The past summer, Boy Scout Troop 79 went on a 12-day expedition trek throughout the Rocky Mountains. These treks can be anywhere from 50-120 miles during your 12-day trip, wearing a backpack up to 50 lbs each day. Would you ever go on a hike like this?

Troop 79 flew out of the Philidelphia Airport to Denver, Colorado, taking a bus to the Philmont Ranch. The troop started their mornings by waking up around 6 a.m. to make breakfast and pack up their campsite. Scouts made their breakfast using their portable stove, and then the hike started. During the day, they would stop to take breaks, enjoy the views, and eat lunch. The Scouts made their food by boiling water on a portable stove and adding dehydrated foods or oatmeal to it. Almost every day on the trip it poured, but Robert Silber, a Boy Scout said “The scenery was beautiful”. Each day, the Scouts had a fun activity to participate in such as horseback riding, fly fishing, and more. The rain had been a major setback for the Scouts, taking away many activities, and prolonging their hiking routes some days. Throughout the trip, Scouts had to learn how to budget their time wisely, because each day was a race against daylight to arrive and set up camp before dark. Arriving at the camp at night would not be very ideal for the Scouts, and would result in them putting up tents in the rain, and the dark. The next morning they would take down camp, and do the same thing all over again. By the end of the trip, the Boy Scouts earned their Philmont Arrow Head Patch which is awarded to all scouts after finishing their expedition. Silber said “I would recommend it; it was an experience”, and says he would like to take another hike similar to this one.

The Philmont ranch was founded in 1938 by Waite Phillips, now located in Colfax County, New Mexico. The ranch’s land stretches through the east side of the Cimeron range on the Rocky Mountains, with Philmont owning around 140,000 acres. Since the opening of the ranch in 1939, around one million Boy Scouts have gone on a trek at Philmont. If you would like to become involved in a Boy Scout Troop and go on trips like these in the future, you may sign up on the Boy Scouts’ main website!