For more than a year, over a dozen local scouts and their scoutmasters have been preparing for a ten-day hiking excursion in New Mexico. From raising the funds necessary for getting them there, to dressing in full gear for lengthy hikes here in the area, the scouts are ready to go.
The trip is at a Boy Scout camping area in New Mexico known as Philmont. It’s size is comparable to that of the area of Snyder Township.
“This is the kind of thing you see in Backpacking Magazine,” said Mike Yeaton, a local scoutmaster who is leading one group of scouts on the tour. “It’s truly a trip of a lifetime. I know it was a life-changing experience for me when I went. I don’t expect anything different for the scouts this year.
Local scoutmaster Pete Kreckel and Craig Stover will lead a second group.
According to Yeaton, the Philmont experience is what scouts call a “high adventure camp.” Similar camps include canoeing in Minnesota and SCUBA diving in Florida.
“Overall, the scouts will be hiking, in full gear, between 50 and 90 miles with elevations changes between 3,000 and 6,000 feet,” said Yeaton. “This will truly test our scouts. When I was there two years ago, one night, we stayed in 30 degree weather on a mountain, and the next day, we were in the 104 degree heat of a desert.”
Yeaton said the hike will consist of various stops at staffed and un-staffed campsites. At these campsites, the scouts will be involved in a variety of activities, including chuck wagon dinners, horse riding and shotgun shooting.
When the ten-day hike kicks-off, Yeaton said a guide will be available for the first 48 hours, offering helpful hints and training for the scouts. Yeaton said during the middle of the second night, the guide will disappear, leaving the scouts and scoutmasters on their own.
“One of the really nice things about this hike is that the scouts really do everything themselves,” said Yeaton. “The adult leaders are just there for safety reasons.”
Yeaton explained that it will be up to the scouts to make their way from campsite to campsite.
“If they miss a trail they should have went on, we can’t tell them,” he said. “Maybe we would have to back track to get back on line, but it will be up to the scouts to figure that out.”
Yeaton said the camp will build a lot of Boy Scout skills, as well as teach a slew of life lessons, including self-esteem, building confidence and teamwork.
The scouts left this morning from Philadelphia and have a three-day tour of the southwest.
Day one includes a tour of Sedona and sight-seeing at Church in the Rock, also known as Red Rock. After returning to Sedona, the scouts will hike to the Oak Creek Canyon, stopping at an area called Slide Rock. The scouts will then stop at the top of Oak Creek Canyon where native Americans will be selling jewelry and other items.
On day two, the scouts will travel to the Grand Canyon where, first, they will stop at the visitor center and then move on to the south rim of the canyon. There, the Bright Angel Trail will lead the scouts to Indian Gardens. After lunch, they will move on to The Painted Desert/Petrified Forest.
On the third day, the scouts will visit the Acoma Reservation and a drum factory.
The scouts will then travel to Philmont for the ten-day hiking event. Their journey will end when they return to northern Blair County on June 22.
“This is the largest contingent of scouts from this area we have ever had participating,” said Yeaton. “Usually, one or two will go.”
Those participating this year include Jared Rodgers, Timothy Zimmerman, Zoe Yeaton, Zac Yeaton, Nathan Barber, John Bartlett, Matthew Grimm, Christopher Bradigan, Phillip Kreckel, Travis Hoover, Donovan Truax, Ryan Lauder and Matthew Lauder.
