During the summer of 2021, Troop 53 organized two groups for a Philmont Adventure. Oscar H, who was a member of Group 2, reports his experience below. Group 2 was supposed to go to the Philmont Ranch in a previous year, however, their adventure was canceled due to the Ute Park fire. Rescheduled for 2020, their trek was canceled again, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 was to be their year. This is their adventure.

Philmont Scout Ranch is a place of rich history and beauty located in Northern New Mexico outside of Cimarron. It is over 140,000 acres. A place that is astonishing to visit and to experience. My name is Oscar Horn, I am currently a Life Scout in Troop 53, and I was lucky enough to visit and trek across Philmont with members of my troop in the summer of 2021. I learned about the scout heritage and traditions that occur at this ‘Mecca’ of Boy Scouts.

    During my trek, I was able to connect with the boys in my troop. Many of which have aged out or are going to in the next year. Making bonds with my fellow scouts is something that I am so glad for and will forever remember from my trip at Philmont. Not only did I get to know the scouts in my troop better, but also others from across the U.S. Early on in the check-in process at base camp, we found out that there was a sister trek that would be taking the exact same route that we were. They were from North Carolina. One of the adult leaders in their trek was a Navy special-ops stationed in Afghanistan. It was great to get to know them and partly share our Philmont experience with them on a parallel 70 mile route.

    Along the trek, we stopped at camps that ranged from very primitive to having modern amenities. Each staff camp (which usually had nifty amenities) had activities that we could participate in. Depending on the historical background of the camp, there was a wide variety of activities. Some camps had fishing and flytying, while others had rock climbing and repelling. My personal favorite was Cypher’s Mine: The Stomp. It was a musical performance done by the staff. They played original songs, popular songs, and everything in between, they were great. Cypher’s Mine was by far my favorite staff camp we stopped at.

    The food at Philmont was not much to be desired, but when out in the bush, its hard to beat a bag of dried food and beef jerky. Philmont has their own herd of bison on the property, which supplies them bison jerky sticks that they feed to the Scouts. It is some of the best jerky I have had.

    Philmont was an experience of a lifetime. I got to meet new people and grow my connection with the boys in my troop. I participated in fun activities at the staff camps and learned about the methods they use to conserve their forests. It most definitely deserves a visit from any scout at least once in his life.