A group of boy scouts experienced the great outdoors over the summer, from hiking to fishing.
Boy Scout Troop/Venturing Crew #4317 took on a hiking trip of 100 miles over 12 days through the New Mexico Wilderness.
Dr. Michael Hudson, crew advisor for the scouts, said the scout troop had a great time full of adventures with this trip.
“It’s the main high adventure base for all the Boy Scouts of America,” Hudson said. “It’s based in Cimarron, New Mexico.”
According to Hudson, over 20,000 scouts attend every summer.
“It’s a trek,” Hudson said. “It’s a long hike that’s anywhere from 50 to 100 miles, our crew did 102 miles overall.”
With two and a half years of planning, due to the pandemic, the scouts were able to make the trek by taking precautions.
“I think it was a success,” Hudson said.
The scout troop consisted of four participants from the Tulsa area, one from Houston and seven from Duncan.
“It’s a 10-day wilderness, mountain trek where we carry all of our gear, including food and water on our back and we hike 102 miles, anywhere from about 7,000 feet above sea level to a total of 12,500 feet above sea level,” Hudson said.
According to Hudson, there were four adults on the trip, making sure all went smooth and everyone stayed safe.
“It’s the eight scouts that were on the trip that actually decided the length of their trek, the program that they were going to be involved with, their route,” he said. “They did all the navigating, they did the essential work of the entire trek, including leadership. One of them was in charge of leading, one of them was the chaplain.”
Hudson said the chaplain was in charge of all of them being reverent throughout the entire trek, from their devotionals to praying over their meals.
According to Hudson, Lucas Cantero, the lead scout, made sure everyone was doing their part, from cooking and cleaning to navigating and carrying the gear.
“It’s very much a team building and a leadership building experience,” Hudson said.
Cantero said the troop had an amazing experience on this trek with eight youth and four adults.
“We went up to the second highest point in New Mexico, which is Baldy Mountain,” Cantero said. “I just had a really great time with all the boys and just an amazing trip.”
According to Cantero, the troop enjoyed their time, including those who have hiked before to first time hikers.
“I think all the boys really just had a great time overall,” Cantero said.
The troop was one of many who hiked the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Phimont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.
According to a release, “the Philmont covers 214 square miles of vast wilderness with trails that climb from 6,500 greet to as high as 12,441 feet.”
Since 1938, the Philmont Scout Ranch has been the Boy Scouts of America’s premier high adventure camp.
Scouts participated in several programs from rock climbing, mountain biking, fly-fishing and gold prospecting.
A release states, “the trek included a conservation project where the scouts learned and participated in the upkeep of Philmont’s ecosystem.”
A release from Backpacking Magazine states: “They may meet only one other group of scouts on the trail in an entire day of hiking. Even in the most crowded destinations, each scout group camps in isolation, out of sight and sound of all other groups.”
For more information about the Philmont Scout Ranch, visit https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/.
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