On June 15^th, twelve local Boy Scouts embarked on the trip of a lifetime – a two week trek across the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.  Philmont is a camp where scouts from around the world gather and hike across the Rocky Mountains, enduring harsh weather, long days, and freezing nights.  They camped on the mountains, carrying everything they’d need for the trip on their backs.  On this trip, they also learned how to mine, stopped at a ranch for horseback riding, learned how to blacksmith, and gained a better understanding of the environment.  Overall, the scouts hiked a total of seventy miles in the ten days they were on the trails. 

            The Philmont crew and their leaders raised money for this trip through having homemade pet dish sales as well as a lasagna sale.  They trained for eight weekends, preparing themselves for the final test of Philmont.

            When asked what they expected of Philmont, several scouts had different responses.  “I think it will be hard but fun,” said Alex, while David answered, “it will be a good time and great opportunities for everyone.”

            All in all, the scouts returned weary but triumphant at the end of their adventure.  Their high point of the trip, most scouts agreed, was reaching the peak of Mount Baldy where they had an eagle’s eye view of the Rocky Mountain range.  They all walked away with a greater knowledge of the outdoors - from how lasso a cow, to reading a topographical map.  When asked if he would ever consider doing this trek again, Bryan replied without hesitation, “Yes”.