On Wednesday, August 12, twelve Boy Scout members took off on JetBlue from JFK. The crew consisted of three adult leaders, Mr. Kevin Guarino, Mr. Brian Gilmartin (KMHS faculty member) and Mr. Michael O’Brien. The nine scouts consisted of Ian Guarino, Francis O’Brien, Brandon Walter, Timothy Turner, Liam Schmitt, William Jensen, Michael O’Grady, Bryan Palazzolo, and Nicholas Palazzolo.
The crew landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On August 13th, the scouts visited Santa Fe, New Mexico before arriving in Cimarron, New Mexico. Their high adventure trek at Philmont Scout Ranch started on Friday, August 14th, with pounding hail and thunderstorms. The crew prepared their 50 lb. backpacks by adding their tents, meals and cooking utensils for their long journey. The full crew started off bright and early on a rugged seven-day trek with high spirits.Mr. Kevin Guarino, Ian Guarino and Liam Schmitt all took a required weekend certification course in Wilderness First Aid and CPR.
Their trek journey will end on Friday, 8/21. On the last day, they will work on a conservation project building a new trail for others to enjoy. The crew will be coming home this Saturday, August 22nd.
UPDATE:
Members of Troop 87 reached the highest peaks on their hike and continued along the Rayado River. The scouts completed some ranger training at their campsite after hiking.
On the third day, the crew and Philmont staff worked together on a search and rescue exercise. From there, they hiked to the Notch, where they were able to witness incredible views of Rayado Canyon. The longest and most strenuous day of their journey came the following day as they made their way to see the wreckage of a B-24 bomber that crashed on top of Trail Peak in 1942.
Later on, the troop reached the Continental Tie & Lumber Company at Crater Lake. There, they were able to climb spar poles and cut railroad ties. After finishing their conservation project, the boys hiked to the top of Lovers Leap then returning to Base camp for the final night of ranch activities.
