To Hike, to Summit or to Axe?

There’s no doubt that the primary reason that I wanted to be a Ranger at Philmont this summer was to be a Ranger. That is, to help crews get ready for their trek and then share the experience with them for a few days. I met so many great people and had so much fun working with them, that I know this was the right choice and would have been enough and an awesome experience!

But Philmont offers so much more.

There are staffed camps with programs and evening campfire shows. There are trail camps of all types, some with the most beautiful views, some nestled in the trees for quiet and solitude, some perched on ridges with just the wind as music, and some defunct campsites to explore. There are miles and miles of trails, most built by scouts by the way, and trails that have been abandoned but may still be trekked, and a few on the map that don’t exist (don’t ask me how I know, too painful). There are peaks to climb, some with trails to the top, some with tough trails to the top and some with no trails to the top. And there are plenty of maps and map programs that document each and every inch of ~140,000 acres.

And then there are Ranger Challenges. Things to do on the way back to basecamp or on off days to make the backcountry even greater, like Black Death or the Ranger Marathon or an Itinerary Challenge. These are designed to push the limits of what a Ranger can achieve and comes with appropriate bragging rights if completed. A key tenet of Ranger-dom is “Humble Pride”, so we don’t brag to crews, only to each other. Not much at first. But maybe a lot? I can attest, some of these are tough. And bragging is fun. And required.

Finally, a Ranger has an opportunity to earn the coveted Ranger Axe.

Some background. When the Ranger Department was created in 1957, all Rangers were issued and carried axes, as a way to keep the trails open and manage fallen trees at various campsites. When this became more than a fulltime job, along with the required shepherding role, the Conservation Department was created in 1971 and took responsibility for the overall health of trails and camps at Philmont. And the Ranger Axe was retired. A good thing (yay Conservation Dept!), and a bad thing (what?! no more axes?). The better news was the Ranger Axe was returned in the early 2020’s as a way to recognize Rangers who were willing to further their training, to make for an even better experience for their crews.

So, while there isn’t a ton of free time, there is some, and each Ranger needs to decide how they want to use this time and take advantage of the freedom of the backcountry. Or not. There are some who feel this is more of a job and use the downtime to catch up on other things. Not necessarily Philmont related. Or not. Don’t ask me to go there, they have a nickname and it ain’t flattering.

With all of this in mind, and all impossible to do in a single summer, I had a choice to make. How to blend these opportunities and reap the benefit of being a Ranger at this really cool place. They all sound cool, and I want to do them all, but cannot.

In the end, I chose a balance and worked hard to make sure I could get done what I hoped in between crews. It occupied a fair amount of mindspace when in basecamp.

I did some challenges (Black Death, Itinerary Challenge) and I hiked peaks (including the critical four to get my remaining patches!). I visited cool trail camps and cool staff camps (sleeping on the cabin roof at Clarks Forks was top of the list!). I hiked some crazy trails and I ‘shwacked a bunch more (once in a t-storm, never again).

And I worked to earn my Ranger Axe.

Ranger Axe as Earned, stickers and all. Woo Hoo!

Which might have been my greatest accomplishment, given the extra work required.

But I had to. At least I had to add it to the mix of options and try. After all, Sean did it first in 2023, no way I could have him accomplish that and not me! To be fair, he gave me all the advice that allowed me to be the first Ranger in 2025 to earn the axe (true story). Essentially, attend the additional classes required as soon as possible (known as CTs – Continuous Trainings) and to plan for the required number of “practicals” over the course of treks (kinda like extended homework that required activities, self-learning, homework and a review/approval by a Ranger Trainer). In the end, I was tied for fourth on CTs attended and second in practicals completed. So it wasn’t just about the axe (ok, yes it was, and more).

With that bit of a jump start, I earned the axe (technically I earned “Advanced Qualification” as a Ranger, which gave me the right to get the axe), and could proudly carry it on the trail. Which I did. Every chance I could. Sometimes I would just stroll around basecamp with it.

Ok, I didn’t, but I thought about it. Bob Bunyan slaying the Philmont Blue Ox.

It's pretty cool, just sayin’.

That's right, it's an axe, a Ranger Axe!

Kinda funny because for most of the first few weeks I worked hard to get my pack weight down as low as possible. But I was glad (excited?) to carry the extra ~3.5# the axe required. I joked that I stopped carrying extra water, but I didn’t. My pack was already pretty low, and my fitness (relative to crews) pretty high, so I just carried it. I think the pride of having earned it offset whatever extra weight it required. I never thought not to carry it, even when it started to make a small hole in the side pocket of my pack. I had some duct tape with me after all if things got bad. And I could always jettison my tent if needed. Or my pack and just carry the axe back to basecamp. It was the only thing that mattered at that point. Everything else could be replaced at the Tooth of Time Traders.

I did use the axe on occasion; it’s not just a fancy unused pack adornment. And not just to flex, but for real reasons, I promise! But when you are out in the backcountry and carrying the axe, there is no doubt your role. And that maybe, just maybe, you own the backcountry.

All 140k acres (Bobmont?).

I never brought it up (“humble pride”), until now, but I did carry it proudly.