Philmont adventure has begun

  
Now that Michael is not near a computer, I can put this out there to everyone.

When the Scouts get off the trail, he gets any letters from home which have been mailed during his trek. I would like to start a campaign to have Michael get a bunch of letters to show him how much we love him.

Please mail your postcard, letter or card by July 25th to ensure he gets it. The address is:

Michael Fazi
719-G5
Philmont Scout Ranch, BSA
47 Caballo Rd.
Cimarron, NM 87714

Please do not send food through the mail. Just cards, letters or postcards.  Let's see if we can get a nice amount of mail for him when he gets off the trail. I know it will be appreciated.

For those of you who don't know what Philmont Scout Ranch is, click to find out.

I will now begin the posts for the adventure.  These are written from the point of view of the group who is going to the camp.

July 17 -- on the road
The anticipation of the trip will keep the electricity flowing. We will meet early in the morning, at 5:30 a.m., form our pack lines and load the Troop trailer.  As soon as we are packed we will leave. We will make a bfast stop at the Jolly Truck Stop outside Wichita Falls, and a lunch stop in Amarillo. The Scouts will listen to iPods, play cards, sleep and anything else to get through this first long day on the road. We should arrive at the Ponil campground in Cimarron, NM around 5:00 p.m.  After we check in we will set up camp along Ponil creak. Supper will be cooked by the advisers, while the Scouts play cards, football, Frisbee and anything else to run off all the energy that built up from riding in a vehicle for 10 hours.  On one trek the scouts had various light saber battles.

July 18, 2011 - Ponil Campground


The only day we will actually sleep in, until about 7:00. We will drive into Cimarron for breakfast at Heck's Hungry Traveler restaurant and then drive out to Philmont to look around. On our last trip here, Heck's had 3 large crews including us hit them in succession.  We actually closed the place down, I think they ran out of food.  Philmont is at the edge of the great plains and the Rocky Mountains, Base camp is flat, dry and actually very blah looking. believe me it is not where the beauty is.  Today will be a day of leisure, checking out the Trading Post, the Seton Museum and touring the Villa Philmonte, the summer home of Waite Phillips, the donor of Philmont to the BSA.  After a day at Philmont, we will return to Ponil campground. The advisers will once again cook supper, the last time we will cook for the Scouts, as the Scouts will cook for the advisers while on the trail.  If you like star gazing, the skies of New Mexico are perfect for it, it's usually crystal clear.

Teaser for Tomorrow -- July 19 -- Day One -- Base Camp ...
   Come back to the blog tomorrow for what Michael is doing on his first day of the actual trek.