A 50 pound pack. Eleven nights on the ground. Blisters. Altitude sickness. Freezing mornings and exhausting climbs. At first glance, Philmont sounds less like an opportunity and more like something to avoid. I’ve served as a crew leader on two treks and helped guide other scouts through every challenge the trail threw at us.
So why would someone want to spend nearly two weeks hiking through remote wilderness under those conditions?
Philmont Scout Ranch is a New Mexico scout camp offering 7, 10, and 12-day backpacking treks that stretch participants and push them far beyond their comfort zones. Crews carry everything they need on their backs while navigating rugged terrain, limited water access, high elevations, and unpredictable weather. The challenge is constant — but so are the opportunities that come with it.
Philmont demands physical endurance. On my first trek in 2023 as a rookie crew leader, our crew covered nearly 150 miles, including a hike rated as “12.7 miles” that stretched much longer by the end of the day due to terrain and navigation. Each day brought steep climbs, long descents, and heavy packs. On my second trek, I again served as crew leader, helping guide a younger crew through 125 miles of mountainous terrain, including a nearly 3,000-foot ascent of Baldy Mountain, which tested both stamina and mental toughness. Cold nights, sudden rainstorms, and dry heat made recovery just as challenging as the hiking itself.
Beyond the physical strain, Philmont creates continuous leadership situations. Crews are responsible for their own navigation, campsite setup, food management, and daily planning. During the first two to three days of each trek, a Philmont Ranger teaches essential backcountry skills — hanging bear bags, setting up dining flies, and navigating trails — but soon steps away, leaving the crew to manage on its own. From that point on, decisions are made by the scouts, and mistakes have immediate consequences.
Things rarely go exactly as planned. Camps sometimes lack water (or it’s difficult to find), requiring crews to haul extra liters for miles. Blisters can slow progress. Fatigue affects morale. On my first trek, one scout developed altitude sickness as we climbed higher. As a crew leader, the situation required quickly adapting and changing plans, hiking additional miles to safely descend to a staffed camp. Experiences like that highlighted how teamwork, communication, and calm decisionmaking are just as important as physical strength.
Philmont also offers moments of enjoyment that balance the difficulty. Crews rotate through staffed camps where scouts can participate in activities such as black powder shooting, archery, blacksmithing, and conservation projects. Some of my greatest memories involved kicking back, exhausted after a day of hiking, and playing card games and sharing stories with my crew mates. This built bonds that are hard to replicate elsewhere.
In 2025, I returned to Philmont for a second trek. One reason was to help guide a crew that was younger and less experienced than me through the challenges of the trail. Another was the opportunity to share the experience with my brother, Jackson, who joined the trek for the first time. Hiking together added a new layer to the experience, turning difficult days into shared memories and reinforcing the sense of connection that Philmont fosters.
“Philmont was really hard, especially the climb up Baldy, but making it to the top with my brother made it worth everything. Standing on top of that mountain, exhausted, is a memory I’ll always have, and it showed me how the hardest parts can lead to the best moments,” Jackson said.
By the end of each trek, you start to forget about the mileage, elevation gain, and exhaustion. What remains is an understanding of how sustained physical challenge builds discipline, how leadership and teamwork emerge under pressure, and why Philmont is often compared to a varsity level endurance activity rather than just a typical camping trip.
James Slade is a junior at Highland Park High School. He is an Eagle Scout who formerly served as Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 518. He serves as trombone section leader in the Highlander Band.
Author
