Troop 489 Boy Scouts Hike Through Rocky Mountains

Eight scouts from Hillsborough’s Troop 489 had the chance to take it on over the summer.

On July 10, those eight scouts — Jack Dankers, Jamie Gaffney, Connor Lydon, Alex Mindish, Adam Mzili, Kavish Nagarajan, Neel Patel and Ryan Stephen — and their four adult advisers, Mr. Paul Dankers, Mr. Barry Lydon, Mrs. Kathy Mindish and Mr. Kumar Nagarajan, set out on an experience of a lifetime to the Philmont Scout Ranch in northeast New Mexico.

Philmont is a sprawling cattle and horse ranch (roughly 10 times the size of Manhattan) that was donated to the Boy Scouts in the 1930s by Waite Phillips, one of the founders of the oil company Phillips 66. Philmont offers backpacking trips through the Rocky Mountains in and around Cimarron, N.M. for close to 25,000 scouts a year.

Before attempting their summer trek, 489’s scouts had to train and prepare themselves physically and mentally. The team took CPR and wilderness first aid, practiced how to hydrate their food using lightweight stoves and fuel and worked on techniques for storing their food and other “smellables” in special bags suspended 20 feet high between trees in case bears came by for a midnight snack. This team of 12 started their training early this spring with a series of day and overnight shakedown hikes, with each person carrying in excess of 40 pounds of camping equipment, food and water in their backpacks..

The scouts began their adventure with a flight from Newark to Denver. After arriving at Denver Airport, the crew embarked on a 2 day tour of the Colorado Springs area which included such attractions as the United States Air Force Academy, the Garden of the Gods red rock formations, and the 14,115-foot high Pikes Peak, and concluded with an invigorating whitewater rafting trip on the Arkansas River — all before their temporary departure from civilization.

Rocky Mountain Trek Begins

After touring Colorado and acclimating to the higher altitude, the crew arrived at Philmont’s Base Camp (elevation 6,500 feet) in New Mexico and collected all the gear and equipment necessary for their 12 day trek. The crew got off to a rough start their first day on the trail when they took a wrong turn and got lost, which forced them to wade across the same river twice and delayed their campsite setup to the point that they missed dinner.

The next day, under the leadership of Neel Patel, their elected crew leader, the crew endured a 12 mile hike through some stormy weather and arrived at Pueblano Ruins camp where they participated in “spar pole” climbing, an activity in which scouts put on logging gear and scale a 40 foot high upright log like lumberjacks.

After leaving Pueblano Ruins the scouts experienced ever increasing elevation. The hard work eventually paid off when everyone was treated to breathtaking views from the top of Mt. Baldy — a mountain that rises abruptly, and has a total elevation of 12,441 feet. The ascent up the mountain was a very challenging climb that, especially at the end, had a 45 degree slope that took 30 minutes to conquer. At the top, the very gratified crew took pictures, enjoyed lunch, endured 60 mph wind gusts, and took more pictures.

Over the following days the scouts hiked down from Baldy Mountain, meeting other interesting scout crews along the way. They participated in many exciting activities, such as rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooting, rock climbing, and tomahawk throwing at camps such as Santa Claus and Ponil. They experienced a breathtaking sunrise at Dean Skyline, which they watched in silence. They viewed the stars which the scouts said were like “powdered sugar” as the night sky was so dark and clear.

There was also a chuckwagon dinner, a meal in which about a dozen crews participated in, with each sending two scouts to prepare dinner. 489’s two representatives, Adam Mzili and Jamie Gaffney, put a lot of effort into their peach cobbler dessert, which, in the end, didn’t matter because another crew got to enjoy Adam and Connor’s carefully prepared cobbler while 489’s crew received a mediocre one!

The scouts arrived at their final campsite, Chase Cow, where they reflected on the Philmont spirit — and enjoyed a hot dinner and campfire before their return to civilization.

Spirit of Nature

When they were not hiking, the scouts learned about the history and culture of these lands, which was settled more than a century ago, courtesy of re-enactors at various staffed camps. Along the way the scouts, mindful of the pristine natural environment, volunteered to perform trail conservation and restoration.

By the end of the trek the crew had completed more than 60 miles of backcountry hiking at high elevations between 6,696 and 12,441 feet, through rough terrain and weather while carrying everything they needed to survive on their backs. The scouts learned how to push through tough situations, learned how to better communicate and work effectively as a team, and most importantly, strengthened their sense of community and appreciation for nature.