By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Two groups of Hays Boy Scouts scaled mountains and tromped through the desert during more than 50-mile hiking excursions in Philmont Scout Ranch High Adventure in Cimarron, New Mexico, June 9-18.
Groups of boys from Troop 101 and girls from Troop 1o1G made the trip. However, the boys and girls went on different routes.
The Scouts were selected for a hike at Philmont through a lottery system. For all the teens who participated, this was their first such hike and first trip to Philmont.
The Scouts trained for about 10 months before their hikes. They learned how to pack their backpacks and adjust the harnesses so they wouldn't rub. They also took practice hikes.
Other skills in their years of Scouting helped them during their journey, including camping, knots, using a camp stove, first aid, navigating and leadership.
To pay their way, the Scouts sold tickets for a gun raffle and sold lots of popcorn.
Asher Haag, 15, Ellis, said the Scouts saw many beautiful views along their hike.
Each day, a navigator from the groups was designated. That Scout had to read topographical maps, set the pace and guide the group through the area.
The girls said it was important to work together and keep each other's spirits up. That camaraderie was their favorite part of the trip.
"The day we got a little lost was my favorite," Rebekah Schroeder, 19, Paradise, said. "Everyone stepped up. We rearranged weight to help people out. We worked together to keep up morale. It was fun. This is the adventure I came here for."
On the day the girls thought they were lost, they were taking a shortcut, but it ended up being a switchback. They were only about 500 feet off the main trail, but it was impossible to tell from the map.
Alexis Bigge, 14, Plainville, said she enjoyed hanging out with her crew of people.
"I didn't have to worry about talking to other people much. They knew exactly what I was thinking," she said.
Delilah Meyers, 16, said by the fifth day, everyone was so comfortable with each other that they were all cracking jokes. The girls also played games. They competed to see who could spot the most animals or wildflowers.
They created fun twists to their calls and responses on the trail. Instead of saying, "Is everyone ready?" they would say, "Party on Wayne," "Party on Garth," or "Punch it Chewy."
Rowan Neeley, 13, of Hays was dubbed Siren because she liked to sing on the trail.
The Scouts carried their food with them. They ate dehydrated meals and a lot of peanuts. There were boxes at staff camps where other hikers would leave unwanted food that Scouts could be swapped.
The girls said they were surprised they could receive so much energy on so little food.
After the second day on the trail, Bigge said everything hurt, and they were tired.
"One of the biggest challenges was everything hurt, and you're tired and done and hungry, and you just want to sit down and not get back up, and you have to get back up and keep going," she said.
Eli Dreiling, 15, Hays, said his favorite day was the ascent of Mount Baldy. He said the group played music, making the hiking more fun.
"We got to see a nice view, and it was just fun to be up there," he said.
The boys' group worked on a conservation project on the mountain, which involved building a trail. The girls' conservation project was similar but rained out.
However, they had to book it down the mountain when a thunderstorm rolled in.
"The 14- and 15-year-olds tracked the weather and were asking the adult in charge—the rangers. It was all good. It was all good. Then boom! It was not all good," a Scout's mother said.
The boys were among the first groups to be allowed to hike through Ute Park, an area that had been scorched by wildfire six years ago.
Earlier in the hike, the boys' group had been hiking through forested areas and had shade.
"Once we reached the burn area, you had the sun beating down on you, so it was really hot, so it wasn't the funnest."
Finding the trail was also difficult in this desolate landscape.
"There were no live trees," Dreiling said. "The whole area just didn't look right. There were spots that were supposed to have water, but there was none of that. It didn't look very alive like the rest of the park. ... It looked kind of dead and open."
Dreiling said he was surprised that much devastation remained years after the fire.
"It was just some grasses and dead trees," he said.
The day the boys hiked the burn area, temperatures were in the 90s.
Because certain areas had no water sources, the Scouts had to carry two-and-a-half gallon jugs of water suspended between poles. They also had to purify their water with chlorine tablets or boil it for cooking.
Along the hike, the Scouts stopped at various staff camps. There, they could participate in activities such as blacksmithing, pole climbing, gold panning, trap shooting, and a campfire and learn about logging, which is part of Philmont's history.
Cayden Eaton and Neeley both said they enjoyed the Clark's Fork Ranch, where they had a campfire, learned to lasso and rode horses.
Camden Luck said he enjoyed the blacksmithing experience, where the boys helped make a butter scraper. The blacksmith offered cookies for every bucket of water the boys hauled from the stream up the 30 stairs to the blacksmith at the main lodge.
Camden hauled six buckets of water in about 45 minutes.
Haag said his favorite part of the trip was their hike to the peak of Mount Baldy.
In one day, the Scouts ascended about 3,600 feet to the top of Mount Baldy, which is 12,441 feet above sea level. The peak is the second-highest point in New Mexico. From the summit, the group could see Colorado.
The girls also gained about 3,000 feet in their ascent of Phillip's Peak, 11,700 feet above sea level. Some of the boys' group along the trail made their ascents of the peak with 10-pound day packs, while the girls carried their full 40-pound packs the entire climb.
Bryson Dumler said his favorite day of the trip was their longest hike—15 miles.
"We saw a lot more things," he said. "We went under a bridge and over a river.
The Scouts struggled with blisters and had to adjust their packs on the trail. Ill-fitting packs resulted in sore shoulders, the Scouts said.
Over the almost 60 miles the boys hiked, the Scouts had to learn to set a pace. They hiked too fast the first day, and the excursion required them to take more breaks. This resulted in them arriving at camp late.
The hikers saw many deer, and one of the boys' chaperones called in a wild turkey one night. Bears had been sighted in the area. The boys did not encounter any bears, but the girls did.
Neeley said she was excited when she saw the bear.
Rebekah Schroeder, 19, of Paradise, said she was so shocked the bear seemed out of place, and Delilah Meyers, 16, of Ellis, said she thought it was so cute she just wanted to cuddle the animal.
The girls said one of their chaperones also almost stepped on a snake.
They had to take bear precautions, including tying a line to their food and hoisting it about 10 feet off the ground.
"I think we smelled bad enough they knew we were there," Matt Dumler, volunteer, said.
The boys had no access to showers for the entirety of their trip, just an occasional stream bath.
The girls took a very brief shower at one of the staff camps.
Meyers said after nine days with no showers, "I wanted to die."
Members of both groups said they learned and grew during their trip.
Schroeder, who is now in college, said the trip marked her transition from being a girl to an adult.
Neeley said," I learned that you don't have to do things alone. You have people who can help you. If you put in the work and the time to help others, they also can help you. You need to have that support system."
Meyers said, "We would not have survived without each other."
The boys and girls both earned a 50-miler badge for their hikes.
"I think it is important to hit on this," Dumler, boys volunteer, said. "The boys led all of this. The adults were there to just make sure they all came back home. We were told to step back and make sure the boys make all of the decisions, and they did."
The Scouts had the compass and maps for navigating. They decided their schedule and what they ate.
"They are the ones that got us through this," he said.
Gordon Schroeder, girls volunteer, said he admired the girls for finishing the hike, as there were boys' troops who did not.
"I admire the girls for not stopping and giving up," he said. "They are remarkable."
Meyers said, "It's the hardest thing a Scout can do."
Although the boys don't have any big trips planned in the near future, many of them are beginning to work on their Eagle Scout projects.
Bryson Dumler plans to install obstacles at the Hays dog park.
Dreiling is considering helping make stand for the law enforcement shooting range.
Some of the girls are eager to try backcountry hiking again. Rebekah Schroeder has completed her Eagle Scout award and is looking forward to being an adult leader when she turns 21.
Three of the other four girls have their sights set on Eagle Awards. Meyers is planning a project with Bethesda Place.
Chaperones Hillary Newell and Chris Neeley, scout Maurine Waudley, 17, of Topeka, and her father, Dan Waudley, also accompanied the girls' group.