On this High Adventure trip, a crew of about a dozen scouts and leaders fly down to New Mexico and trek with a guide along the mountains of Philmont Scout Ranch. The troop went once in 1989, but it was Mr. Tom Wills, who joined with his son Brian in 1990, who would help make Philmont a frequent destination.
In the years leading up to 1994, Mr. Wills pushed to get the troop to go on a Philmont trek. Mr. Wills had gone to Philmont as a scout and wanted to return and take his son with him. Finally, Troop 236 did return to Philmont in 1994 and then again in 1999.
Once at Philmont, the crew hikes with 30-50lb backpacks through the Rocky Mountains over twelve days and usually 70-100 miles total, carrying all food, gear and supplies in their backpacks. Some campsites are staffed and some are not (these are called trail camps). At staff camps, there are activities to take part in, such as campfires, horseback riding, shooting, tomahawk throwing and more. At trail camps, the crew usually relaxes or goes on side hikes throughout the surrounding area.
Because of the degree of difficulty of the trek, it is one of the “High Adventure Trips,” in which scouts must be at least First Class rank and fourteen years of age or older to go. Philmont is, in many scouts’ and leaders’ opinions, the best trip we go on. Every visit is an adventure. On one such visit, adult leader Mr. Rizzo got himself lost during the first day on the trail, despite having a trail guide appointed by Philmont for the first two days of the trek.
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