmont was the true meaning of Scouting and what it stands for. I went to Philmont because I wanted to experience Scouting to its fullest,” Alex, 18, of Dundee, said.
Alex was the crew leader and one of eight Boy Scouts from Troop 511 of Dundee who went on a 12-day High Adventure backpacking trip to Philmonth Scout Ranch in Cimarron June 16-28. The others were Johnathon Reppert; Nate Hall, wilderness guia; Wyatt Hickey, chaplain aide; Michael Maciejewski; Parker Miller; Evan Peters; and Rylan Buckingham.
Accompanying them were four adult advisers, including James Reppert, the troop’s scoutmaster, a nurse and a wilderness trainer. The others were Roy Hickey, Doug Miller and Brian K. Thebolt.
High Adventures are outdoor experiences for Scouts that involve activities such as hiking, camping and canoeing. There are four High Adventure camps in the nation, including Philmont, which is known for its rugged trails and high peaks. Scouts also can find qualifying experiences on their own. Since 1939, more than a million Scouts and leaders have traveled to Philmont.
“I wanted to find a High Adventure trip that the Scouts could do and show what they are truly capable of. I was hoping to show that anything is possible if the group works together,” Reppert said. “It was huge accomplishment by the boys. Our itinerary was 12-32, and was one of the hardest treks to take.”
The challenges actually began months before the trip. The Scouts had to learn skills in Wilderness Survival camp, and they took a couple of backpacking trips to prepare for Philmont's long hikes.
“We went through so much preparation leading up to the day we left. So many weekends were spent hiking and camping with all of our backpacking gear,” Rylan, 13, of Petersburg, said.
Three of the adult advisers had to lose a combined 250 pounds to meet the height and weight restrictions for the trek. Nine of the 12 attendees completed Wilderness Training sessions, which covered topics like first aid, bleeding control and caring for poison emergencies.
The challenges continued at Philmont. The group had to scare a black bear away from camp, and it was close enough to hear a rattlesnake. The trail had no running water nor electricity. Temperatures reached 90 degrees or higher most days. They walked at least 100 miles over their stay.
“The itinerary states it was 84 miles, but we actually hiked over 100 miles (122 according to Garmin),” Reppert said.
“The biggest challenges were the distance we hiked and dehydration,” Johnathon, 16, of Dundee, said.
“Dehydration was our worst enemy,” Alex said. “We were required to drink 6 to 8 liters of water each day, even if we were not thirsty. The only thing that kept me going was sports drinks.”
“Sometimes I would get out of my tent and limp because of the toll the trek took on my leg muscles,” Alex said.
The group also climbed more than 20,000 feet and reached the top of two major mountains: Baldy and Tooth of Time.
“The Baldy Mountain peak is 12,441 above sea level,” Reppert said. “I personally experienced certain forms of acute mountain or altitude sickness, and I wasn’t certain that I was going to make it to the mountain top. There were others that I was concerned for as well. We stayed together as a group, and we slowly made it to the top. Standing on top of the mountain was like standing on top of the world. I could not have asked for a better group of people to experience it with.”
Tooth of Time was a bit shorter, at 9,413 feet.
“The trip out the mountainside was treacherous, rocky and dangerous,” Reppert said. “I got to enjoy seeing my son make it to the top. It may not have been nearly as tall as Baldy, but the view was amazing.”
The scoutmaster also recalled what he called “the trail of tears.”
“This is the 6-mile hike from the Tooth of Time back to Philmont. Although it is not the official name, it should be!” Reppert said. “During the six miles, you take switchbacks down from the top. Each switchback brings you back in view of base camp. With each one you feel you are almost there. When you get to the switchback seeing camp, it is like you didn’t move at all. But we made it, took off our packs and used flushing toilets again.”
The 12-day trip also offered experiences in blacksmithing, tours of mining sites, gold panning, .30-06 rifle reloading and shooting, homesteading, fly fishing and stargazing.
“It was so dark we could see the Milky Way and satellites across the night sky,” Reppert said.
Most of the boys cited climbing the two mountains as both the biggest challenge and the biggest highlight of High Adventure.
“The last 200 feet of Baldy was the hardest because it was a sharp, uphill climb on rocks. The view from the top of Baldy Mountain or Tooth of Time (was the highlight),” Rylan said. “The trek was a difficult one, but just being on top and looking around made it all worth it."
Michael, 18, of Maybee, said it was hard to breathe at that elevation. Parker, 14, of Dundee said he'd go back to Philmont just to see Tooth of Time again.
Other highlights of the trip, Evan, 15, of Dundee, said, were shooting rifles and joking on the trail. Alex appreciated the Philmont staff, which offered cabin tours and a program on homesteading called Rich Cabins, in which the staff sang about life in the late 1800s.
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