One of the most anticipated treks - ‘Philmont High Adventure’ - of my 7-years Boy Scout journey finally started on the 30th of June, 2023. I was elected as the Crew Leader eight months before the trip to guide seven other boy scouts and four adults (scoutmasters), who had signed up from our troop in Acton, New England. I was chosen based on my prior hiking experience in the UK, India, Costa Rica, and the famed White Mountains in the USA and because of the leadership positions I served in the troop. I have summitted close to 50 peaks (some of them are rated as very difficult, in all four seasons). Besides this, I had to train and get certified by the Red Cross’ Wilderness Remote First Aid and CPR trainings to be qualified for the position. As crew leader, I was responsible for health-fitness compliance, navigation, crew gear, and safety, etc.  

Philmont region covers 250,000 acres of mountains and wilderness in New Mexico. It is regarded as one of the most demanding hike-adventures a troop or a scout could take. We planned to do a 9-day hike with a 7000-foot elevation gain and summit Mt. Baldy at 12,441 feet. Months of planning were dedicated to this trip including fitness drills since none of the crew members had ever gone on this trek before. Our crew of 12 boarded our flights straight to New Mexico on 28^th June. On the day we stepped onto the trail for the 9-day hike in the wilderness, each of our backpacks weighed above 55 pounds!

Four days into the hike after some high-altitude acclimation, we started to climb the Mt. Baldy on the 4^th of July. Baldy was soon proving to be way more complex than any of us expected due to the exhaustion of previous four days of constant hiking. We were trying to conquer one of the challenging mountains in the southwest USA. Given the significance of the day, we talked about the history behind making of the US constitution throughout this epic trek.

We hiked up on the steeper north section and planned to circle back over the less steep ridges over 11 miles. We were at a point in the mountain where there was no cover provided by the tree line and oxygen was limited because of the altitude. I had been relying solely on adrenaline since the one granola bar I had for breakfast from my backpack didn’t provide enough energy for me. But there came a point where even the adrenaline started to wear off, and I started to feel pain in my feet where I later developed big blisters. My heart was beating faster and faster, and I couldn’t think being centered. I consider myself to be a fairly good hiker, but all my earlier hikes were up to only 4 days at a stretch. The previous days of hiking had already tested my resilience. Although some may dissonantly find hiking to be more of a physical challenge than a mental one, I think anyone can achieve the physical strength to hike any desirable mountain, or for that matter, any other activity, but it is about having the will to keep driving forward in tough situations.

So, there we stood, covered with sand under the glazing sun with limited access to oxygen, and I kept pushing forward. Being the Crew Leader of the trip, I couldn’t show any weakness that could lead to others being discouraged. So, I quite literally walked off the pain and focused my mind on the crew’s needs and the peak. I had to navigate the way forward using paper-maps and compass. I attempted to motivate others, but with us being drained, I knew it had little to no effect. I had us take a break every 5 minutes to catch our breath. We were hiking with nearly half our body weight, so every chance to sit down felt like letting go of a boulder off our backs. But with the weight, bags started getting worn out, with straps becoming undone and rips or tears occurring more and more often. Instead of the pack’s weight being carried by our core and hips, it sat on our shoulders, which led to sprains and stress that could be felt all over our bodies. With the help of the adults, we devised a strategy where we would make the back person come to the form and repeat. This “caterpillar” method had the goal of giving the middlemen a break so that we wouldn’t faint from exhaustion.

For each of us, there was a point when everything became blurry, and many felt that they couldn’t complete it, but you never saw a single person not smiling the whole time. Looking back, the one thing that kept me going was the stories that we all shared along with the strenuous hike to and from Mt. Baldy. We sang old 80’s rock songs and shared a storehouse of embarrassing times, which made us laugh the entire way. False peaks made us lose hope, and frustration started to kick in, but step by step, we made progress.

At this point, we saw a flat break in the ridge and noticed troops from other regions of USA that were earlier at the base camp, indicating the peak of the mountain. Before our last push, we looked back and saw the vast peaks behind us. We were practically in the clouds! I remember seeing our camp, where we first started, looking like a speck in the distance. Ridges and valleys around us were covered with snow, although it was parching temperature in New Mexico. Rocks that fell off the side of the mountain wouldn’t stop tumbling down. Reaching the peak around noon, we took off our packs and just sat down, admiring the view and what we had achieved. Our prized lunch was a beef stick with a few gummy chews for a body that was on the brink of fainting. But our real achievement was proving to ourselves and others that we could get there, come back, and never give up.

As we came down the mountain for another 11 miles, I looked back at Baldy and admired how far we actually went. The mountain that once looked so formidable was now just in the distance. Granted, it did take a while due to the risk of sliding on the various rocks below. But a few map and direction errors later, we reached our campsite, and we started to complete the loop. If I could take away one thing from the whole of Philmont, it would be that it doesn't matter where you come from, how experienced you are, or how strong you are. All you need is a good mindset, determination towards your crew, and the goal to be able to achieve anything.

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