Scouts trek 82 miles through Colorado

Scouts from Hamburg Troop 48 and Wantage Troop 153 or Crew 630-J4 had the adventure of a lifetime when the went to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. this past July.
Their adventure began when the crew members landed in Colorado Springs, Colo. Acclimated to the elevation,the crew hiked the Red Rocks and viewed rock formations, toured the Olympic Training Center, and had a whole day of white water rafting before heading to Philmont Scout Ranch.
Philmont is in the Sangre De Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains called the Magic Mountains and consists of 137,000 acres of land given to the Boy Scouts by Waite Phillips. It is still a working cattle ranch.
Crew 630-J4 chose trek 8 which had them hiking 62 miles and experiencing programs like .30-06 reloading and shooting, rock climbing and repelling, spar pole climbing, western lore and branding, horseback riding, fly fishing and fly tying, shot gun reload and shooting and homesteading.
They climbed to the peak of four mountains. Mount Phillips is 11,721 feet, Trail Peak is 10,250 and is the site of a B42 bomber that crashed in 1942 near the summit, Big Red is 11,024 feet, Commanche Peak is 11,326 feet and the Tooth of Time which is 9,007 feet. The crew hiked from camp to camp carrying all they needed on our backs. By the time Crew 630-J4 finished the trek they had hiked more than 82 miles in 10 days.
The scouts ranging in age from 14 to 17 had four adults accompany them. Three generations were on the trail at one point as a grandparent joined the scouts for the first three days. Two Crew Leaders, a Navigator, a Chaplain Aide and a Wilderness Guia helped the scouts adhere to the Leave No Trace principles. In one camp they participated in a four hour conservation project, where they helped to redevelop a trail to a campsite.
After the trek was over and they hiked into base camp through the Tooth of Time, they all paused and had their picture taken under the arch that said, “We made it."

— Submitted by Crew Reporter Ian VanCarpels