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TownScouts
Town Times Friday, September 7, 2012
Troop 27 scouts face high adventure challenge By Tristan Sayah and Zachary Sayah Special to the Town Times
On June 30, a group of Boy Scouts from Troop 27 in Durham embarked on a twoweek expedition, heading west to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Philmont, one of three high adventure destinations owned by the Boy Scouts of America, is spread over more than 200 square miles of rugged terrain in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Scouts and adult leaders test themselves physically and mentally on 10-day backpacking treks of 60 miles and greater, at elevations of 6,500 to 12,441 feet. They also learn how to experience the wilderness using low impact camping methods by following principles of “leave no trace.” Crew members learn how to help preserve
Photos by Andy Meiman
Scouts from Troop 27 on the summit of the Tooth of Time (elevation 9,003 feet) at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, N.M. 1257534
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Philmont’s ecosystem by participating in a conservation project during their trek. The adventurers set out to meet at Bradley International Airport to take a 6 a.m. flight to Denver Airport. From there, the scouts were met by a guide from Blue Sky Adventures. For the first two days, they stayed on the scenic campus of University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, overlooking Pikes Peak. While there, the boys explored the Denver and Colorado Springs area, visiting Red Rock Amphitheater and the U. S. Air Force Academy. The scouts also rode the cog railroad to the top of Pike’s Peak, and then went for an excursion down the Arkansas River on a whitewater rafting trip through the Royal Gorge. The next day, the boys said goodbye to civilization as they rode a bus into the northern part of New Mexico. On the day of their arrival at Philmont Scout Ranch Base Camp, the adventurers were assisted by a mountain ranger named Brandon in getting their equipment for the trek that lay ahead. After a one-night stay in Tent City, the boys rode a bus out of Base Camp into the wilderness for the first of their 10day backpacking trip. The ranger stayed with the scouts for two days, orienting them to skills they would need for the remainder of the trek. He taught them about safeguarding food in bear bags, how to hang bear bags properly (which turned out to be just a precaution) and to safely purify water. After their ranger left, the scouts were on their own. Each day there were stunning landscape views on the trail, the forest thick with Ponderosa pine and stands of aspen. The crew participated in a conservation project that involved rehabilitation and maintenance of a trail. The scouts came close to See Troop 27, next page