Published: July 01, 2009 12:56 pm      

Boy Scout Troop travels to New Mexico

This June, a twelve person crew of youth and adults from Zionsville’s Boy Scout Troop No. 358 traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Founded in 1938, Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America's oldest national high-adventure base. It covers 137,000 acres — about 214 square miles — of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) range of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico.

The Scouts, accompanied by adult advisors, hiked nearly 80 miles with backpacks and in addition to exploring the rugged terrain and elevation changes of Philmont, journeyed into the pristine wilderness of the Valle Vidal and Elliott Barker State Wildlife Area northwest of Philmont. Besides the extensive hiking, other activities and highlights of their Philmont trek included shotgun shooting, blacksmithing, burro racing, branding, panning for gold, abandoned mine tours and pioneer homesteading.

Among the soaring Ponderosa pine and aspen forests, the crew observed black bear, whitetail and mule deer, antelope and turkey. On the windy morning of Wednesday, June 17, the crew climbed to the summit of Baldy Mountain at an elevation of 12,441 feet where they experienced panoramic and breathtaking views from all directions. While en route to Philmont, the Scouts and advisors also had the opportunity to experience Class III and IV whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River in the Bighorn Sheep Canyon near Canon, Colo. The youth Crew Leader from Troop No. 358 was Daniel Beck and the adult Lead Advisor was Jack Fuqua.