Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Philmont 2021 802-7Q

Outbound trip

  • stopped at Holbrook, camped at a AirBnB backyard tent site next to a KOA
  • very little rain

 

Holbrook camping

Day 1

  • waiting for everyone to fly and drive in so we could begin training
  • met ranger Ben
  • no flags or mess hall; food was given out in crates to eat at camp, better than normal food but I miss the community of the hall

Day 2

  • changed early bus to late bus due to disorganization
  • almost immediately after leaving camp, it started raining hard, then lightning
  • did lightning position for over an hour
  • walked through Zastrow and then hit a overflowing Rayado; couldn't find the sketchy bridge at first
  • got to camp around 7
  • on and off light rain while at camp
  • did bear bag training
  • did food training at 9pm
  • rained a bit overnight

Loading the bus to Zastrow trailhead

Getting ready to hike

Hiking in the rain

 Day 3

  • wet but no rain in the morning
  • hiked to Abreu for the tour, cantina and animals; they had a young burro
  • hiked up hill to Carson Meadows; started raining hard half mile from camp
  • waited on porch until rain stopped
  • campsite was nice but bear bag area was completely flooded
  • tent was on slope so didn't sleep well

Abreu homestead

Baby burro

Babies sleep a lot even when chickens bother them

Flooded bear hang

Carson Meadows cabin

Day4

  • one scout decided he couldn't keep hiking; he was having a rough time and I agreed with his decision; however, we had to wait for the staff to get a ride for him back to base camp
  • hike to Fish Camp was longer and more up and down than I remembered
  • got to camp too late for fishing
  • had great weather

Rayado River canyon

Dining fly at Fish Camp

Fish Camp cabin

 Day 5

  • woke up to lots of dew that soaked our tents
  • took a tour of the lodge which was really cool
  • hiked up the river but some of the foot bridges were washed out due the recent rain; we had to cross at the roads
  • first stop was Philips Junction to get our load of food and chocolate milk
  • continued on to Beaubien and go there in time for conservation project
  • cons was clear brush and making burn piles; I pulled my hamstring dragging wood up and down the hills but it was fun anyway
  • Chuckwagon dinner and campfire were great

Crossing the creek

Beaubien cabin


Making burn piles

 Day6

  • had nice sunny weather heading down the meadow
  • decided not to hit Trail Peak
  • went over Fowler Pass and down into Crater Lake
  • did spar pole climbing which was awesome; I was the only one not to make it to the top
  • last night on trail

Hiking down the meadow

Crater Lake cabin

Spar pole climbing

Day 7

  • cruised down the trail into Lovers Leap trailhead ahead of schedule
  • air was hazy due to smoke from western wildfires
  • decided to hike the extra 2 miles to basecamp rather than wait for the bus
  • fun campfire but it had terrible audio

On the trail

Flowers and Tooth of Time

 Day 8

  • long drive back home

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