BSA Troops 848 & 849

Philmont is BSA’s largest high adventure camp. It is located in the mountains of northern New Mexico. You will spend 12 nights at Philmont – 10 days backpacking in the mountains with one day at base camp before and after. It is an adventure that you will not want to miss as a scout. As an adult when you meet another former scout, the first question they ask is “Did you make Eagle?” and the second question they ask is “Did you go to Philmont?”.

At Philmont, you will…

• Carry everything you need in your backpack, which will be 35-50 pounds, depending on food and water.
• Hike 50-100+ miles, depending on the itinerary that you choose. There are 35 itineraries to choose from.
• Climb mountains, including Mount Phillips (11,700 feet above sea level), Mount Baldy (12,400), and/or the famous “Tooth of Time” rock feature.
• Hike over and through mountain streams, through fields and forests, up and down mountains for 3-14 miles each day.
• Set up camp at a different beautiful location nearly every night.
• Have an interesting activity at each staffed camp that you pass through or stay at. This can include black powder rifle shooting, burro racing, tomahawk throwing, blacksmithing, exploring old gold mines, fly fishing, rock climbing, pole climbing, horse riding, and many, many others. These will depend on the itinerary that your crew chooses.
• Eat compact and dehydrated meals that you carry with you (Philmont provides). You will have 2 or 3 stops along the trek to pick up more food.
• Filter/purify your own water from mountain streams.
• See nature’s beauty everywhere you turn. See various wildlife, including a bear if you are lucky. Don’t worry. You will be safe – there are a lot of bear safety rules.
• Have some challenging times. You will put in a lot of miles, some of it in the rain.
• Use the scout skills you have learned.
• Develop a deep sense of teamwork and camaraderie with your other crew members.
• Come away with memories and a sense of accomplishment that will last you a lifetime.

There will be some practice shakedown campouts locally before Philmont. These will be opportunities to work as a crew to set up camps, check out your gear, get in shape, learn what to expect, and have some fun.

Philmont cost is about $1190/person. Transportation is an extra $200-600/person, depending if you drive your personal vehicle, rent a van for the whole crew, or fly and take a shuttle. Plan on spending $300-1000 for boots and equipment, depending on how much you can borrow.

More info can be found at their website: https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/about

Sea Base is located in the Florida Keys. Although they also have sailing, fishing, and out-island adventures, the program that Troop always does is the Scuba Adventure. This is an eight-day event.

At Sea Base, you will…

• Dive the coral reefs and wrecks of the Florida Keys.
• Do eleven dives (weather permitting). Explore the only living coral reef system in the USA, diving sites like Alligator or Tennessee Reefs, or exploring uncharted dive sites up and down the Keys.
• Do a night dive, a deep dive (to 60 feet), marine life studies, and other underwater adventures.
• Enjoy the ride across the waves in Sea Base’s boats to each dive location.
• Enjoy lunch between dives out on the boat snorkeling and doing a “water rodeo”
• Stay in air conditioned dorms.
• Eat some of the best food offered at a Boy Scout camp. (OK, that may not be saying much)

You must be a certified diver to participate in this adventure. Many of the scouts and adults get certified in classes together put on by local dive shops. The WAVE program at Westbrook Intermediate School also offers SCUBA certification.

Sea Base cost is about $1150/person. All food, lodging and equipment is included. Transportation (airfare and shuttle) is an extra $600 or so. Scuba certification is usually around $300 and you will do that in advance of the trek. Sea Base provides all equipment, though you may prefer to bring some of your own, particularly a mask. You will also need to buy or borrow equipment for your certification. You will need to get your own mask, fins, snorkel, weight belt/weights and scuba booties if you want them. Plan on at least $250 if you buy it all. We have two crews go to Sea Base in 2021, so we can see if any of them will have equipment to loan.

More info can be found at their website: https://www.bsaseabase.org

Northern Tier offers wilderness canoe trips. There are no lodgings along these trips, and aircraft and motorboats are heavily restricted. The treks are 7 to 10 days long. Typical treks may cover 50 to 150 miles over the course of the trek, but the scouts determine the route and distance when they arrive. Each crew is accompanied by a staff member called an "Interpreter". You will have a relaxing paddle through some of the thousands of lakes in the area. There will also be challenging times when you have to portage your canoe and gear around obstructions. Crews have to carry everything they will need for the entire trek - food, camping equipment, personal gear, etc.

At Northern Tier, you will…

• Carry everything you need in packs in canoes, which will be about 50 pounds each starting off. The packs with food will get lighter as the trek goes on.
• Paddle 50-150+ miles, depending on the route the scouts pick. There are no itineraries to choose from like Philmont. The day the trek arrives at Northern Tier, the scouts will go to the "map room" and choose which campsites they want to stay at, what route they want to take, and how many miles they want to paddle each day.
• Portage a canoe through forests.
• Paddle through beautiful lake and streams. Crews can paddle 20+ miles in a day if they are adventurous.
• Go fishing in pristine waters.
• Set up camp at a different beautiful campsite nearly every night. Some campsites may even be next to waterfalls!
• Unlike Philmont, there is not an activity at the campsites. Once crews get to camp, it is up to them to provide their own entertainment before the mosquitoes come out at night.
• Eat compact meals that you carry with you (Northern Tier provides). There will be no stops along the way to restock on food, so you have to carry all of the food with you.
• Filter/purify your own water from pristine lakes.
• Learn, and become comfortable using, catholes. Depending on the area the trek chooses to paddle in, toilet paper may not be allowed to be buried.
• See nature’s beauty everywhere you turn.
• Have some challenging times. You will put in a lot of miles, some of it in the rain.
• Use the scout skills you have learned.
• Develop a deep sense of teamwork and camaraderie with your other crew members.
• Come away with memories and a sense of accomplishment that will last you a lifetime.

There will be some practice canoe trips locally before Northern Tier. These will be opportunities to work as a crew, learn what canoe position is best for you, check out your gear, get in shape, learn what to expect, and have some fun.

Cost is about $700/person for 7 days or $1000/person for 10 days. Food is included. Personal gear is minimal as NT provides everything. All personal gear (clothes, sleeping bag, jacket, camp shoes, etc) has to fit in a 25-30L dry bag! Transportation to/from Northern Tier is about $700/person for airfare, shuttle, and lodging. Gear the entire crew will use and necessary adult training is about $150/person.

More info can be found at their website https://www.ntier.org/expeditions/summercanoetreks