07/13/2026
So Sandra and I checked a bucket list item this last week and completed a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch. Our trek was a 7-day PSA Trek.
Officially, we were 705-PS-3. Daniel, Mark, Chase, Dustin, Rob, Rick, and us.
Our trek began with the opening campfire, and the next morning, we started our conservation project, building a man-made beaver dam on Cito Creek near base camp. The bus picked us up after lunch and dropped us off at the Zastrow Turnaround. After our Red Roof talk, we headed out to Abreu for our first night and more Ranger training. We also shared in the Abreu Family Dinner: a burrito, beans, and a churro.
The next morning, we arose at 5:00 am, packed up, and hit the trail before 6:30. Our destination was Fish Camp.
It’s about 7 miles to Fish and Sandra, and I have hiked it before on days off. Fish is traditionally a staff camp, but this year it is staffed by only a couple of volunteers while work continues to restore the original cabin.
When we arrived and were allowed to set up camp in the yard in front of the fly-tying cabin. Not long after our arrival, we got some light rain. Once everything was done, a nice afternoon nap was on the agenda. Just before dinner, our Ranger Owen Patterson took us to a small clearing above the caretaker’s cabin and had us spread out for some quiet reflection. This was an unexpected surprise, and Sandra and I both selected spots along the banks of the Agua Fría. Dinner was ramen noodles and beef summer sausage, which was surprisingly good, and prepared by our Ranger as a training lesson. We were in our tent and asleep by 9:00. Owen headed back to camp about the time we were getting up the following morning, his job as our Ranger successfully completed.
The next morning, we again began the day at 5:00 am and were on the trail by 6:20. Today’s destination was Beaubien with a commissary stop at Phillips Junction. The stop at PJ took about an hour, and we picked up the food for the remaining time in the trail. We also had the opportunity to get milk and fresh fruit. We both had a peach, which was very tasty. After we sorted the food and enjoyed the fruit, we set out for Beaubien.
We arrived at Beaubien and were assigned a very nice campsite right next to the Cantina. During our porch talk, a scout from a crew from Puerto Rico was delivered to the camp to be reunited with her crew following a medical issue. The young female scout either didn’t speak English or didn’t speak it well, so Sandra stepped in and spoke with her. The immediate look on her face told the whole story. She became very relaxed and comfortable while she waited for her crew to arrive at camp.
Camp was set up, and around 2:00, a slightly heavier rain began to fall, which allowed for another afternoon nap. Dinner was the always popular spaghetti with beef marinara sauce. Advisors’ coffee was at 7:00 pm, where we had the opportunity to meet folks from Florida, Connecticut, and Puerto Rico. One of the adult advisors from Connecticut is a fan of Artifact of the Week and came over to find me when he heard my voice. He said his scouts watched the videos we produced for the Scouting Heritage Merit Badge while traveling to Philmont and found an error he thought we should correct. Following Advisors’ coffee, it was time for the campfire show. The show was good, and we fell asleep to the sounds of the after-show music performances and scouts having a great time singing along.
The next morning, we slept in until 6:00 and did a 6-mile round-trip side hike to Black Mountain camp. It was commissary day at Black, and we passed the burros coming up the trail to meet the commissary truck, which brought food and other supplies for the staff. Sandra delivered a small bag of Dum Dum suckers and a trash magazine to the staff on behalf of the Philmont Staff Association. These little gifts were provided to many backcountry staff camps by the PSA as a small morale booster. While at Black, we had the opportunity to forge a PS3 with their resident blacksmith. We were unable to shoot black powder ri**es because of the commissary pick up, but that was not a serious issue. We returned to Beaubien in time to enjoy a third afternoon nap. For dinner, we enjoyed the chuckwagon dinner, consisting of chili, a truck stop-packaged brownie, and a cornbread donut. Normally, the entire meal would be fresh and cooked in Dutch ovens, but with the fire bans in place here in New Mexico, it’s propane and prepackaged alternatives. Dinner was followed by another round of advisors’ coffee and a new campfire show. Just like the first night, we fell asleep to the sounds of scouts and the after-show music.
The next morning, we were back to the 5:00 wake-up and on the trail by 6:20. Today, we were hiking over Trail Peak, headed to Crater Lake. This was arguably the hardest hiking day as Trail Peak is no joke. Sandra was our naviguessor for the day and did a great job.
The first time Sandra and I climbed Trail Peak was with my boss and his kids several years ago, as we were planning to create new interpretive panels for the B-24 crash site near the top of the mountain. We took the “hard” trail from Fowler Pass to the top and back. This trail was created by a bulldozer in 1942 when the Palme crashed and goes straight up the mountain.
On this adventure, we took the “less-hard” trail up the mountain and the “hard trail down the other side. Upon arriving at Crater Lake, several of us were a little worse for wear. We set up camp and again enjoyed that amazing afternoon treat of a nap, although we didn’t experience the rain of the other days of the trek. A couple of the guys tried the spar pole climbing. Advisors coffee and the campfire show were very small as it was just one other crew and us from Missouri. Five scouts and four adult advisors. To close every campfire, they have all current and former staff in attendance come to the stage area and sing the Philmont Hymn. On this night, there were also six base camp visitors in attendance, so it was 20-some staffers onstage and nine campers in the audience. The song still had a magical sound and created a memorable moment.
The next morning, we repeated our daily routine and set out for our bus pickup at the Lovers Leap Turnaround at 1:00.
While the hiking part of our trek came to an end, we gathered at the St James for a celebratory dinner and closed out the night at the Closing Campfire. 705-PS-3 was officially over.
What a great experience, and we had the opportunity to meet and spend quality time with some great folks.
