The Philmont Forum

I have heard from several sources that some movies have been filmed on the ranch. Does anyone out there know of any?

I read this in the Raton Newspaper

http://raton-range.com/clients/raton-range/bear-scratches-man-at-philmont-another-attacks-goat-at-scout-ranch-p381.htm?twindow=Default&smenu=1&mad=No

Bear scratches man at Philmont; Another attacks goat at Scout ranch 
By Todd Wildermuth, Editor

One bear was killed and wildlife officers were hoping to capture another following separate incidents Wednesday in which one bear scratched an adult camper and the other injured a goat at Philmont Scout Ranch. 
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has set a trap for a bear that ran off after it jumped on a tent and took a swipe at one of the men in the tent at about 5:40 a.m. Wednesday. The man received a deep scratch to his face and was treated at the Philmont health facility, according to the Department of Game and Fish. Another man in the tent was not injured.
The bear encounter at the ranch just outside Cimarron occurred despite the men having taken proper steps to try to avoid attracting a bear to their campsite. Officials said the men had secured their garbage and food by suspending it in a tree and had stored, away from the tent, their toiletries and clothes they wore while cooking.
About 20 minutes after the man encountered the bear, another bear attacked a goat near the Philmont museum and had the animal in its mouth when a staff member heard the commotion and was able to chase the bear off, in part with a punch to the bear’s nose. Another staff member tracked down the bear — estimated to be a 150-pound male of about 18 months of age — and killed it by shooting it. The goat that was attacked was in a livestock area maintained by Philmont and the animal is expected to survive. 
The bear attack on the camper was the second bear-human incident reported in the state this week. Sunday, a bear pulled a young woman from her tent while she and two companions were sleeping in the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque. The woman had surgery to treat her injuries. That bear was trapped and killed and subsequent tests for rabies were negative.
Once it is trapped, the bear that attacked the Philmont camper also will be killed and tested for rabies, as required by state law. 
The man that was scratched by the bear at Philmont is an adult adviser for a camping crew. Kids were in the area when the bear attacked, but no one aside from the man came in direct contact with the bear.
There are about 4,500 people camping right now at Philmont, which is operated by the Boy Scouts of America. Despite its rugged terrain and isolated campsites, Philmont has not experienced a lot of bear-human incidents. Wednesday’s incident was the first bear attack of the year and perhaps the first reported attack in 10 years. 
In July 2000, a pair of teenage scouts camping at Philmont got away with only minor injuries after a bear wandered into their campsite and clawed them. In 1986, seven scouts were attacked during a two-week period, but then Philmont did not see another attack for 14 years.

I'd like to throw this question out to some of you experienced Philmont backpackers.  Would a fleece liner (rated 50 deg) be an acceptable alternative to a full sleeping bag?  I'm willing to wear t-shirt, socks, even a hat to bed to lighten the load.  I thank you for your responses in advance.  YIS

I thought that I had sent this before but can't find it....

We have decided to use the turkey bag method of cooking but have had no luck in finding 6 or 8 quart aluminum stock pots.  Open Country does not sell their stock separately and I have not found any viable alternatives.

If using Philmont's pots has anyone made pot cozies in advance for use on their pots as this is another alternative I was considering?

Please let me know I am open to suggestions.  We have two crews one of 10 and one of 11.

Our troop is going on Trek 19 at the end of June. Any suggestions, comments, ideas, thoughts anyone would like to share.