Nine teen and adult Scouts from BSA Troop 6046 of Marion challenged themselves to hike 135 miles across mountains of Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. The six youths and three advisors persevered despite summer heat, freezing temperatures and hail. They scaled peaks of nearly 12,000 feet and put their endurance and their wilderness survival skills to the test over two weeks.
“It was an adventure. We planned and prepped for a year, including taking a wilderness first aid class,” said Scoutmaster Andrew Hand of Mt. Gilead. “It was really hard. Sometimes you were climbing up and over rocks and boulders with no path.”
The Scouts ranged in age from 15 to 49. Each Scout carried packs of more than 50 pounds through rough terrain.
“We carried everything we needed to survive in the wilderness on our backs, including food, water, clothes, tents, and sleeping bags,” Dr. Hand said.
Wild Card Weather Challenged Scouts
They braved the elements, dealing with intense sun and heat during the day, but also hiking through rain and hail, while waking up some mornings to temperatures in the 30s.
“It was nonstop. I loved it!” Dr. Hand exclaimed. “It’s the pinnacle of scouting. To get to go with my son – it’s an unforgettable experience. It was also nice to disconnect and get away and get back to nature. I really enjoyed it.”
“The views are breathtaking,” said Scout Advisor Andrew Schoppelrei. “You realize how small your problems are and come to a sense of peace.”
Wide Variety of Wildlife at Philmont
In addition to the beautiful views of mountains and meadows, they also encountered a wide variety of wildlife, including deer, turkeys, elk, and prairie dogs. One important task: making sure they didn’t tempt bears to dine in their camp each night.
“Each night, we had to hang up bear bags with all of our food and anything smellable inside and some nights we could hear young mountain lions in the distance,” Dr. Hand stated. “One morning we found bear scat right next to our tent that hadn’t been there the night before.”
Scouts Learned New Skills
The Scouts took turn navigating with a compass, leading the group, and cooking over campfires. Every few days, they would hike into a staffed camp to pick up supplies and learn something new, such as hitting a moving aerial target with an arrow, similar to skeet shooting.
They climbed a spar pole with spiked boots and a belt. They tried their hand at blacksmithing.
Paying It Forward to Future Scouts
They also donned googles and hardhats for a special project.
“Part of doing this is conservation and giving to future generations of Scouts. We spent a half a day using pickaxes and rakes to dig out roots and bust up rocks for a new trail,” Dr. Hand said. “If I come back with my younger son, we may walk this trail that didn’t exist until we made it.”
Hard-Won Memories Made
While this trip was challenging and the Scouts came home with dozens of blisters, it encouraged personal growth and creating lifelong memories.
“We had each other. It was encouraging to have someone right there with you, going through the same struggle,” Schoppelrei said.
Local Schools and College Represented
The Scouts included students and alumni from Ridgedale, River Valley, and Mt. Gilead High Schools. They also include five Marion Technical College alumni, an administrator and one current College Credit Plus student (a high school student taking college classes) at Marion Tech.
Five are Eagle Scouts and two are working on becoming Eagle Scouts, the highest award in the Boy Scouts.
For more info:
The Scout troop meets regularly on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. at Timothy Lutheran Church in Marion.
Scouting units near you – Boy Scouts of America
For more details, contact Andrew Hand at andrewdhand@yahoo.com.
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