Elevation: 6,729 ft
GPS coordinates: W 104 57 34.76  N 36 27 11.58 

Temperatures: High  degrees - Low degrees 

 Tooth Ridge Base Camp

5.2 Miles

Total: 55.45 Miles

       
      The sunrise on this the last day of our trek was at 6:15 am.  We all were up early and eager to hit the trail. It seemed like so long ago that it took us about an hour and a half to break camp.  We were now well past the 30 minute minimum goal we had set for ourselves from wake to trail. We set this goal after being outdone by an all female venture crew back at PONIL. Only three miles separated us from civilization and a shower.  Not that we didn't take showers when they were available but the last shower was at Sawmill a few days ago.  As the sun broke through the clouds we began the descent.  We were all glad the trail was coming to an end, but also sad that it was. After a short distance we found that we were not alone on the trail.  Two additional crews were on our tail.  We knew that checkout order at base camp is set by the time you arrive.  We were determined to arrive first. We quickly out distanced the two crews when they stopped for a break to have breakfast.  We eventually decided to stop for breakfast as one of the crews passed by.  We noticed that it was not the full crew, missing were the adults and several boys.  PHILMONT urges crews to stay together for safety reasons and to assure the experience is shared by all.  We knew we still had a chance.

    We arrived at the - Welcome Back ... You made it! - gate a little after 8:00 am and were lucky enough to have another crew close by to take a group photo of our crew at the gate. We returned the favor and took shots of their crew.  We turned in all of our cooking equipment. We carried our own tents and tarp, so checkout went rather quickly.

    We were assigned temporary base camp tents for our last nights stay.  A hot shower was welcome to all, the crew and all that were around us.  It was time to visit the Snack shop to deliver the Ice Cream promised to them.  Laundry facilities were also available to clean the dirt and stench from the clothes.  Some of the socks were deemed unsalvageable and were discarded. 

     We had most of the afternoon free so we opted to visit the museum and the "Villa Philmonte" mansion which was donated to the Boy Scouts along with the ranch.  The museum contained many interesting displays. If you get a chance don't miss these two points of interest.  The tour of the mansion includes a visit to the music room.  Our guide invited Robert to play the grand piano.  He played several of his favorite pieces with appreciation of all that were within earshot.

      That night we were invited to the closing campfire.  We were lucky enough to get front row seats.  After a few skits from the staff and a movie all the returning crews were awarded a WE MADE IT! plaque.  At this point we realized our trip was coming to its end.  The next morning we were all up early again to see the New Mexico sunrise for the last time.  I'm not sure why we were up so early the train was not scheduled for departure until just about noon.  Maybe, because the trail conditioned us.  We transformed from a sluggish 1 1/2 hour wake up routine, to less than a 20 minutes to departure.

      I think all of us will take something with us that we will never forget about this trip.  For me it was spending some time with my son and seeing how he and all the other boys handled and endured the challenges and hardships that are a PHILMONT TREK.  I want to thank the PHILMONT staff for putting on a wonderful program for Boys to experience the outdoors, learn some new skills, partake in some great activities and take the experience of a lifetime with them. A special thanks to Jamie Carpenter, our guide and trainer, for showing us all the ways of Philmont Camping.