Path to Ranger-hood, straight up!

It's been quite the whirlwind of days, with much training and mucher (sic) hiking behind me, and even though I passed both the practical test and the initial written test (focused on the backcountry), there is a bit more to do. But before we get to that, how about a recap?

We left basecamp on the afternoon of May 30, with a goal to reach Tooth Ridge camp, which we did via a trail that most crews take back down to return to basecamp, because, well, it's a tough trail. A little over 5 miles with about 1700 ft of elevation gained. SO many switchbacks (thank goodness), but more would have been appreciated. I would also have appreciated an escalator. We are also carrying everything we need for the entire trek so packs are the heaviest. I didn't have the heart to weigh mine, but my hips tell me it was a lot. So why not try to kill us before we even get started. Maybe a technique to separate the wheat from the chaff? I was definitely chaff-ed.

Sun rising above the Tooth of Time

Next day was an early morning to summit the Tooth of Time in order to view the sunrise. We miscalculated a bit so in spite of our race up the mountain, the first sunlight hit us just short of the summit. Still mesmerizing. And I could breath for a few minutes while we took pictures. We carried on and were able to enjoy the rising sun from the peak, officially 9,003 ft, and while only a short 1.5 miles, the 650 ft of elevation made it sweaty and then cold, and then sweaty again. We broke camp and headed about halfway back up (ouch) to catch the trail to summit Shaefer's Peak at officially 9,419 ft. A quick picture and then on to Miners Park with a stop at the river to soak our feet and eat lunch. A long day, a little over 9 miles with some of the highest points in the south country.

Hidden side of the Tooth of Time.

On the first day of June, a supposed short trek, and it was at a measly 4 miles, but once again the elevation gained of 1300 ft made this anything but a walk in the Philmont park. It was sunny when we arrived at our lunch spot, but the water source we expected was, well, missing. This meant a backtrack of about 3/4 of a mile (and the necessary return) to get water, but at least we didn't need to bring packs. We then headed to an awesome hidden meadow that faced a small placid pond with a cacophony of horny frogs. All night. Seriously, could we get tinder for the frogs so they find love? Shortly after arriving we had a small hailstorm, so I learned how to quickly erect a tarp (correctly called a dining fly) and then assemble tents underneath and transport them to their final resting place. A skill that I read about, but hadn't had a chance to try. I do think this is something I will have to help crews with more than once this summer, so maybe that's the silver lining the the hail-ridden clouds. Darn.

A bear-ly quiet froggy place.

We woke the following morning to the dulcent tones of our Ranger Trainer singing Happy Birthday. While this might seem a lovely event for a lucky Ranger, it's actually a technique to indicate that a bear has been spotted. Which one was, thankfully across the pond and safely distant from our camp. By the time I extricated myself from my bag and tent, the bear had climbed a tree and disappeared. If it was in camp, my speed getting out would have made me a Ranger burrito if the bear liked American food. Thankfully they don't. A moderate hike of a little more than 5 miles with manageable elevation (and less food as we've been eating everything they give us!) plus another small hailstorm and we arrive at Beaubien Camp, the largest at Philmont with 32 campsites. We found ours and settled in by early afternoon, giving us time to "rest" and prepare for Ranger Rendezvous (a PC term for a Ranger competition between training crews).

June 3rd was a day of no hiking, but plenty of walking around a large meadow surrounded by various skill stations that would test our mettle as a Ranger and award points as objectively as possible. Tying knots, hanging bear bags, singing the Ranger song, first aid, a search and rescue litter carry and so much more, all in the quest for glory. I'm happy to report we did very respectably with a third place finish. Yeah, some will say anything but first place is last place, but I'm proud of how my training crew worked together and I hear we were less than 5 points from first place, so I'll take it. A celebratory brisket dinner (with seconds!) and then an above average campfire program. We actually had a real fire as the ban had just been lifted, which came as little surprise given how many times I've had to don my rain jacket and pack cover. At long last finally into tents. How can I be so tired on a day with no hiking?

Yes, there are bears here.

The reward for all of this dedication and effort is a race back this morning to base camp. Not a sanctioned race, but a realistic one since there are only so many showers and there are SO many Rangers. In years past it was a free-for-all, with training crews leaving earlier and earlier. The solution was a 4:45 a.m. time to determine your departure time, the earliest of which was 5:00 a.m. Thanks to the fortitude of our Ranger Trainer, we were fourth in line and thus a 5:15 a.m. slot, which we were ready to meet and left the starting line on time. Mostly downhill or flat so a little over 12 miles in just over 4 hours. This included a quick stop to walk out to Lover's Leap and enjoy a quick view, but no time to waste, the hordes were behind us. I can confirm that I was able to take a shower in relative peace and even get some laundry done. But darn do my feet hurt. Oh, and some crews arrived >2h after we did, so now I get the race part.

Today (June 5) was a day off for all of the Ranger staff, and tradition has it that this large group descend on Taos en masse. Which we did, worthy of a post of its own.

So, one more day of training tomorrow (June 6), one more written test, and then I can call myself a trained Ranger at Philmont Scout Ranch (I'm optimistic I'll pass). We'll see how that all goes when I get my first crew in a few days, for as has been said in the distant past "no plan survives contact with the enemy."