June 2011
2 posts
Island Time - Training Trek 5/31-6/5
For once, a free evening in base. I’m sitting in the laundry room, my clothes sitting in the dryer, my friends crowded around me at a table, overall maps strewn about, planning our Rayado itineraries. This has been a breathless three weeks.
What’s happened? Ranger training, my first crew, RAYADO TRAINING! We hit the trail again, for 20 days, on June 20th. We have a few days to...
May 2011
2 posts
It's as if I never left.
A quick note before I head out on ranger training -
As soon as I stepped onto base camp, these past 9 months faded away. Being a second-year is wonderful; I gave and received so many hugs, hellos, and waves to all the returners. My training crew is very cool and my ranger trainer, Aaron, is great as well. He hasn’t told us where we’ll be going on training. My pack weighs a ton, I...
March 2011
1 post
January 2011
1 post
September 2010
2 posts
Where the Old Rayado Flows
Sitting at a small kitchen table in Danny’s apartment in Athens, Georgia, I figure it’s as good a time as any to add a closing post to this blog. I could write about my last two crews - my experiences with them remain vivid. I could tell you how I accidentally melted the cover of an advisor’s JetBoil pot or how I dealt with my first homesick boy, a fourteen-year-old energetic...
August 2010
8 posts
Looking at my last Philmont sunrise this season from Mark Anderson’s lawn, the director of programming. We all dragged our foamies here.
Just hiked up to an overlook from Schaefer’s Pass. The vista is overwhelming and I feel as if I am alone in the universe.
Logger Time!/Window Rock/"Work" Day (7/31-8/3)
On my hike-in day I set out my dripping gear to dry, but more showers interrupted the process. A lot of people who planned to hit Crater Lake’s Phil Fiesta bailed, but the rain didn’t intimidate a few of us. After dinner we found rides and drove to Lover’s Leap turnaround. We scrambled out and absolutely hauled up the trail to Crater. There weren’t a lot of people I...
Bears and Earthworms - Trek 10 (7/28 - 8/1)
My tenth crew was from Tuscon, a rather large group - thirteen people, with five adults and seven youths listed officially on the roster. Really, two of the youths were nineteen, so that’s seven adults according to BSA policy. I really liked this group. They were fun, mature, and competent. They never complained about the tasks they were assigned and maintained good spirits. My crew...
July 2010
19 posts
Washed Out - Trek 9 (7/23-7/26) and Hike-In, Day...
My tent, boots, socks, stuff sacks, and the rest of my gear is dry - finally. We had quite a rainstorm on the second day with my ninth crew, a group of three adults and four youths from Chicago. (One “adult” was the eighteen-year-old son of one of the other advisors. He had two brothers on the trip, too.)
This crew, though mostly fourteen years old, was a lot of fun to be with...
The Dark Side of the Force
Yesterday I got a lightsaber to chase away bears. Unfortunately, the only one left at Wal-Mart was Darth Vader’s red blade, but I suppose it’s good to see the children of Taos are allies of the Jedi.
Charlie Alphas - Trek 8 (7/14-7/17)
It’s hard to focus on my last crew, because I’m sitting in a bed and breakfast in Taos, wearing real clothes and having eaten real food for dinner (delicious pizza and an ice cream cone). I’ve been catching up on current events on this little vacation with my parents, and it’s odd to be engaged in international and domestic politics again. Philmont is wide and incredible,...
Oh, so that's why I'm always hungry...
Being a vegetarian has worked out pretty well here, as I’m very content eating breakfast bars, squeeze cheese, and vegetarian lasagna daily. I figured my constant snacking was due to my high activity. The other day, an advisor remarked that it’s probably because I don’t eat much protein. Of course! Apparently protein slows down your metabolism, so it makes you feel fuller. I turn...
Ugh! Looks like I have a work day tomorrow. Little Costilla will have to wait until next summer. On the bright side, I can see my parents an extra day - they’re picking me up and taking me to Taos.
Party Don't Start Till I Hike In - trek 7...
My last trek was again disappointing. The first two days weren’t challenging, and the crew, save some fun advisors, was not interesting or inquisitive. Some of the boys gave me attitude about the myriad bear procedures and rules and regulations they have to follow, just like my other Chicago crew, but they weren’t good-natured about it. They were utterly unengaged, barely demonstrating...
My new crew, the one I take out today, is mostly fourteen. I feel like I’m babysitting.
All Your Base Are Belong To Us - Trek 6 (7/5-7/8)...
Back to typing on my iPod again…Danny is back from Rayado so I needed to give up the computer. Mom and Dad are visiting from the 19th through the 21st, so they’ll bring my Mac out then. I’m excited to finally rip music from all my friends out here - I’ve gotten really into the Avett Brothers and Spanish rock. I’m also excited to spend some time with them in Taos,...
Someone felt the need to post “no men!” signs on the women’s bathroom in base. What?
My Heart Like a Kick Drum – Hike-in day, Day off...
“Good morning, Andrea! This is your seven am wakeup call. We had some sprinkles last night, and it looks like a forecast of overcast skies for the day.” Then the three boys surrounding me started singing “With a Little Help From My Friends”. We spent a lazy day in camp that morning – the crew didn’t see a need to get to their next camp early as it’s a trail camp and there are no programs. At 9 am...
Baltimore Boys – Trek 5 (6/30-7/3)
On July first I took my Baltimore crew out. They had a sister crew of almost all girls, most of them my year at Towson. Both this crew and mine all went to Franklin High. I tried to play the mutual-friends game, but they didn’t know any of my Pikesville friends. My crew was determined to see the T.Rex track on the way to Anasazi camp, the only one in the world. They talked to Logistics and were...
Rayado Visits - Days Off 6/28-6/29
What to do when you have a hike-in day, followed by a day off? Surely not hang out in base. After sprinting back from Old Camp to Six Mile Gate Turnaround with Alden, Alex and Matt, I showered and caught a ride with my RT Kate to go to Cito, where the Rayado crew Danny leads had a layover day. Cito (short for Cimarroncito) is a rock climbing camp with a big staff, so I had fun meeting everyone as...
Catholics and Conservation – Trek 4 (6/25-6/28)
My fourth crew was from Baton Rouge, and they brought me pralines! They were very indignant when I called them cookies. Apparently “cookie” is not an appropriate name for these sugary delights with pecans. Naturally I ate a few at ten am. My crew consisted of five boys and two advisors, a man and a woman, the man an attorney and the woman a plastic surgeon. The woman was a vegetarian, which worked...
June 2010
19 posts
Sometimes I ask myself: is it necessary to eat both camper and staff lunch, followed by two desserts? The answer is always yes.
Falling With Style - Day Off (6/23-6/24)
The next day Amanda and I completed a really great hike from Devils Washbasin to Miners Park, about eight miles south. Turns out some of the hike retraced routes I had taken with my training crew, which was good to learn because I really had no idea where I was during that trip. The trail was really beautiful, with switchbacks revealing great views of Trail Peak and Black Mountain. Intending to...
Dr. Dre – Trek 3 (6/20-6/23)
I’m still reeling from the wonderful four days I just spent bonding with a great crew and hiking south afterward with friends, challenging myself, enjoying Philmont’s beauty, and eating well at staff camps. I have my fourth crew now, a group of five boys and two adults, a man and a woman, from Baton Rouge. They seem fine, although the boys keep insisting on bringing their cell phones to check...
Listen to Your Ranger - Trek 2 (6/16-6/19)
My next crew was a group of ten boys and two advisors from South Dakota. They were a little awkward, but nice and somewhat underprepared for Philmont, which I have to say excited me - I could test my mettle as a ranger! All that information I learned about bear bags and the Bearmuda Triangle (sump, bear cable, fire ring - dining fly goes in this area, tents go fifty feet away), hiking etiquette,...
Trek 1 (6/11-6/14) and day off (6/14-6/15)
Finally, a real post! My friend Danny was selected to be a Rayado ranger, meaning he’s taking a group of 8 boys out for 21 days with another ranger for an awesome, challenging trek in which the boys don’t know their itinerary. So I’m taking his computer for 21 days! Sorry for the little, uninteresting posts in the meantime.
My first crew was from Greenville, South Carolina, a...
Base camp is so boring. I feel like I’m moving in slow motion.
Back in base - my first crew went pretty well. Picking up another crew in a few hours. Longer post to come.
Took a day hike up the Tooth of Time with 5 friends. My first time on this Philmont landmark!
After sunny blue skies twenty minutes ago, it’s hailing. Gotta love philmont weather.
The first crews are here, how exciting! I get my first crew on the 11th, a group of five youths and four adults from the Blue Ridge council. Not sure what state.
