Troop 62 Philmont, NM 2011: Time to take it to THE NEXT LEVEL…

This time, with our expedition style backpacks loaded down with all the gear needed for two days on the AT. We were ready! On Saturday, February 26, we started out again at Raven Rock Road, heading south on a 12 mile segment of the trail toward our US 40 destination. About 50 yards into our trek, our crew encountered its first obstacle, a vigorously flowing stream, approximately 30 feet wide and somewhat deep in spots. Several of our crewmembers looked intimidated by the raging water but, with some confidence and a lot of teamwork, we all made it safely across with no one getting wet. After observing how they overcame that, I knew our crew was TRUELY ready for what they would experience in the months to follow! For the next four meandering miles, we followed the trail up and down, across another stream and then made our way to MD 77. Just after crossing the road, we hiked through a large meadow and then descended to Ensign Cowall Shelter, where we stopped for lunch. After refueling our bodies, we made a short descent to where we crossed Wolfsville Road. From that point, the trail headed straight up to the top of the ridge. When we finally made it to the top, Joe said, “We reached the summit!” We took a short break and then continued on what was now a very rough and rocky trail. We made our way across the top of the ridge, getting closer and closer to our stopping point for the day, Pogo Memorial Campsite. Upon reaching the campsite, our crew made quick work of getting all the tents set up, gathering wood and building a fire before nightfall. Mason, Colton and LJ prepared our evening meal, while the rest of the group huddled around the fire. Everyone agreed that the dehydrated food tasted pretty good. With over 8 miles behind us, it was finally time to rest for the night. We gathered around the fire and shared thoughts about our day together until one by one we all retired to our tents. After a good nights rest, our crew decided that we would waste no time at camp. We ate our breakfast, cleaned our dishes, then took down our tents and packed up. With just a little more than three miles ahead of us, it was the start of a new day on the trail. Following the white blazed trees that lined the AT, we soon came to Black Rock. From here, we could see, what seemed to be, all of Washington County, west of South Mountain. The view was clear and endless. After spending some time gazing at the countryside and taking some pictures, we put on our packs and got back on the trail. An hour or so later we took a break for lunch. Now, with the excitement of only 1 mile left and the end of our hike near, some of the scouts started to stretch their stride. As our crew made its way down the muddy trail to the I-70 footbridge, Marty and Harrison Brown and Tom Gladhill greeted us. It was a great reception and now we had our first overnighter under our belt.