Troop 34   High Adventure 2003

 

Our destination for 2003 High Adventure is Philmont Scout Ranch!!!

It is still over a year away, but it is not too soon to start thinking about our trip to New Mexico.  We are scheduled for 2 crews arriving July 21, 2003 and departing August 2, 2003.  Each crew can be up to 12 Scouts and adults total.

Travel itineraries are not yet set, but we will leave Arlington Heights on Sunday July 20^th to allow us flatlanders a day to acclimate to the elevation.  If we fly, we should be home on Saturday August 2^nd.  By train, we would be home the afternoon of Sunday August 3^rd. These are the revised dates. We are Expedition Number 721-L !!

Philmont provides a challenging backpacking experience in the rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range of the Rockies at elevations varying from 6,500 to 12,441 feet.  To get the most enjoyment from the experience, it is important to be physically and mentally prepared.

There are strict guidelines for maximum weight based on height.  If you are near the top of the permitted range, a long-term weight reduction program is recommended. 

There are also strict limits on blood pressure.  Blood pressure can also be affected by the elevation and excitement of the trip.  If you are anywhere near the 150/95 maximum allowed, consider an aerobic conditioning program to reduce your blood pressure naturally or consult a doctor for medication if necessary.  If your blood pressure is higher than 150/95 when you arrive at Philmont, you will not be allowed on the trail.

All members of each crew are expected to be active participants in the activities during the 2-week-long trek.  Everyone carries his personal gear and part of the crew gear and food.  The loads are divided according to the ability of each individual.  No one should carry more than 30% of his body weight.  Smaller Scouts will carry less weight.  Larger and stronger will carry more.  The goal throughout is to work together in the interest of the entire group and each individual in it.  If someone is not feeling 100% on a particular day, the rest of the crew will lighten his load.  Working together, we can travel faster, farther, and with less effort than if every member carried an equal portion of the weight.

In the back country the “double buddy system” will be followed at all times.  The absolute minimum number of people allowed on the trail anywhere outside of an established campsite is 4.  This ensures that if someone is injured, one person can stay with him while the other two go directly for help.  In that way no one is ever left alone.  Although you will find a chance for quiet moments in campsites and along the trail, there is no opportunity to wander alone through the woodlands or meadows.  On the trail, we travel together as a single group with the first and last person always within sight of each other.  If you plan to be a loner – doing your own thing during the trek – now is a good time to reconsider your plans.

Although we travel through backcountry wilderness, the actual trails are very high use, high impact areas.  To maintain the area for future Scouts, we must stay on the trails, follow switchbacks even if it would be easy to take shortcuts, leave no litter, and police as we go if less considerate people have littered before us.  There is wildlife.  It must be respected.  Food must be protected and precautions taken against bears and other critters – hanging bear bags whenever packs are not under direct supervision and insuring that no food or other smellables are left behind.  All trash and unused food must be carried out to the next staff camp for proper disposal.  If allowed to eat human food, bears and other wildlife can become habituated to raiding campsites.  They then must be relocated or destroyed.

Each person will carry only one or two changes of clothes that can be washed at staffed camps.  Showers (sometimes hot) are available at staffed camps every 3 or 4 days.  But out on the trail, there is no swimming or bathing allowed in streams or lakes.  Personal hygiene during the trip is important.  But washing of hands is done only at sumps where all wastewater is disposed of underground away from water sources.

Water is a scarce resource in the semi-desert area.  We will be using some treated wells, some clear fresh springs, but mostly water from streams that must be treated or filtered before use to avoid Giardia and other contaminants.  With the low humidity and high activity level, it is necessary to drink up to a quart of water per hour to avoid dehydration while on the trail.  This makes iodine tablets the least time-consuming way to prepare drinking water.  We will carry some filters to use when we are off the trail where there is time to use them and the better taste is preferred or when a small amount of drinking water is needed immediately.

When we form our crews, the members of each crew will choose a Scout to be crew chief.  The crew chief will coordinate the activities of the crew – establish duty rosters, settle disputes, etc.  All members of the crew – adults included – will work together under the direction of the crew chief to share the tasks of setting up camp, cooking, and cleaning.  The adults will act as background advisors and take charge only in situations of immediate hazard or danger.  This is a boy-run expedition and the boys will be allowed to make "non-life threatening mistakes".  The adults are expected to lead by example.  But they are not along to direct every action – what to do and when to do it.  We all learn through trial and error and typically learn faster and more thoroughly when reflecting on our mistakes.

If you agree with all of the above, what are the steps to prepare for the trek? 

·        If overweight, consider a change in diet.

·        Walk, run, or do any cardiovascular activity that you enjoy.  Gradually increase duration and intensity over the next year.

·        Try walking with weight in the pack you intend to use.  Gradually increase the weight until you approach 30% of body weight to determine how much training you will need to be prepared.

·        In the last few months before the trip, walk regularly (2 or 3 times per week) with a weighted pack to build the muscles and cardio endurance for the trip.  If possible, do some hills (or stairs or bleachers) to put extra effort on the quads.  We will be doing some group trips in hilly areas together.

More on packs and other gear, training shakedowns, and travel itineraries to come…