Continue to Day 3
Day One, The First Day in Base Camp
Stewart and I were up at first light, about 5:30. From this point
on we functioned as two separate crews. Rusty would take charge of
N1 and Kelsey would take charge of N2. This had been determined by
crew vote back in Corvallis. The crews had been balanced by the
Scoutmaster after listening to a whole lot of advice from everyone.
This was not an easy task.
Kelsey had asked to be awakened then he would get everyone else up.
Stewart accomplished this with a tune on his harmonica. This
worked quite well and got us going for a busy day. Several people
had a quick shower and we were soon ready for our first meal,
breakfast in the dinning hall.
After breakfast, the advisors and crew leaders went to the
welcoming center, where we had checked in the night before, and met
our rangers. They would be our guides for the first few days and
act as trainers for the Philmont experience. There were
introductions all around, then the rangers were introduced to the
rest of each crew. Kevin Hart of Ohio was assigned to N1. This
worked out well because Mike had attended collage at Ohio State.
Sam Lindblon of Alabama was assigned to N2. Sam had expected a day
off as he had just returned from getting his first crew off on
their own. Because we had 14 members in our group it was necessary
to split into 2 crews. There is a limit of from 7 to 12 people per
crew.
Training began immediately. We were told that each of us needed to
have water and raingear with us at all times, even in Base Camp.
Sam outlined our schedule for the day which included but was not
limited to; medical checks, pictures, equipment check out, map &
compass, fuel up, shake down, etc. Our sister crew received
similar training and instructions from their ranger.
We began with a visit to Logistics where we were to go over the
itinerary. This included going over the Philmont map and noting
where our camps would be, where we would need to look for water,
where and when we would pick up our food, and where we could expect
to find program and staffed sites. Fishing licenses would need to
be purchased by anyone who wished to fish. This could be done at
Fish Camp or Base Camp Services. Programs generally run from 8 to
5. The commissaries are open at those hours also. Later we would
discover that everything closes down for an hour at noon. We
signed up for horse rides at Beaubien and 3 hours of conservation
at Cathedral Rock. Terry Douchow was our trek planner in
Logistics. While we were there we noticed that there was a board
that listed trail conditions, water conditions, and where bears
have been sighted.
Next we went to Services where we met with Terry Nelson, our
service manager. He spoke directly to Kelsey and told him that he
had to take good care of his advisors because we were on vacation.
Stewart and I reminded Kelsey of this at every opportunity through
out the trek. Terry told Kelsey that if we did not get to the
correct commissary at the correct time that we would have to eat
nuts and berries. We were told that replacement packs and gear
could be delivered to a staff camp if needed and that we would pay
for all damage to gear except that caused by animal, wind, weather,
or natural causes when signed for by a Philmont staffer. Terry
finished with a personal statement to Kelsey that he plan to finish
the requirements for his Eagle rank and not swerve from that goal.
This was a very positive message for which I thanked him.
We then went on to check out gear and food for the first 3 days.
This was accomplished by splitting the crew into 2 groups so that
both could be done at the same time at different windows. 4 tents
and a patrol rain fly were checked out and strung up on hooks and
bungies so that they could be inspected for holes, tears, and bad
zippers. I had brought my new Sphinx tent by Sierra Designs to
Philmont to make sure I could have a tent to myself. Sam was
required to take a look at it also to make sure it would stand up
to the fickle mountain weather at Philmont. We also made sure at
the check out that we received exactly what we signed for. At the
end of the trek we had lost 1 set of aluminum pot pliers which we
had to pay for. I still think we have them in someones backpack.
Tim and Jay arrived at about lunch time with the story of what had
happened to their luggage and how they got a ride to Philmont with
another crew. All of their gear was found but the airline refused
to pay for their overnight lodging while they waited for the lost
luggage. The airline felt it could be sent to Philmont, but Tim
thought there might be a timing problem which could keep them off
the trail. However, it all worked out.
After a lunch of hamburgers, corn, salad, and chocolate pudding,
our crew went for medical checks. Luke had somehow forgotten his
in Corvallis. His mother was able to have it sent by UPS and it
arrived later in the day, just in time. While waiting for the
medical checks to be completed for each individual, Sam went over
the map and compass skills we would need. This included realizing
that Declination at Philmont is 10 1/2 to 11 degrees East. To make
it simple the scouts are told to use 10 degrees as most of the time
that will be close enough.
Next we went to get our official picture taken. This included one
with hats and one without. We were told that the one without hats
was to help identify us in case of an accident like getting chewed
by bears, falling off a cliff, or being struck by lightening. We
chose the picture with hats on to take home with us. The pictures
are processed in a darkroom at Philmont while we are out on the
trail and would be ready when we returned. I had a passing staffer
take a couple of pictures with my camera at this time also.
After pictures it was time for the shake down. Sam led us to a
grassy area in the shade for this exercise. We had done this back
in Corvallis, but we still found things to leave in Base Camp.
Everyone took everything out of their backpack and placed it on
their ground cloth. We went through the check list of recommended
items and set those things aside. Everything else was questioned
as to their need. Excess gear was to be left in a locker in the
Services area. Other valuables such as extra money and wallets
could be left in a safe in the Camping Office. During the shake
down we discovered that Kelsey needed a different backpack.
Somehow in our preparations in Corvallis we had overlooked some
serious problems with his hip straps and tie down straps. With the
rangers recommendation we later convinced Kelsey to rent a backpack
from Services for $12.50. That was a good idea which we should
also have talked Ted into doing. Ted used cord to tie things
to his backpack which was time consuming and very inconvenient on
those mornings when we wanted a quick start out of camp.
On the way back to our tents, Stewart and I stopped at Services to
buy fuel for our stoves and to check for incoming mail next door at
the Post Office. No mail, but I purchased some stamps for my
picture post cards and inquired as to the mail service in the back
country. I was told that mail could be deposited at any staffed
area but that incoming mail would be held for us at the Base Camp
Post Office.
Dinner this evening was Ham, Potatoes, Biscuits, Salad, Lemon
Pudding, and Milk, Juice, etc. Each time we enter the cafeteria we
pause at the door and recite the Philmont Grace. The scouts soon
had it memorized. It goes like this.
For food, for raiment,
For life, for opportunity,
For friendship and fellowship,
We thank thee, O Lord. Amen
After dinner, the scouts had some time to visit the Snack Bar and
the Trading Post. Mike had purchased some additional maps for us.
It was recommended that each crew have a minimum of 2 maps. More
would be better in case we got separated or were forced to separate
for an emergency. These were passed out to crew chiefs and
advisors. Several people had also acquired maps on their own, so
we were well covered. I passed out some leather scraps to everyone
that I had acquired in Corvallis for the purpose of collecting the
Philmont Ranch brands. There is one for horses and another for
cattle. I was glad to lighten my pack weight by even those few
ounces.
While the scouts were on their own, the advisors went for some
extra training. We met with some key staff people and all of
the other advisors that would be hitting the trail the the next
morning. We checked to see who had been to Philmont the greatest
number of times and that person would help pass out awards at the
closing campfire when we returned to base camp from our trek.
Some history of the camp was told to us and some future opportunities
for camping in other seasons was revealed. There are now experiences
for winter camping at Philmont. This will include Philmont providing
all of the necessary equipment, including clothing and skis or snow shoes.
After that session I picked up some instant coffee packets that
were not available anywhere else on Philmont. I ended up not using
any of these in the back country because each of the staffed areas would
have a pot of hot coffee waiting for us if we wanted it. This was
a change from my first trek in 1988. At that time there was no
coffee anywhere on Philmont.
After the advisor training meeting, we found out that Luke's
medical form had arrived. This saved us the need to pay a camp
Doctor for a physical. There had been some mix-up as to where the
form would be delivered by UPS. But we found it, and sent Luke off
to have it checked by the medical staff.
Next we set about dividing up the crew equipment so that each scout
could get his backpack ready for the morning departure. We
selected the 2 larger pots and 1 large fry pan, rejecting the
smaller pots and pans. We also rejected the large section of the
rain fly poles to lighten the load. The fly will be a little
lower, but quite usable. It should be noted that we needed a few
more tent pegs than I had recommended. The guidebook was correct,
10 or 12 pegs for Philmont tents, but only 6 or 8 for the trail
fly. We managed just fine because Kelsey had extras.
Later in the evening we all met at the Welcoming Center at about
8:15 for the Opening Campfire program. There was a lot of noise
and horseplay from the staff while we waited for everyone to
arrive, then they led us on a short hike across the road, past the
Seaton Memorial Library to the opening campfire area where we listened
to the Philmont Story. This was accomplished through a series of scenes
and skits presented by the staff that chronicled the history of Philmont.
The program began with segments about the Native Americans,
followed by the Spanish, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Gold Miners,
Loggers and Railroads, Waite Philips, and the Scouts. A trek at
Philmont is a trek into the history of the Old West. The program
gave us a little more information about what we might expect to
experience in the adventure ahead of us. We finished the campfire
by singing the Philmont Hymn.
Silver on the sage
Star-lit skies above
Aspen covered hills
Country that I love.
Philmont, here's to thee
Scouting Paradise
Out in God's country -- tonight.
Wind in whisp'ring pines
Eagles soaring high
Purple mountains rise
Against an azure sky.
Philmont, here's to thee
Scouting Paradise
Out in God's country -- tonight.
We quietly returned to our tents. It should be noted here that
this opening campfire was the only time we had to deal with any
mosquitoes at Philmont.
After the campfire, Stewart and I convinced Kelsey that he should
rent a Philmont backpack the next morning before we left for the
back country. This was acceptable to him, so it was decided. We
would pick it up in the morning.
Before turning in, some of us went back to the Snack Bar to watch
the patch trading. Zach was participating in some trading with
a few of the big time collectors that were there. They had boxes
and albums and stacks of patches. It was fascinating. I met another
on looker named Mike Waters who is on the staff as a photographer.
He knows Danny Anderson in Corvallis and will be attending the
University of Washington in Foreign Studies this fall. We had a
pleasant talk. That is how I found out that Philmont has a photo
lab of their own.
By the time I arrived back at my tent, Stewart was asleep and
giving us a serenade with his zzzzz's. All of our scouts were in
their tents, but I could hear them talking quietly. There were
other folks just outside of our area that were talking and
laughing. That was understandable, because most of us would be
hitting the trail early next morning and excitement was high for
everyone. I enjoyed listening to their voices and was comfortable
in the warmth that still rose from the ground, even though the sun
had disappeared long before while weå were at the campfire. I was
glad that Stewart and I had decided to leave both ends of the tent
open to get the cool air in. The canvas also felt warm and I could
smell the sage just outside. From my army cot I watched the New
Mexico stars blinking over the plains to the East. In my mind, I
went over the details of what we needed to do in the morning.
Picture Post Card of Villa Philmonte post marked Cimarron N.M. June
19, 1992.
Hi, Thursday night 9:45 6/18/92 |
It has been very busy. We are | 19 cents
pretty much ready to head out |
tomorrow. Zach is trading |
patches with some guys from |
the East. It's big time. | Marian Veley
Weather is good. No rain. | 1639 Bullevard
Temp in 80's. All are healthy. | Philomath OR 97370
I'm having all the fun I |
remembered with Alex. The |
only change is, there are |
more girls here than before.
I think the boys like it. Love, Bill & Zach.
Day Two, The First Day on the Trail to Rayado River Camp
This morning I was up at 5:00am and off to the showers. I knew it
would be several days before I would have a good opportunity, so I
washed clothes as well. They have an advisors lodge set aside for
us, complete with hot coffee and cookies. I'm on vacation, right?
There are always some old timers sitting around the lodge telling
stories of how it used to be. This time I visited briefly with
some national level scouters who regularly bring multiple groups
from their councils in the East. They stay in Base Camp at night
and drive out to the staffed areas during the day and visit each of
their units. There are pictures and maps on the walls that
document some of the early days at Philmont.
I returned to our tent area to finish packing and give some
encouragement to the few that can't seem to get going. We had to
get all of our food and the crew gear into our packs. This was a
challenge. The area had to be cleaned and the tents swept out
before we could check out. We decided to save some time by moving
our backpacks to where the bus would pick us up before we went to
breakfast. We also needed to take all of the excess gear to the
lockers. There was some confusion at this time probably brought on
by my personal need to get everywhere a little earlier than
necessary. I remember a phrase from Woodbadge that went something
like: If your early your on time, if your on time your late, if your late
don't bother to show up. In this case, we had a bus to catch precisely
at 8:00am that would not wait, so I felt compelled to push a little.
Kelsey was sent to Service to rent his new Backpack. He would then
have to transfer his gear to the new pack and take his old pack to
the lockers. We also had to take money and valuables to be placed
in the Office Safe. Our backpacks were set up in a pack line and
we went off to a breakfast of Bacon, Waffles, and Corn Flakes.
After breakfast, with just minutes to spare we were loading the bus
and I noticed that Ted had failed to take his duffel bag to the
lockers when the rest of us had taken ours. We quickly conferred
with the driver and he affirmed that he had a schedule to keep and
would have to leave right at 8:00. I had to retrieve the keys to
the lockers from my day pack and asked Ted if he was ready to run.
He didn't fully understand what I was trying to tell him, but said
yes, and we took off. All of the Scouts yelled at him to take the
duffel with him which he had forgotten to pick up. In his haste,
he nearly ran into a parked car. We made it back to the bus a
couple of minutes after 8. The driver had waited, but I was winded
and decided to jump our crew chief for not making sure that
everyone had heard all of the instructions. I felt it was a
"teachable moment" and later was told that everyone thought I was
really angry at Kelsey. I may have overstated the problem. In
looking back, we all thought it was a very humorous event.
On the ride out of Base Camp our rangers kept up a banter about the
places we were passing. They pointed out Urraca Mesa, which from
above, looks like a human skull and was thought to be a place of
evil spirits by the early Native Americans. They told of a time
when some cowboys escaped hostiles by going to the Mesa where they
knew they would not be followed.
The rangers also pointed out the Grizzly Tooth which is an
extrusion of dacite porphory like the Tooth of Time. It appears
to be much lower in elevation than the Tooth of Time, but is
actually about the same elevation. We passed a bed and breakfast
that was once the home of the ranch foreman, and drove by the
Miami Mesa which is reported to be the largest complete mesa in the
world.
Several times we drove over cattle guards in the road which the
rangers called Mini Bear Traps. The story is that the traps were
constructed to prevent the "city" Mini Bears from visiting the
"country" Mini Bears, because if they inter-breed they produce a
ferocious Mini Bear that is difficult to control. Each time the
bus went over the traps there would be a terrific bump and the
rangers would yell out, "There goes another Mini Bear into the
trap." We all cheered at this.
We drove past the small settlement of Rayado where the Kit Carson
museum is located. We had tried to negotiate a stop there, but
to no avail. I had visited there in 1988 and found it interesting.
It is the site where Kit Carson once lived and has been somewhat
restored and staffed by Scouters who demonstrate some of the crafts
and skills of that era.
Our drop was at Zastro Turnaround, just west of Rayado and south of
Urraca Mesa. As we pulled to a stop, we sighted a large Mule Deer
trotting off. It would be the first of many we would see on our
adventure. After the bus left us we separated into our two crews
to continue ranger training. N1 immediately went to a shaded spot
and started map and compass training. N2 had already finished that
and after several minutes of pack adjustments and a look at our
maps, we started up the trail.
Base Camp elevation was about 6600 feet. We left the bus at about
6850 feet and would hike about 2 miles to an elevation of about
7200 feet. The first campsite would be at Rayado River Camp. On
the way in, our first rest stop was at the Zastro Training Center.
Zastro is used primarily for Woodbadge training and is set in
amongst Scrub Oak and Rocky Mountain Juniper, along the Rayado
River. There is a trail junction near there that proved to be
somewhat confusing for N1. They took a wrong turn and Kevin ended
up having them wade the river to get back on track.
Ranger training took place at every opportunity. We discussed
hiking speed and distance traveled. We learned how to deal with
obstructions in our path and forks in the trail. At the second
rest stop we learned the procedure for purifying water with
PolarPure brand Iodine Crystals. Sam gave us the Alabama
pronunciation as Eye-deen. The formula is: 2 caps per quart then
wait 20 minutes, and remember to replenish the water in the
PolarPure bottle.
It is not bad tasting like the old Iodine tablets, but I still
prefer our filters, which leave no taste at all.
We got to our first campsite ahead of the other crew and chose
site #3 after looking at all three of the sites. It is closest to
water and has good shade under Ponderosa Pine, Pinyon Pine, and
Scrub Oak. We had no trouble finding the fire ring and sump, but
it took a little while to find the bear cable. Finding the bear
cable proved to be difficult at many of our camps since it often
blends in with the tree branches and other cover.
After a critique of the tent sites we decided where the best place
would be for the rain fly which always goes up first. It will give
us quick cover if there is a sudden rain fall or hail, which we
would experience the next evening at Crags Camp. But for now, we
were lucky and there was plenty of time for Sam to show us the
correct way to set up the rain fly and our tents.
The placement of the rain fly and our tents was critical because of
the presence of bears in the wilderness. There is an imaginary
triangle with points at the fire pit where cooking is done, the
sump where waste water is dumped, and the bear cable where food and
all smellables are hung when we are away from camp. We are
instructed not to place our tents or the rain fly inside that
triangle. The reason is that a bear tends to move from point to
point of the triangle in search of a free meal. We don't want him
wandering into our tents by accident, so we make certain we sleep
outside of the triangle.
We worked together to set up the rainfly first, because it will
house our crew or patrol gear and will be our emergency shelter.
It goes up quickly then we move to set up our tents. I chose a
comfortable spot under a Juniper and out of the way of foot
traffic.
Next it was time for our first trail lunch. We moved to the
stream bank and found a pleasant place to sit and watch the water
and sky as well as anything else that wandered by. Sam told us
that we should always try to find interesting places to take our
rest stops and really observe what was happening around us. This
was such a place. The Rayado River is a river of life for the dry
land around it. At this site it is about 15 feet across with
Willow and Aspen along the banks. I chose a nice rock to sit on
under a Ponderosa Pine.
Our lunch was Gram Crackers, Peanut Butter, and Grape Jelly.
These last were packaged in Squeezers Combo Packs of 2 ounce size.
We also had some Hickory Smoked Beef Jerky, dried Pineapple, and
Orange Drink Powder that we mixed in our water bottles. The drink
mix was the favorite of everyone throughout the trek. It could
have been used for money. When we had finished lunch Sam held a
contest to see which group of 3 or 4 people could get their trash
compacted into the smallest size container. He was good at this.
The theory is to make it as easy as possible to pack out afterwards.
All of the crumbs and drooped food had to carefully be picked
up, with stories of bears tearing up packs, tents, and scouts who
had failed to do the job correctly in the past. When we were sure
that every crumb was collected, it went into the bear bag to be
lofted safely out of reach of bears and mini-bears. The last step
was to sprinkle and spread the leaves and needles around so that
nobody would know we had ever been there. We left it as beautiful
as we had found it.
We moved to another spot where we could stretch out on the soft
pine needles and continued our training. We reviewed First Aid,
including quizzing on all of the following;
· CPR
· Bleeding
· Stopped breathing
· Shock
· Heart Attach
· Dehydration
· Hypo Thermia
· Heat Exaustion
· Heat Stroke
· Sunburn
· Altitude Sickness
· Insect bites
· Snake or Rodent bites
· Hyper Ventilation
· Broken bones
· Burns
· Eye injury
Next we went through Emergency Procedures which are to be followed
in any medical emergency or accident.
Before you set out on your adventure you should write the following
on the back of your map as a check list;
1. Subjects Name:
2. Expedition # (618N2) or Identification # (Troop 2)
3. Exact Location:
4. Time of Incident:
5. Exactly What Happened:
6. What's Wrong:
7. What is their Condition:
A M P L E
Allergies:
Medications:
Previous Illness:
Last Meal Eaten:
Events Preceding Injury:
· Sending For Help Check list
1. 4 People
2. Map and Compass
3. Information
4. Water
5. Raingear
6. Food
7. Warm Clothes
8. First Aid Kit/Matches
9. Flashlight
10 Wrist Watch
DON'T PANIC
Place an X on the spot on your map where you are.
Write down the intersecting grid lines
Longitude/Latitude
Use Decimal System
· Training continued with a discussion of Horseplay and the use of
Common Sense in preventing accidents.
· When caught in a Lightening Storm GET OFF AND STAY OFF of High
Points. In a meadow you should drop your pack and stand or squat
with heels touching.
· Bears are Curious, Hungry, and Lazy. They will return to a site
where they have once found food. Make a NOISE to keep them away.
BUT, if he is already in your camp, Quietly Get Together and STAY
STILL. Allow the bear to do what he wants. Not a good idea to
take a picture with a flash. Not a good idea to have food in your
pocket.
· When you are Lost or Alone, Stay Put, Blow a Whistle, Eat if
Hungry, and Drink Your Water.
· We reviewed safety with Knives and Saws.
· Stay away from Open Mine Shafts. Mark where they are and Report
where they are Located.
· Use a Latrine or KYBO for bowel movements, otherwise use a tree or
bush, far from water.
· Drink an adequate amount of water so that when you pass water it is
"Clear and Copious." That phrase came up again and again and is
important at high altitude.
· Personal Hygiene & Showers when available. Brush your teeth.
At this point we took a rest break from training and relaxed a
little.
Sam, Kelsey, Jonathan, and I took a hike up the river to Abreu for
a visit to the Cantina and the Adobe area. We hiked through the
trees, cross country, until we struck the trail and came to the
bridge across the Rayado. I found out that Rayado River Camp is in
the responsibility area of the staff at Abreu. Sam was friends
with one of the attractive lady staffers by the name of Abby. She
is a student at Texas A & M. There was also a young Mexican lady
from Sonora, Mexico who had arrived just the day before and spoke
only Spanish, named Lucy. The keeper of the Cantina was a young
African who was spending his summer learning about the BSA. He had
plans to take what he learned back to his country to show scouts
there how Americans do things. The African spoke good English.
We tried all of our Spanish but, unfortunately, we couldn't really
communicate very well with Lucy. Abby was interesting because of
her work with the reconstruction of the Adobe Cantina and her
knowledge of early New Mexico life styles.
We filled our water bottles, drank Root Beer, and watched Deer walk
through the meadow. While we were there, a group of children
escorted by staff visited from the Base Camp. Their parents were
in training at Philmont so the kids were experiencing Philmont on
their own. They all drank Root Beer and ate peanuts. We all
winced when they through the shells on the clean swept dirt floor of the
Cantina.
It was getting close to dinner time so we returned to our camp.
Sam cooked the dinner for us which was Turkey Noodles and a Peaches
and Cream Pie. It was a very tasty meal. Afterwards, Sam
explained how we would do cleanup at Philmont. The important
points are that all trash and food scraps are carried out, soapy
water is drained through a sieve into a sump, and clean dishes are
sanitized with chemicals. One pot is washed into another and
dirty water is collected for ultimate disposal into the sump.
After clean up we collected everything into the bear bags and took
them to the bear cable. To get the bags into the air we first had
to double the bear rope and mark the exact center of the rope with
an overhand knot. Then we took turns trying to throw the rope over
the cable which was strung between two tall Ponderosa Pines at a
height of about 18 feet. When this was accomplished we undid the
overhand knot and tied each of the bags to the rope using larks
head knots. The next step was to get a number of scouts on each of
the two rope ends and hoist the bags into the air. Then each rope
was tied off to separate trees. A smart bear might untie or slash
one rope but probably not both ropes, so we felt that our food and
smellables were safe.
With the bear bags secured, we decided that we should all go over
to Abreu for some Root Beer and Burro races. Earlier we had found
out that the program would begin at 7:00pm. At that time we were
the only campers in the area. On the way over we discovered that
at least three more groups, including our sister crew (N1) had set
up their camps and would be participating in the races.
The first part of the program was a demonstration of how to pack a
burro. The burros had been brought down from a barn that was out
of site on the other side of the meadow. When everyone was present
Abby began the demonstration, explaining everything in great detail
while the scouts crowded in to see and do. A high point was when
Jonathan was chosen to lift the tail so that the butt strap could
be placed. At the critical moment, Abby made a farting sound which
everyone thought was just great. Jon was a good sport. I was busy
snapping pictures of all the activities.
After the demonstration was complete, the crews were set up for the
race. Our crew (N2) would pack the burro and take her up the road
to where our sister crew (N1) was waiting, then N1 would bring the
burro back to the starting point and remove the pack. The race
would be over when all of the pack gear would be in a box and
placed on the porch of the staff cabin. Troop 2 would be competing
against another couple of crews from Kansas.
The scouts had to push and pull the burros and entice them with a
handful of grass held in front of their noses. It was all pretty
hilarious. We came in a close second.
After the race the scouts all crowded into the Cantina for a round
of Root Beer. I took the opportunity for a visit to the KYBO. It
was pretty nice because it had a roof over it. While I was there,
I watched some of the scouts taking the burros back up to their
barn for the night. It was a beautiful little meadow with blue sky
above it and the Cantina and several rustic cabins off to the side.
The staff cabin had a long porch facing the meadow with a row of
hand made wooden chairs along the porch.
On my way back to the Cantina I stopped to inspect the area where
they make Adobe bricks. It looked like a pretty simple process
from what I could see. We didn't get to do this part of the
program, but Ted Crocker would have the opportunity near the end of
our trek.
I took some more pictures and watched a couple of large White Tail
deer wander through the meadow, then it was time to return to our
camp. By the time we got back it was dusk and the light was
failing quickly. We decided that a campfire was in order and Sam
would surprise us with a Dutch Oven Peach Cobler. Most of the guys
missed the cobler because it took a little longer to prepare than
anticipated and they wandered off to bed. Too bad, It was good.
Sam showed us how to clean the Dutch Oven after which it needed to
be returned to where it had been cached.
Sam's flashlight was dead, so I volunteered to go along with him.
I was curious as to where the cache was located. We had quite an
adventure. Even with the light it was difficult to find our way in
the dark. We wandered around for at least an hour, first to find
the cache box and then to find our camp again. The box was a
wooden cabinet that was covered with a sheet metal skin. The sheet
metal was required to protect the enclosure from bears. There were
about 8 or 10 Dutch Ovens in the cabinet ready and waiting for
service. I had been wondering about that since our trek in 88 when
I first experienced the Rangers cobbler. I was pretty sure that the
ranger did not carry the Dutch oven in his pack.
Finding our camp again was equally difficult. In the dark it is
difficult to judge distance. The trees all look the same. We knew
that camp was located near the river, but we just could not locate
it. We tromped back and forth through the woods, but no campsite.
We ended up going back to the trail which paralleled the River,
walking all the way up stream to Abreu then working our way back
down stream until we stumbled into camp at about 11:30pm. That was
an experience. Everyone but Sam and I were asleep. We had earlier
passed where N1 was camped and they had been asleep also.
This was a very full first day on the trail. I found myself
wondering what the next day would be like.
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