Venturing Crew 27 Embarks on the Journey of a Lifetime

On July 11, 2012, Venturing Crew 27 of Westfield set out for Philmont, a high adventure Boy Scout camp in Cimarron, New Mexico. Venturing is a co-ed sector of the Boy Scouts of America, allowing young men and women, ages 13-21, to be involved in high adventure activities.

Twelve members of the Crew went to Philmont; 9 male and 3 female. The 12 members were adults Mark Rhodes, Chris Rhodes, Jackie Bender and Eric Whyte; and youths Matt Allegra, Jenny Amador, Adam Bransky, Charlotte Dreizen, Gabe Esposito, Andrew Kaufman, Sean Pruszkowski and Jeff Whyte.

The crew started their trip with two days in Denver, with a tour of the Air Force Academy and a hike in the beautiful Garden of the Gods. They also took a cog railway train to the summit of Pike’s Peak, which is 14,115 feet in elevation. From the top of Pike’s Peak, five different states were visible. The crew finished their Denver tour with a white-water rafting excursion in the Royal Gorge before being bused to Philmont Scout Ranch.

The time spent at Philmont will never be forgotten by the members of Venturing Crew 27. The Crew was faced with 12 challenging days of hiking through the mountainous northern and central regions of the camp, completing 90+ miles. Along the trail, Crew 27 members rock climbed and rappelled, completed team challenge events, threw tomahawks, helped build a new trail, yodeled, created new hiking songs, and laughed constantly. They also climbed to the summit of Mount Baldy, which is 12,441 feet in elevation and the tallest peak on Philmont property. The trek was difficult, but the Crew had an amazing attitude and sense of teamwork, which made the adventure unforgettable for those involved.