After a good night's rest, I felt surprisingly well the next morning. The other advisers were ready to escort me back to Ponil, but I was not ready to be written off quite yet.
During my deep slumber last night, I had missed quite a bit of fireworks. Our crew had struggled terribly when we arrived in camp. Some of the boys tasked with hanging the bear bag ropes still hadn't grasped the procedure so it took them about 45 minutes to get them up. Instead of getting untreated water from the reservoir spigot, our cooks filled the pots with the algae-stained water from the burro's trough. They had brought it to a boil before one of the adults realized the error. Precious time and fuel were wasted repeating the process. The mood of the camp was dour and sullen.
This was the breaking point for Cranberry, and he held an advisers-only meeting. Harsh words were exchanged. Lines were likely crossed. Old friendships were put to the test. As Starfish related to me later, the cringe-worthy words like "idiot" and "unsafe" may have been used when describing Frodo. I was sincerely glad that I had not been around during that meeting. I probably would have lost my cool. Supposedly, they had all buried the hatchet by the end of their meeting but I could still sense tension.
Cranberry privately told me that he, his brother, and son were likely going to abort the trek for safety reasons if I couldn't make it any further. Since that would leave us with only one of the two required wilderness first-aid trained adults, the trek would likely be over for our entire crew. I reassured him that I would be fine, and the worst (i.e. the dry camps) was behind us anyway. I suspected that he was just talking out of frustration, and I doubted that his brother would allow him to withdraw. Nevertheless, I still felt the pressure that a lot was riding on me to continue hiking.
We had a quick breakfast of turkey deli bites, a caramel energy waffle, crunchy peanut butter bar, and a cinnamon pop tart before we continued on our hike. The total distance to our next campsite at Ute Meadows was about 8 miles, with a 600 foot increase in altitude. We would travel past two staffed camp sites--Head of Dean and Miranda. In case the altitude sickness got the best of me, I could always get a ride from there to the base camp infirmary.
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| Miraculously, the scouts had paid attention and were able to re-saddle Richard correctly. |
The hike from Elkorn to Head of Dean campsites was basically flat. The open fields exposed us to the early morning sun which was nearly as harsh as its midday counterpart. Richard no longer kept the brisk pace from the previous day, but he was no slouch either.
We made a brief stop to refill our water bottles at Head of Dean. We were careful not to take our backpacks off lest we get mired in a long delay.
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| Challenge/C.O.P.E. courses are held at the Head of Dean Staff Camp. |
The next segment of our journey to reach the Miranda Staff Camp was very picturesque. We skirted along the ridge of a short peak with expansive views of the valley below.
The trail continued down several switchbacks until we reached Ute Creek. We took a 20 minute break at that point so that our crew and Richard could eat lunch.
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| While people usually performed river crossings using a foot bridge... |
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| ...burros are required to cross directly through the stream. |
We completely overshot the corral where we would say our farewells to Richard. Although we would hear countless tales from other crews who had stubborn burros, we had zero complaints at all from ours.
The theme of the Miranda Staff Camp revolves around the lifestyle of mountain men. The staff accented their clothing with buckskin leather and fur caps. Even the Christmas Tree in their staff cabin was decorated with fur pelts as ornaments.
Although we wouldn't be staying in Miranda, we had a stop there for our program for the day. Black powder rifle shooting is offered there, but we wouldn't be able to fire those. Instead, our itinerary called for tomahawk throwing. It was a pretty laid back activity that gave us a good respite from our hike.
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| Dexter tries to decapitate a chipmunk that was hiding in the wood pile. |
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| Wetwipe was so awful at tomahawk throwing that he couldn't get a single ax to stick despite several dozen throws--a statistically impossible feat. |
Eventually, it was time for us to move on. We still had another mile uphill until we reached our final campsite for the night, Ute Meadows Trail Camp. Despite climbing to an altitude of 9,164 feet, I was still feeling pretty good and suffered minimal altitude effects.
Our crew did a much better job of setting up our camp. Since there was a stream that ran right next to the site, we were able to filter all the water that we needed without any problems. We decided to have an early dinner of four cheese mashed potatoes with packaged chicken chunks as we expected that we would be up very early to tackle Mt Baldy.
Cranberry pulled me aside and told me that he recommended that I skip the hike up the mountain. I reminded him that health care providers make the worst patients, so I was going to give it a try. At the least, I was going to hike the mile up to Baldy Town. If I didn't feel like I could go much further, then I could at least relax on the porch of their staff camp. There was nothing much to do in Ute Meadows.
We devised a plan to split our group into two. The slowest hikers who had been struggling--Frodo, The Sump, and I--would leave an hour before everybody else. Piano Man volunteered to accompany us as Philmont rules require a minimum of four per group. We would leave at 4 AM. The remaining crew members would leave an hour later. The hope would be that we would all reach the top of Mt. Baldy around the same time.
As we were cleaning up our campsite and making preparations for the next day, Mr. Brownie and two of his associates hiked into our campsite with large packs. They acted like they were surprised to see us there. They gathered our entire crew together and asked us for a "favor." Mr. Brownie proceeded to pull out two large watermelons from the backpacks. He promised the scouts that he would give them helpful advice on climbing Mt. Baldy if they would help him "dispose" of these two heavy pieces of "trash" that they had found on the trail.
For the next 30 minutes, our crew dined on the sweet, juicy watermelon while Mr. Brownie poured over the map with our two naviguessers. He helped them figure out the proper route and calculate about how long it would take them to hike up to the peak. Working back from that, they could then decide when to leave in the morning so that they could be off of Mt. Baldy by noon when rainstorms and lightning make it too dangerous. The watermelon and the advice were such nice gestures by Mr. Brownie and his associates that we didn't have the heart to tell him that we had our plan figured out already.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Frodo and I woke up Piano Man and The Sump at 4 AM. After taking thirty minutes to get ready, The Sump admitted that he had no flashlight or headlight. It was pitch dark, so he would have to walk in the middle of our line until the sun came up. I was only carrying my daypack, which was the brain of my backpack converted into a fanny pack. We would all start with 1 Liter of water, our cold and rain weather gear, and our lunch for today. Our breakfast was biscuits and gravy that required cooking, so we were going to save that for tomorrow. I downed a liter of water before we left camp.
The four of us hiked in the dark, past the sleeping camp sites of other crews towards Baldy Town. We were careful not to push our pace too hard lest Frodo and myself overexert ourselves. After having hiked in the full sun for so many days, it was an exhilarating experience walking with only shadow and moonlight all around us.
After a half-hour's journey, we arrived at the deserted buildings of Baldy Town. I downed another liter of water, and carried another 2 liters of water with me. We took a small break to eat our food, but discovered that The Sump had forgotten his. Frodo scrounged inside the vacant staff cabin and reappeared with a couple of packets of food that he had found in a stash.
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| The view of the valley below from Baldy Town |
We were lingering way too long at Baldy Town. Several other crews arrived after us and were already headed up the mountain trail. As we were finally ready to leave, the rest of our crew arrived at the staff camp. Our hour-long lead had all but disappeared.
Our small group of four then proceeded up the eternity of switchbacks that lead to the top of Baldy. We decided to employ the caterpillar method of hiking. With each person taking intermittent stops to catch their breath and drink, the entire group still could make efficient progress without each person getting too fatigued. I soon learned to take frequent breaks as to not significantly raise my pulse or rate of breathing.
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| The forest around Mt. Baldy is filled with white aspen trees. |
For the next two hours, we kept our conversations to a minimum to save our breath. It was remarkably peaceful hiking in the woods. We even stopped to watch a flock of six turkeys fifty feet off the trail. We were making pretty good progress as only one crew managed to pass us by the time we made it three quarters of the way up the mountain.
Suddenly, our peaceful silence was interrupted by a cacophony of off-key voices singing "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen. It was the rest of our crew. To keep their mind off the grinding hike, they started singing every song they could think of. The had finished off the entire Queen anthology and were now on to silly songs that everybody somehow knew. The four us stepped aside as our scouts basically double-timed it right past us. Not too far behind them were the other adult advisers, keeping up but breathing noticeably harder.
With the air getting thinner, and our caterpillar stops getting more frequent, our small group of four did not deviate from the plan. After another half an hour, the trail emerged from the treeline. Ahead was a naked path full of rocks and scree. We had arrived at the bald part of Mt. Baldy.
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| Our mini crew pause before we tackled the rocky path to the peak. |
Without any tree cover, the wind started hitting us making it colder. Our progress slowed down to a snail pace as every step seemed to drain all the strength out of my body. I found myself breathing much harder after walking only a few feet. Eventually, it got to the point where I began hyperventilating even while standing perfectly still. If I were hiking alone, I probably would have headed back long ago. However, the moral support (and peer pressure) of my fellow hikers--Frodo, The Sump, and Piano Man--provided me with the resolve to keep moving forward.
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| The faster members of our crew scurry up to the top of Mt. Baldy |
After 45 minutes of grueling climb up the rocky incline, the four of us finally crested the peak of Mt. Baldy. We were blasted by frigid, hurricane force winds. My down coat and wool cap came in handy, but I couldn't muster the strength to put my convertible pant legs on.
We were met by cheers from our other crew members who had been hunkered down at the top for the past 20 minutes waiting for us. They had built shallow pits with piled up rocks to protect them from the wind. While it had taken the main group two and half hours to hike the 4 mile journey from Baldy Town to the peak, our smaller group took an hour longer.
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| Starfish and The Sump share a "YPT" moment |
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| This short wall of stones provided an effective barrier against both the wind and Mongol raiders. |
Although I had climbed much higher than 12,400 feet in the past, this was still a very emotional moment for me. I had made it to the top of my first mountain. I was able to exorcise some of my demons from my disappointing trek on Kilimanjaro six years before. Although I had been physically exhausted and mentally drained for the past two hours, I still persevered and didn't quit. Most importantly, I was able to enjoy Mt. Baldy with my son. Although we had made the journey separately, we stood at the top together. Like his mother, The Boy had absolutely no problems hiking at altitude. While I could hardly breath at the top, he moved around effortlessly.
The other adult advisers were still concerned that I was going to pass out from hypoxia if I lingered on the peak too long. Since they didn't want to have to deal with the paperwork in case I died, they quickly ushered me back down. Our crew's itinerary had us continuing on a northeasterly route down the mountain to the French Henry Staff Camp. Wetwipe, Frodo, and their respective sons went in that direction. The remainder of us elected to hike back down to Baldy Town. Once we made it back down to the tree line, we stopped at a large green meadow and crashed for the next hour.
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| Mt. Baldy is one of the few places in Philmont where Verizon phones can get reception. |
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| The boys frolic in the green meadow. |
After that much-needed nap, our group started back down the mountain. The Boy offered to carry my water for me as I was still very fatigued. He stuck it in his day pack and then sprinted off down the mountain. I wouldn't see him or my water for the next hour. I thought the hike back to Baldy Town would be easier. But I was so exhausted and, soon enough, terribly dehydrated that I could only stagger down the switchbacks. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally made it back to Baldy Town. Finally reunited with my water bottle, I threw down a liter of Gatorade and a chocolate milk which really rejuvenated me.
We would be doing our second food pickup at Baldy Town. Several of the scouts had brought their empty backpacks and left them by the commissary on the way to Mt. Baldy. Now they filled them with the next three days worth of food to take back to our campsite. We would also have our second chance at showers and laundry here. Unlike Ponil, the water was nice and warm which really hit the spot, especially after the long hike. It was nice feeling almost human again. For unknown reasons, Inferno and The Sump refused to shower, just like at Ponil.
Afterwards, our crew relaxed on the large porch at the staff cabin. As we enjoyed the ambiance and view, one of the older staff members went around pouring coffee for the adults. I'm pretty sure he was an angel. For the next hour, we were in heaven.
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| The only negatives to the Baldy Town porch were the Charlie Brown-esque Christmas tree and the stockings full of Sriracha peanut butter. |
Storm clouds were moving in so we decided to head back to Ute Meadows before the rain came. We barely made it back before we were caught in a torrential downpour. Our remaining crew of nine people huddled under the dining fly to stay warm. We did notice that Inferno was missing as he was hiding out in his tent.
Once the rain abated, we had plenty of work to do. As the scouts got hopping to do their chores, Inferno reluctantly exited his tent and then plopped down in his chair. Shivering in his T-shirt only. he refused to budge. I had a private talk with him on why he was acting like a JAFO (Just Another F**king Observer). He gave me a "F**k You" look and told me that he was cold because his sweatshirt and rain coat were soaked with rainwater. I carefully explained to him that raincoats are meant to get wet. You just shake the water off and it is dry again. I made him march over to his soaking wet day pack and get his sweatshirt and raincoat out. To his surprise, both were actually dry. He sheepishly apologized and started on his chores. Despite the fact that our campsite was soaked from the rainwater, he was still able to get a roaring fire started.
As the scouts finished cooking our dinner of chicken fried rice, cheddar cheese pretzels, cookies, and throw-away flamin' hot peanuts, Wetwipe, Crack, Frodo, and Piano Man finally made it back to camp. They had indeed hiked to French Henry, stopping briefly at a solitary patch of snow on Mt. Baldy. Although they had arrived at the camp at 2:00 PM, there were no empty spots left for the Mine Tour. Instead they did a little blacksmithing and panning for gold (There is still an estimated $1 billion worth of gold in Mt. Baldy, but it would take $3 billion to extract it.). They told us that the trail around that area was beautiful, but it did add an extra four miles of hiking to their day. Not only were they exhausted, but they also ended up getting caught in the rainstorm.
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| Oh my gosh! It is a double rainbow! |
Around the campfire, for our "roses, thorns, and buds," most everybody cited the hike up Mt. Baldy as being the worst part of the day. However, to a man, we all agreed that how we did it, as a cohesive team with proper planning and execution, was our rose. Our hope would be that all the bickering and disagreements would all be behind us. We would have each other's back from here on out.
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