What is the Philmont Scout Ranch? Philmont Definitions

Chester County Council High Adventure Committee
Newsletter #1—September
What is the Philmont Scout Ranch?
The Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of
America’s premier High Adventure site in the United
States as well as a working cattle ranch. The ranch
covers 137,000 rugged acres at the eastern side of
the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in northeastern New
Mexico, about 200 hundred miles south of Denver,
CO.
Waite Phillips, of the Phillips Oil family, donated the
ranch to Scouting in 1938 so youth could enjoy the
rugged mountains, canyons and streams in his beloved summer ranch.
The terrain varies from rim rock canyons and mesas in the north to mountains and valleys in the south
with some plains in the southeast of the ranch. Much
of the ranch is covered in pines and aspens.
During your two weeks at the ranch you may have
chances to pan for gold, climb a rock face, rappel,
watch a sunrise from the top of a mountain, climb spar
poles, shoot shotguns, blackpowder rifles and 30.06
rifles, fly fish in the beautiful streams, and so much
more.
Baldy Mountain—viewed from Hart Peak between Indian Writings and Ponil in North Country
Philmont Definitions
Trek (or Itinerary) - The list of camps you will stay at
each night while you are in Philmont. The Trek Plan
also determines what programs you have during your
trip. It does not determine your hike route. You plan
that.
Tent City (Base Camp) - You will spend your first 24
hours in Base Camp checking in, picking up food and
equipment, doing health rechecks, and preparing yourself and your crew for the next ten days in Philmont’;s
rugged back country. You will return to Base Camp
for the last 18-24 hours of your stay on the Ranch.
Back Country—The rest of Philmont, not including
Base Camp. This is where you will hike the valleys
and mountains, camp out and enjoy the Philmont wilderness programs. You leave the dining hall, bathrooms, showers and electricity behind in the back
country.
Ranger—18-21 year old Philmont staffer who will guide
your crew through your first three days at the ranch.
He/she will make sure you know how to hike, cook,
clean up and live successfully in Philmont’s back
country.
Staff Camp—Back country camp with staff in residence.
These camps will have programs you can do during
your stay. Most have purified water systems and may
have showers. Roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of your camps will
be staff camps.
Trail Camp— No staff live at trail camps. You select
your own campsite when you arrive. There are no
programs at a trail camp. You may have an opportunity to go to a nearby staff camp for programs on days
you spend at trail camps. Trail camps may or may
NOT have water in camp. You will need to purify the
water if it is available.
Crew —The 7 to 12 scouts and leaders who you will
hike, camp and eat with.
Crew Leader—The youth member of your crew who is
in charge (i.e. similar to your patrol leader back home).
Advisors—The adult members of your crew. Their job,
as their name implies, is to advise you on running your
crew during your Philmont trek. They are on vacation!
You run the crew.
Chester Country Council High Adventure Committee
Newsletter #1
Philmont Zones
North Country - Philmont’s North Country features a
series of rim rock canyons. North Country is quite
open. A major forest fire in 2002 cleared much of the
tree cover from this portion of the Philmont Ranch.
Baldy Mountain (elev. 12,441 ft.), the highest mountain
on the ranch is located in the northwest corner of the
ranch. This mountain is an extremely popular destination for crews.
Featured Program of the Month—
Western Lore Camps
South Country—Philmont’s South Country is more
mountainous than the northern end of the ranch. Most
of the mountain peaks in Philmont are in the south—
Mount Phillips, Trail Peak, Bear Mountain, Black Mountain, and Big Red are located in the southern third of
the ranch. South Country is heavily wooded. South
Country treks tend to be shorter in miles but more rugged (in my opinion) than northern treks.
Ponil—North Country
Clark’s Fork—Central Country
Beaubien—South Country
Nearly every trek in Philmont visits one of these
three staff camps. The Western Lore camps feature
horseback riding, roping, branding [boots, Nalgenes,
wallets, belts, etc.], and chuck wagon dinner. How
does a nice bowl of beef stew, biscuit, fruit covered
pound cake and hot chocolate sound after you have
eaten dehydrated food for half a week? Yes… it’s
good.
These three camps have horseshoe pits, checkers
and other games that you can play after dinner with
your friends and crewmates. The camps also have a
reputation for putting on excellent campfires in the
evening. You will enjoy your stay in any of Philmont’s
Western Lore camps.
Central Country—Central Country is a transition zone
between the northern rim rock canyons and the mountainous south. The northeasterly half of Central Philmont is dominated by Deer Lake Mesa. The geography has more in common with northern Philmont. The
southwesterly half of Central Country has more in common with southern Philmont, featuring a series of
wooded peaks and valleys.