We last left off when I met my first crew. I wanted to post stories and stuff from my summer but after weeks of trying to come up with something--anything, I have failed miserably at this attempt. So, I've decided to take this post in another direction which will hopefully pull something interesting out of my vast archives of memories from these quick, action packed 3 months.
I will sort of be addressing this post towards those who are thinking about applying to work at Philmont, particularly for a ranger position. There are many things I wish I had known ahead of time that I will talk about. It hardly scratches everything that I could talk about so I'm sure there will be future posts after this one.
So first and foremost as a ranger (and if you work there at all), you have to be willing to be adventurous. You have about 137,500 plus acres to explore, so do it! Don't stay in base camp all the time because you'll find way more adventure and make double the friends in the back country. It took awhile for me to get comfortable with the idea of hiking alone when I wasn't just hurrying back to the nearest bus back to base, but once I did, it was very freeing and that's when I had some real fun.
One of my favorite camps was Indian Writings. Not because the scenery was the prettiest or the activities were the most fun. No, it was the staff there. They were a hoot. I didn't go hungry or bored for a second while visiting them. As one of the staff members said, "Rangers are like the orphans of Philmont. They don't really have a real home since they're in base and back country just about equally. That's why we always welcome the rangers in." I certainly felt the love so I never hesitated to visit them when I had the chance.
This year the newest camp, Metcalf Station, opened. It was set up like a train station and the big activity was helping to build the track. All of the guys there were seasoned Philmonters and they were super friendly and welcoming so I kept going back. One cold and rainy night when I had a few days off, I decided to stop there for the night rather than continue to where I was planning on going. They fed me a wonderful warm dinner, I enjoyed their evening campfire show and then we all stayed up late playing dominoes. To top it off, I was allowed to sleep in the cabin rather than porch crash like most rangers (when they are without a crew) are expected to do if they don't sleep in their own tent. I fell asleep warm, dry and happy that night rather than soaked and miserable like I thought might happen. And because of this, Metcalf Station became one of my favorite places to go.
That being said, make friends in base camp too. The activities staff are really fun because, well, that's their job.
Learn to love opening campfire. You can either think it's boring because you have to watch the same show every week or you can have fun with it. Make your crew excited for it and you'll be excited too. I told almost every crew to try to get front row seats. It only happened about 3 times but it's way more fun up there.
Bear bags: an evil necessity. Your crew will get sick of you ragging on them about how important it is but let's be real here, no one wants to be mauled by a bear. At the very least you want to keep all of your food. I could also go into the reasoning why it's bad for bears to eat human food but I don't want to bore you so I'll move on.
Learn to love the mornings. I have never been a morning person. Ever. But at Philmont, sleeping in was surprisingly hard especially considering that you're hiking all the time. Besides the fact that you have to be up by 6 or earlier every day, the sun wakes you up anyway.
Your Training Crew will be like your built in family. Training trek was one of the coolest experiences of the summer. The second year rangers and our ranger trainer helped us first years along by teaching us all their cool tricks. And we had a ton of fun together too.
You'll meet a lot of people with so many different backgrounds and they will be super cool and quirky. If you're lucky, they'll give you an orange peel with...a meatball in it...?
The PhilTan is real. You will eat, breath and sleep on/in dirt. As my wonderful tent mate once said, "Rangers eat dirt to stay healthy." Staying squeaky clean is near impossible and by no means expected. Yes, there is a way to remain professional while covered in dirt. But don't worry, there are showers. And you will be expected to use them when you get back to base camp.
Besides wild animals, you'll meet domestic animals too. Hope you like cats because they're everywhere in the back country guarding their camp from a mini bear attack. Well, some of them do their job better than others.
Probably one of my favorite cats was Thea at Miners Park. I stayed the night there after leaving a crew. In the morning, little Thea tried really hard to get a taste of the milk in my cereal bowl.
But as stated before, there are also wild animals. Some are more wild than others. Deer really aren't all that afraid of humans, hence their nick name: derps.
Then there are the bugs. The first half of the summer is decently bug free. The second half...well...you'll really start hating the fact that you live outside. Flies, mosquitoes and gnats... Will. Not. Leave. You. Alone. Ever had gnats swimming in your ear? Yeah, not fun. Even more annoying, bug spray doesn't seem to phase them. Pro tip: ear plugs help with the gnat-in-ear problem. And every once in awhile you'll find an interesting specimen like the gigantic grasshopper that seemed to be straight out of the movie Bugs Life.
Make sure everyone knows your summer address. Someone will love you enough to send you oreos and other stuff to make your day. Another cool feature of the Philmont post system: iCamps. You can send basically anything (legal and reasonably sized, of course) to any other staff member on the ranch for the sweet price of free. Watermelons are a popular item. It's probably also the best way to keep in contact with back country friends who you don't get to see very often.
Apply to be a special trek ranger. It's super fun, mixes up your routine and adds to your Arrowhead Patch collection. I mean, the Arrowhead Patch is the REAL reason you go to Philmont, right? And besides that, you'll be paired up with another ranger or two which will give you a chance to make some close friends.
I applied and was selected to be a Mountain Trek Ranger one week and that was probably my favorite week of the summer. I was with a super fun group of 12 girls and the 2 rangers that I worked with were true power rangers. The cool part was that it was LDS week so all the girls were LDS; something I wasn't used to. That extra connection was nice to have while getting to know them.
The little things along the way make the hike sparkle with magic. My favorite hike was when I was hiking in by myself from Miners Park. It was just me, the birds and the beautiful trail. I'm pretty sure I hiked the entire way back to Lovers Leap Turnaroud with my mouth wide open in awe. It was then that I realized how lucky I was. Completely isolated from any other human and so free!
Take the extra time and energy to climb to the top of the mountain to see the view. It'll be worth it. Some say, "once you see one view, you've seen them all." I completely disagree. It's just as magical as it was the first time.
---And now for a comedic intermission---
A list written over the course of two long car rides. By: Kyra (Ranger), Zack (Ranger), Colin (NPS), Rachel (Registration), Megan (Ranger) & Noah (Ranger)
In The World of Philmont
In a world where poop is a normal dinner table conversation.
In a world where you're thankful when squeeze cheese comes out...until it comes out the way it went in.
In a world where crews be crewin.
In a world where rest and half strength Gatorade is the cure for everything.
In a world where minibears are more dangerous than real bears.
In a world were bus tours are actually fun because 67.5 percent of the information is made up on the fly.
In a world where everyone is vain because of rule 1.
In a world where the only stripes you earn are salt lines.
In a world where all the food is fake.
In a world where just add water is how you cook everything.
In a world where good wifi is considered a luxury.
In a world where "hitting the 'sssac'" means something completely different (and is spelled with three S's).
In a world where the ToTT is not a small child.
In a world where Wal-Mart is two hours away.
In a world where I love 3G more than I love you.
In a world where carabeeners are as useful as duct tape (if not more so).
In a world where rangers are made in redroofs.
In a world where sleeping in until 6 is a luxury.
In a world where the only thing that comes easy is sweat.
---Please resume---
Did I mention that you'll be living outside? Yeah, platform tents in base camp and backpacking tents in the the back country. I seriously only slept inside a building with 4 walls, a roof and a floor a total of 3 times during the summer. And even then, I was still in a sleeping bag on the floor. But you know what? You get used to it and it isn't all that bad. Staff are allowed to borrow a Thunder Ridge tent for the trail free of charge, which I did all summer. It worked but half way through the summer I was wishing I had a newer one-man tent rather than the 3 year old two-man that I was borrowing. So if you're stingy with your money, there are tents you can use but if you have a one-man definitely bring that.
As for just living in a tent with a tentmate, it's a bit smaller than an average college dorm room but it's not as bad as you might think. You are provided with a cot and a small, two part locker. Bring bedding, including a decent quilt because it gets pretty cool at night. As for your clothes, bring a heavy duty foot locker to put at the foot of your bed to keep most of your clothes in because the locker won't help much. It doubles as a nice seat when you get off the trail and you don't want to sit on your bed because you haven't taken a shower yet. The locker is to keep smellables and valuables (bring a padlock) in for the most part. I hung my class A uniform in there but that's about the only clothing. For your shoes, you can just keep them under your bed. The bed isn't too tall so you can't fit huge containers under there.
By chance, I found a small hanging closest organizer at the dollar store before I left and decided to buy it because it seemed useful. Probably one of the best decisions I made in preparation. There was a small hole in the side of the locker that I stuck the hanging hook in and so I had some compartments right next to my bed to put little nick-nacks in when I was emptying my pockets at night.
My plans to improve living if and when I go back include a rope to tie between the two poles holding the tent up. On it, I want to hang my wet laundry. There is little humidity in NM so hanging your laundry out to dry actually works. By the way, a batch of laundry is 75 cents and a 10min drying round is 25. You can also buy one-load boxes of detergent for 75 cents but I'd advise bringing a small bottle or box of detergent instead. I ended up spending more on soap than I needed to by using the one-load boxes.
Hammocks are allowed to be hung between base camp tents so I brought one. It was great for the total of 10 minutes that I actually sat in it. Unfortunately, when I actually had time to sit in it, it was too hot outside. So, I would only recommend bringing one if you're driving there or your have a looot of luggage space. And trust me, you need all the luggage space you can get because you'll be going home with more than you brought. The good news is, you can ship stuff home if you want to pay for it. And if your brother will be there on a trek, you can send a bunch of stuff home with him {my friend, Henry, would like me to add that he helped to carry stuff home too}. That's what I did. I don't think he appreciated it all that much.
The stuff I overpacked the most were clothes-civvies as they are called. You only need a couple outfits because you'll be in uniform at least 85% of the time. All you really need are about two street outfits, an outfit you're willing to paint and get dirty in (lots of painting fences on work days), a nicer one for special occasions (I used mine for church when I had the day off on Sunday and when I went on a temple trip), and a workout outfit if you think you'll use one.
And while I'm on the topic of clothes, I'll talk about uniform. The only parts of your uniform that comes with your job are 3 shirts, a hat and your name tag. You have to buy the pants but you're still required to wear uniform pants. Thankfully, if you already have BSA pants, those are acceptable. You can also buy Philmont pants for quite a bit of money (just have about $50 or so ready). You're required to wear your uniform at all times unless it's your day off. If you plan to hike in the back country on your day off, you also have to wear your uniform. And if you plan on eating in the dinning hall on your day off, you have to wear your uniform. So basically, even on your day off, wear your uniform. Oh, and when you're on Philmont property, you must wear your name tag. Yes, even on your day off.
OK and then there's the food situation. Cafeteria food in base camp and the same 30 packaged meals in the back country. Over and over and over again. You'll get sick of it all. The good news is that the staff dinning hall (as opposed to the camper dinning hall) serves slightly better quality food with more variety and usually two options to choose from. But tough it out, your favorite meal comes back around eventually. Most people know I'm addicted to pasta so when fettuccine alfredo is served, you know I'll be going back for 5ths. I seriously made myself sick one day from eating so much of it. And then there was back country dinner #1. BEEF STROGANOFF WITH NOODLES! Yeah, that was my favorite freeze dried meal and everyone knew it. Speaking of back country food, you're just going to have to accept that you'll have a little Phil-Seasoning (dirt and wood chips) in your food every once in awhile. This is a frosted pound cake with wood chips and dirt if you can't tell.
Another note: make friends with people who give you ice as your main course because you hate hot dogs. Those people are the best.
And when you're truly sick of "fake" food, treat yourself to some Cimarron food. The Cimarron shuttle is free to employees (make sure you have your name tag) so just hop on and head to Cimarron. My personal favorite: The Cimarron Smokehouse. Oh and while you're there, go sit in the park across the street and use the wifi there. It's much better than base camps (don't get me started).
Next order of business: rainbows. No idea why but they're almost a daily event. Just kidding, I know why. It's because it rains almost every day. So go ahead and take a selfie in your dorky raincoat with a rainbow because whyyyyy not?
If you hate facial hair...well tooooo bad! I personally don't prefer it but somehow it looks good at Philmont. The guys are proud of their beards so just roll with it.
What you consider entertainment may be (and by that I mean it very much is) a biiiiit different from the outside world. Take this for example, a balancing act with random things just laying around. It kept us entertained for quite awhile. Your dinner table conversations there will not be appropriate at the dinner table when you go back to the real world. I didn't used to think poop jokes were funny, I promise...
Now for a word on workdays. Lest you think you get days off when they don't need you as a ranger yeah...you're more likely to find yourself digging through dumpsters for recycling. It's nothing personal, they just need help with odd jobs around the ranch. But never fear, some work days are fun. Like, riding ATVs fun. No catch to it. You get trained to and ride ATVs. And yes, you do get days off too.
Remember how I said you need to be a morning person? Well, it does have its perks. The sunrises are so worth it. If you get the chance, check out the Sawmill sunrise.
If you know a crew that is coming, don't be afraid to request them. Yes, you're allowed to do that. It can be interesting if your brother is the crew leader though... And when they are done, they'll tell you about all the rules they broke that you tried so hard to teach them. It's an interesting experience for sure.
You will quickly notice that many rangers have a strange contraption call a "Crazy Creek". My advice: buy one. It's worth every penny. Sitting on the ground all the time won't be much of a problem if you have one. Many people look at it and wonder how in the world is could be so comfortable but when they try it, they have a hard time getting out of it. I even used it as my sleeping pad for dual use.
When I first mentioned that I wanted to work at Philmont, my mom's first worry was church. Never fear, there is plenty of church opportunities. There is chapel every night at 7 for 4 religions. Protestant, Catholic, LDS and Jewish. I went to all of them multiple times which was really cool. I'm not sure what other resources the other religions have but being LDS, I had a lot of other spiritual opportunities. This year was the first summer that there was an official Philmont branch so there was all the basic branch opportunities. On Sunday morning, there was the full 3 block church with sacrament meeting, Sunday school and relief society. On Mondays there was family home evening and Wednesday was institute. There were also visiting teaching assignments and temple trips.
And now you may scroll through a few pictures of the ranch uninterrupted.
At the end of your summer, you'll find yourself crying as you look back at Arrowhead Rock for the last time. Only, it wont be the last time because of the magical powers that the rock possesses. And as you pack away your uniform that you were so eager to get out of, you find yourself wanting to put them back on just to feel like your back HOmE.
IWGBTP are letters of longing that bring back a summer of memories. You find yourself chanting the ranger bell chant around meal time. You sing Silver on the Sage as a lullaby to put yourself to sleep. Maybe that cafeteria food wasn't all that bad afterall...
