I was there in 59, it was a good trip. I still remember it well.
You?

July of 1977

I haven't when my son was in Boy Scouts he did had lots of fun.

Two of my nephews and my son in law went years ago and have said it was a great experience.

There were six of us, only three of us left. Thank you Doctor Gauger.

Went as an adult with my son’s troop in 2009. Good trip. My son was the crew leader for our trek. He still has the wrinkled copy of “his life”. As crew leader he was given a map and points of resupply and various checkpoints to reach during our 10 day trek. Our staff guide told him it was “his life” responsibility to get his crew to each checkpoint and back to the main camp safely.
This experience along with many others during 12 years of scouting, helped turn my son into an Eagle Scout and the man he is today.
My son will be 34 later this year and he still has this wrinkled copy of a Philmont map and the crew itinerary with the official check in stamps. He has it framed under glass and on his wall.

At the time, there were 3 crown jewel high adventure camps in Scouting. They included the Boundary Waters area in the North, the Sea Base and Munson Island to the South and Philmont in the West.
My son was able to attend all three and I was fortunately able to go along on 2 of those trips. Philmont and Sea Base.
Great times.

I recall cornbread, and peach cobbler. Pack burrows. And diamond hitches.

Nothing like Philmont and it's still going strong. 20,000 or more campers from all over the country per summer. It's never crowded on 140,000 acres.

I had the red jackshirt, with the Philmont bull.

We were there in probably '73 or '74 at Thanksgiving with my scout troop. We got snowed in up top and threw one of the younger scouts out the window and made him shovel snow so we could open the door. It was a fun trip I'll admit. There was a herd of mule deer migrating down out of the mountains near the main headquarters. I remember counting well over 300 mule deer in that field and coming down the mountain. It was awesome. One BIG buck was laying under a tree adjacent to the main drive and I got out of the car, raced down to where he was to take a picture and he stood up. I was amazed. Still am.

One of those things I really wish I'd been able to do back in the mid-70's. I did get to the National Jamboree in '77, but that was close by in PA.

I remember being scared of bears, I still can't believe some of the boys teasing a rattlesnake.

I was born and raised in that country, and still get up there fairly regularly.
Never was a Boy Scout - but the oldest grandson went several times.
Eventually made Eagle Scout. Son in law led several of those groups to Philmont, also.

I am second from the left.

I and my older brother attended Philmont in 1950. Things were a bit more "rustic" then but we had a great time in the beautiful New Mexico mountain country.

L.W. (Eagle Scout)

I was there in 74, Eagle in 75. Part of our itinerary, like all other hikers, was to hike Baldy, as well as Tooth of Time. When we got to Baldy’s peak, I looked around and thought what a cool experience….wish I could kill an elk one day in a spot like this…I had no idea…

Fast forward to 1998, I was hunting the west slope of Baldy and killed my first elk. A nice 6x6. The East Moreno Ranch, as it was known back then, owned the west slope up to the peak. BSA owning basically the east slope, sharing the peak. I was back in 2003 and shot another 6x6 right at the treeline under the peak. In 2005 I repeated the feat with another big 6x6 on the north side of the peak, calling it in with my mouth. The ranch was sold the next year to the Pueblo tribe and I elected to hunt down the road after that…

God’s front porch for sure…

1950? I bet it was "a bit more rustic". Glad you are still with us and posting!.

I went to Philmont in July of 1976.

Eagle Scout Class of 1974

405wcf

BSA mortgaged Philmont in 2019 to JP Morgan Chase, as collateral on debt they owed.

Did all these wonderful adventures happen before the scoutmasters all turned into a bunch of kid-grooming phags?

Ours were WW2 Vets.

Pic from 2012 with my youngest son on top of Mt Baldy. A very good trip.


782 G2 040 by JHC,

I don't know about other troops but our Scoutmaster had been a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Div, and had jumped at Normandy, Holland, and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. He was married to a pretty girl and had a little daughter. I do not think he was a gay phag.

For you men who were Eagle Scouts, my Eagle Scout idee card was signed by President Harry S. Truman. I still have it.

FWIW.

L.W.

Kudos Leanwolf!
Good story and a keepsake.

Many firsts on the trip, skinny dippin' at the YMCA pool. first taco in Dodge City.
First hash Browns, first Rodio.

Lol.

July of '65. Rode a train out there and back and had a great adventure all around.

My Explorer Scout advisor in the early 1960s was also a Battle of the Bulge survivor- - - -recovered from disfiguring burns from an exploding can of gasoline they were trying to use to heat their foxhole. Tough as woodpecker lips and mean as a rattlesnake! The phags came a lot later.

3 trips. First in 1978 as a youth. Went as an adult leader in 1986 and again in 1991.

Dale

My son and I go with his troop this July, 9 day itinerary and should know which route we get soon. He finished off his Eagle rank in December at age 13.

Sent my son there with his troop in 2009. He was 14. He actually didn't care for it, which I thought was a little embarrassing. But he was highly respected by the other boys in the troop, for his leadership. He had other opportunities but declined them. Said he'd been there and done that.

Disappointing since I never had the opportunity to go. I was in the Nation's Capitol area Council and all the slots allocated to the Council were gone in about 10 minutes. That was 1968. 69 and 70. Instead in 1969 our Explorer Post went to Glacier and Waterton N.P. in Montana and Alberta. We hiked 292 miles during 3 weeks on the trail. Best part of scouting I ever did.

My son Eagled in 2012, and still serves as an Advisor to Mercy Flights, a southern Oregon Explorer post for Air Ambulance Service, the oldest in the country. He has gone to the National Jamboree in West Virginia several times.. three I think with Mercy Flights, where they do med support. He is an EMT and Paramedic.

He also got to go to the 100th Annual Jamboree in 2010. He went as a Camp Councilor on the Rifle Range. Youngest guy there and the Director of the Rifle Range called and complained learning the he was just 14. Told me if my son screwed up ONE time, he was going to be sent home. Son lasted the entire week, and afterwards, the Range Manager called me up to apologize, for his call before the Jamboree and threatening to send him home if he screwed up one time.

Told me 'boy was I wrong, even for his age".... your son was the most responsible Range Counselor I had on the entire range... never had to tell him twice on anything, he was never screwing off or clowning around... all business, when he was suppose to. only one to follow instructions to the letter. and was the youngest guy on the range. Evidently dad taught his son well and how to pay attention to instructions and to take his responsibilities seriously. Wasn't dad's doing, my son just paid attention and didn't screw around when there was work to do... and that is all on him.... he did that naturally.

Scouting certainly made my son the person he is today also.... much more certainly than dad had responded to responsibility and I was no slouch.. but not up to my son's standards. Proud dad if you can't tell.

I did not know that.

Is there any updated information regarding that mortgage of Philmont?? I hope the BSA has either paid it off or are keeping the mortgage payments current. If they were to default, I have no doubt that JP Morgan Chase would take it over and develop it. Probably create 40 acre "ranchettes" for Chinese communist industrialists and Saudi oil billionaires.

Any info???

Thanks.

Bill.

Last I read, several years back, there was little if any chance, despite the mortgage, that the Boy Scouts would lose Philmont. I assume that hasn't changed but have seen nothing recently. That's 140,000 acres with hundreds of structures and administrative and ranching facilities, homes, etc. with a value six or eight years ago of at least $500,000,000. Ranches in the area that adjoin Philmont are the UU Bar and the Vermejo, both of which are larger.

My first rodeo

My brother and I went to Camp Bert Adams near Atlanta, four years in a row, a week at a time. I got four merit badges. I did the Mile Swim across the lake at age 12. A junior Navy SEAL!

Boy Scout Camp was a wonderful experience, but I never made it to Philmont. I knew some guys who went there. Philmont was like a legend. It was like Valhalla.

I did not go, but some Scouts went to Valley Forge.

We rented two Volkswagen's for a day, hairpin curves, WOW!

Went in 2001, the summer before my freshman year of high school. A wonderful experience. The scouts have changed since then, though.

I also went to Camp Bert Adams in the early 70’s when I was a boy. Loved it. I did that same swim. Slept on cots in tents, cooked every meal ourselves at our campsite. Good times.

I went several times as a scout starting in 1995. First trek our troop ever did. I was the trek leader and I still have that map framed in my bedroom in my parents home. I’m not the scoutmaster of the troop I eagled from. My son is life rank now. We plan to head to Philmont for the first time in many years in either ‘25 or ‘26. The boys are looking forward to it.

A little off topic, but how is the organization faring now days? It seems to have vaporized from this region (PNW) where it was mostly churches (primarily LDS) sponsoring troops.

Even though I was an outsider, I helped for about 15 yrs mostly with skills and extended white water trips, and thought it was an especially valuable program for boys that were missing father figures. I started hearing misgivings, when the ladies began making inroads.

Went to Philmont myself in '76, my son in "13.We both went to the Summit in WV in '14. Adventures never to forget. Me growing up in CLT in the 70s and him in the 2010s we never saw star fields like we did in NM. We pretty much trod the same trek. 135 miles each. I earned the 50 miler afoot/afloat award with my trip to Canada the next year. I don't think they offer that anymore. I coached my daughter in soccer, her growing up, and was a leader in his Troop. Couldn't ask for much more joy.

Our scout masters were head of homicide NYS Troopers and a local Sheriff

Went in 68 and he arranged a tour of the Chicago PD….we missed it. They were very busy.

Top of Pikes Peak.

Always remember it.

Trains and buses to get there from Central NYS

We toured the Coors brewery. The workers got a twenty-minute beer break every four hours. We got Rocky Mountain spring water.

We had a guide, I think his name is Otis.

I remembered the scoutmasters could pack in cigarettes ……..

It’s fairing, but it’s seen better days. Lots of training due to the lawsuits and the cost has become preclusive to some (many of which really need the program). The program really depends on the quality of leadership and parents that are willing to volunteer to help the boys. We’re doing okay here, but I don’t see it ever being what it was. We live in a town of roughly 15,000 and have about 22 boys in our troop. If the troop is active and can come up with enough money it can be great. Last weekend my troop won a regional shooting competition, we camp every month, volunteer a lot in our community. Our problem is trying to earn the funds to stay active.