Trip Overview and Introduction

Trip Overview:

I had the opportunity to be a part of a mountain trek for six days in the Santa De Cristo Mountains on the Philmont Scout Ranch. I was placed into a ten man crew consisting of two Philmont Rangers and seven other young men my age from all over the country.  Throughout the trip, we backpacked approx. 40 miles, rode ATVs, rock climbed on rock faces, and climbed spar poles, along with other team building high adventure activities. Our program was set up through the Philmont Training Center, as all of our fathers were involved in a LDS religious leadership training conference. Since we were all of the same faith, our trek included religious activities such as devotionals each night and a Sunday worship service out on the trail. I will reflect on that aspect of the Trek in a separate post. I learned a lot from this experience in the aspects of team dynamics, the value of communication, and why working as a team to achieve a goal, is much more rewarding than anything achieved by the individual.

View of Uracca Mesa From the North. Day 5 approx.