And the list has some problems. Too many clothes, missing sleep clothes, filter instead of Philmont tablets, bear canister, and so on. Prompt was “make a backpacking gear list for Philmont”.
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Category Archives: Philmont
Women at Philmont
The Philmont Advisor’s Guide had an excellent chapter for women who are backpacking at Philmont. The guide was retired after the 2019 Philmont season which makes that chapter unavailable. With the kind permission of Mimi Hatch, editor for the Philmont Advisor’s Guide, here is that chapter.
SOTA at Philmont
There are ten summits inside Philmont Scout Ranch that are listed in the Summits on the Air (SOTA) amateur radio program. There are another three summits within the Valle Vidal region to the north of the ranch. Only six of these thirteen peaks have been activated by SOTA operators.
SOTA is an award scheme for radio amateurs that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas. I think it is a great match for Scouting, combining the outdoors, technology, and world fellowship. Grab a radio, hike to the top of a mountain, and talk to people.
Philmont Pack Weights 2010
I finally found the pack weight notes that I took at Philmont base camp on the morning we started on our trek in 2010.
I’ve estimated base weights by subtracting thirteen pounds. We were carrying four days of Philfood (seven pounds), and most of us were carrying three liters of water (six pounds).
The median pack weight was 42 pounds (29 pounds estimated base weight). The average was 40.1 pounds (27.1 pounds estimated base weight). Total pack weight for the crew was 401 pounds.
Rite in the Rain Notebooks
My favorite hiking notebook is the Rite in the Rain 371FX-M. It weighs 20 grams, fits in my shirt pocket, and works fine when soaked with rain (or sweat).
Here are a couple of them that have been on a few treks.
Gossamer Gear Riksak at Philmont
A daypack is pretty useful on a Philmont trek, but only if it is really light. The Gossamer Gear Riksak is 2.9 ounces and doubles as a stuff sack. It is made of silnylon and costs $30.
Pyramid Tents at Philmont
I brought my Mountain Laurel Designs Speedmid to Philmont and my son brought his brand-new Black Diamond Betamid. The Betamid is interesting because it is decently light and probably the least expensive high-quality shelter you can find. A Scout is Thrifty.
We didn’t get a lot of rain, but we did get one good nighttime thunderstorm. Everybody stayed nice and dry.
Here is Mike (on the right) and his Betamid at Apache Springs:
Bone and Blood is the Price of Coal
At Cypher’s Mine camp at Philmont Scout Ranch, they sang a lot of mining songs, including 16 Tons, but the one that came to my mind was Ballad of Springhill about the Springhill mining disaster in 1958. It was written by Peggy Seeger, with some help from Ewan McColl.
Most Casual Observer 