Tale of Two Philmonts

Philmont is much more than hiking in New Mexico. There are months of prep meetings, practice hikes, and shopping sprees. Commemorative shirts have to be designed and ordered and new equipment purchased. There is often an exciting cross county trip by train, plane, or automobile and groups stop at popular attractions along the way. Nearby cities like Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos are teeming with eager Scouts (in uniform) during the summer months. Afterwards, reunion parties, slide shows, and campfire discussions keep the Philmont experience alive for a long time.

Tooth of Time Group

The guys on the Tooth of Time during my first visit to Philmont

My first trip to Philmont was a disaster. We trained hard for a difficult backpacking trip and that is not what we got at all. A forest fire broke out before our arrival and a large part of the Ranch was closed to hikers. Everyone got crowded into the southern section of the Ranch, where campsites, Red Roof Inns, and trails were overflowing with Scouts. Programs were impacted and long wait times or even oversubscribed activities were daily occurrences. A lingering drought meant no swimming or showers for the entire trek. (Ten days on the trail days without anyone bathing even once!) Our difficult 80 mile planned backpacking trip turned into a 35 mile romp with nothing to do most afternoons. The Scouts got bored and turned on each other and then on the adults. Eventually, the adults started taking out their frustrations on the Scouts. It was, by all measures, a miserable trip.

Almost a decade passed before my new Troop became serious about backpacking and started talking about Philmont. So, it was with mixed feelings that I was swept up in their collective enthusiasm and put my name on a list to go again. The goal was to make my second trip a different experience altogether.

This time we focused on the overall Philmont experience and not just the backpacking. Practice hikes were important of course, but the hikes were filled with stories about Philmont history, camps, activities, and potential service projects. Along the way everyone learned the Philmont grace and Philmont Hymn, which we all sang with increasing fervor every day we were on the trail together. The song became a unifying force of surprising power. (Even now, almost two years later, they sing the Philmont Hymn at the drop of a hat!)

Arriving at Philmont base camp in the middle of the night, we tried to slip quietly into our tents so as not to wake the campers in our assigned area. Morning soon arrived, with the staff welcome at breakfast, paperwork processing, review of the routes, and introduction to our Ranger – who would be with us for a couple of days. The boys swarmed into the Philmont Trading Post and to stock up on candy, belts, hats, shirts, and assorted mementos, some of which might be valuable on the trail. We finished the pack check, stored our extra stuff in the lockers, attended an inspirational Scout’s Own, and were ready to leave the next morning.

The first morning on the trail, our Ranger woke us up before dawn, and in the dark, we scrambled to the top of a mountain to experience the sunrise. Sitting together in the gathering light, we watched the valley come into focus under an azure sky. When he had our attention, the Ranger said, “Before you is a unique opportunity to have an incredible experience. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Do things you don’t think are possible. Create memories for your lifetime. No one can do it but you.”

Every trip to Philmont is transformative, but its not always fun and games.

Every trip to Philmont is transformative, but its not always fun and games.

For the next ten days our hike was punctuated by burrow racing, lumber jacking, black bears, beautiful sunrises & sunsets, cantinas, campfires, horseback riding, singing songs, petroglyphs, porch talks, rock climbing, shotgun shooting, card games, storytelling, challenge courses, and; of course, backpacking. Everyone had a fantastic time.

Some Philmont trips are good and some are not so good, but every visit to Philmont is transformative in its own way. Boys become men and men become better. For that reason, every serious Scout and Adult Leader should hike there at least once.

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Are Down Bags Really So Dangerous?

Any Tenderfoot knows that down sleeping bags are really good. They are light, warm, and stuff down really well into a small stuff sack. However, down sleeping bags have one really big flaw. When they get wet, they lose their ability to insulate and if you try and pass the night in a wet down bag – you can get really cold, really fast. Synthetic sleeping bags, on the other hand, are made from petroleum-based products and are naturally more water resistant.

Down sleeping bags are discouraged, despite their benefits.

Down sleeping bags are discouraged in Scouting, despite their many benefits.

The danger does not come from dropping a down bag into a river while attempting a risky crossing. Moreover, the bag does not have to be completely soaked to cause problems. Down sleeping bags absorb moisture out of the air. So at 80-90% humidity, a 20 degree down sleeping bag can lose 30% of its loft overnight, effectively turning it into a 40 degree bag. A sweaty Scout, a leaking Camelbak, or contact with snow and rain can also seriously degrade the insulation of a down bag, with potentially serious consequences. That is why most Troops do not allow their Scouts to take them on high adventure outings.

However, this year the outdoor industry has introduced a new line of down sleeping bags (and jackets) that minimize or eliminate the “wet down” problem. As a result, down products are going to become a lot more acceptable on Scout backpacking trips.

Most sleeping bags sold over the past decade have been made from goose down. However, goose down is being replaced by duck down as the feather of choice because duck down is cheaper and more sustainable. Unfortunately, duck down sometimes smells funny, especially when it gets wet. So vendors like Kelty and Sierra Designs have been looking for a way to clean the duck down and eliminate the odor.

At the same time, chemical engineers at these companies have long been thinking about ways to reduce the problems associated with wet down. Recent advances have led to a cleaning process that produces duck down products that are much more water resistant than common goose down bags. This treatment is done on the molecular level and leaves a polymer coating on each duck feather that resists moisture and inhibits the “feather clumping” that reduces loft and insulation. These new down bags also dry much faster if they do get wet. Amazingly, the process works without adding cost or weight to a typical down sleeping bag.

Since these new down sleeping bags are being manufactured by some of the most environmentally conscious companies on the planet, they probably have tested everything to make sure there are no chemical hazards to users. Given the many benefits, it is a sure bet that most of the other outdoor product suppliers will be introducing their own “Dry Down” products in coming months.

DriDown resists water and does not clump up like regular duck down

DriDown resists water and does not clump up like regular down

There are a few different labels today. Kelty and Sierra Designs use a process called DriDown. Big Agnes calls theirs DownTek. According to the DriDown website, a down sleeping bag that uses their “hydrophobic” treatments will stay dry 10 times longer than normal down, retain 2.7 times as much loft when it gets wet, and dry 33% faster than untreated down.

This makes DriDown comparable to synthetic sleeping bags in terms of their ability to deal with moisture. Consequently, there are going to be a lot of Scouts and their parents who will want to purchase them to get the inherent benefits of a down bag – despite the higher cost of down versus synthetic sleeping bags.

Many Scouters are set in their ways, and in the mistaken belief that they are protecting their boys, they often resist new backpacking products and techniques. Scoutmasters will doubt that DriDown is about as safe as the synthetic sleeping they have been using for years. So the question is, “How long will it take Scout leaders to allow their boys to use the new treated down products.” It’s just a matter of time until they start showing up at summer camp – or on a 50 mile backpacking trip.

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