Boy Scouts complete wilderness trek

On the wilderness trail, sometimes the memories find you Warwick - This past summer ten scouts and two adults from local scout troops, including troop 45, 70 and 79, completed a 70-mile backpacking trek through the rugged, majestic Sangre de Christo mountain range of the Rockies. Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s oldest national high-adventure base. The trek leads the backpackers through some of the most remote wilderness areas in America. Elevations ranged from 9,000 to 11,000 feet. “The group hiked 50 miles during early spring and summer along the Appalachian Trail to condition ourselves for what we knew was going to be a strenuous adventure,” said crew leader and Eagle Scout Ben Pearce. “But even with all that preparation, the high altitudes and heavy packs were very challenging, but the trek was a one way route and set distances had to be achieved with each and every day at a different remote camp site.” The backpackers practiced “no trace” camping, which means that everything disposable had to be packed out and carried the entire length of the trip. “We took only photographs and left only foot prints,” said TJ Hansen. “The scenery was just spectacular, and worth ever hard earned mile.” More than 820,000 scouts, venturers, and leaders have experienced the adventure of Philmont since the first camping season in 1939. Throughout its existence, conscientious attention to low-impact camping techniques have helped maintain the ranch’s wilderness flavor. “This was the adventure of my lifetime,” James Michel said. The entire 70-mile wilderness trek was navigated by the boys with map and compass alone. Kenneth Wojtak, also an Eagle Scout from Troop 45, took a separate group on a challenging northerly trek the same week. “Scouting has helped us as parents instill solid values in our boys,” noted Assistant Scoutmaster Ben Pearce Sr. “The kind of young adults that our children become is directly related to the kind of children we continually told them they were.” For more information about scouting, contact Ben Pearce at 986-9985.