Boy Scouts from Greenwich Troops 5, 9 and 10 have returned safely from a 12-day trek through Northern New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains.
The Philmont Scout Ranch is a Boy Scouts of America National High Adventure Base, in which Scouts from U.S. and international countries test their advanced outdoor skills and trek its 219 square miles of wilderness.
The Greenwich Scouts were divided into two crews with different itineraries and activities.
Six Scouts from Troop 10 Cos Cob signed up for an itinerary of over 100 miles that included treks to Mount Baldy and Tooth of Time, an iconic landmark with its granite ridge rising to 9,003 feet. Their activities included horseback riding, shooting and a chuck wagon dinner.
As expected, some camps were dry, meaning they did not have potable water.
“Completing a Philmont trek definitely required planning and preparation, but most of all flexibility,” said Gabriel Ochoa, adult lead advisor. “For example, some camps did not have water, so we would prepare our dinner meal during lunch at a place that had potable water. The occasional commissaries had fresh fruit and milk which we appreciated, and we also enjoyed sipping root beer at the staff camps.”
Seven scouts from the combined Troop 5 and 9 (a combination of two Scouts from Troop 5 Riverside and five Scouts from Troop 9 Central Greenwich) trekked a total of 100 miles and to the summit of Mount Baldy at an elevation at 12,441 feet. Their activities ranged from mountain biking, to shooting, to burro-packing.
They also completed at three-hour conservation project to rebuild a mountain bike trail and helped build a re-creation of the Cimarron and Northwestern Railroad.
“Philmont was an experience that brought out both the strengths and weaknesses in each of us, said crew leader Bennett Hawley, an Eagle Scout and sophomore at Greenwich High School. “As a crew, we needed to work around the weaknesses and build upon our strengths. We did that well, leading to a great time at Philmont.”
The combined crew from Troops 5 and 9, included three adult leaders Dev Hawley, his nephew Brandon Hawley, and Scouts Charles Achoa, Bennett Hawley, Liam Junkermann, J.Q. Norrgard, Lev Rubin, and Ajax Shung.
A typical trek is 12 days and could range from 56 to 106 miles (8-16 miles daily) of backpack trekking from camp to camp, hiking varied terrains while carrying everything they need in their backpacks. They are prepared for a range of elements: from 100-degree temperatures, hail and lightning thunderstorms, to dry and cold 40-degree temperatures at night and at high elevations. During the expedition, scouts test logistics skills, navigational skills, team building, cooking, filtering water from a creek and hanging bear bags.
“Philmont is the pinnacle of the scouting experience,” said lead advisor and Troop 9 Scoutmaster Dev Hawley. “The Scouts are responsible for the trek while being totally immersed in the wilderness, which drives a certain level of leadership, risk management and teamwork that cannot be experienced in any other setting.”
The Philmont Scout Ranch experience also includes opportunities for meaningful conversations regarding crew dynamics, team building and moments of reflection in nature.
Neither crew experienced any injuries and only reported how transformative the experience was for both the adults and scouts. The crew from Troop 10 included two adults, Lead Advisor Gabriel Ochoa and Advisor William “Chris” Wurst; with six Scouts: Joseph Carriero, A.J. DeGrado, Ryan Hays, Reese Ochoa, Liam Patterson and Daniel Wurst.
