Category: Backcountry

Philmont’s burn scar is a call to action for the Ranch

August 21, 2021 – Philmont is a land that has been logged, mined, grazed and worked time and again. While often viewed as a pristine wilderness, this Ranch has had a long history of dramatic human disturbance. That disturbance has led to forests packed as thick as matches, streams cutting like knives into the land […]

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Conservation Dept. begins work on stream restoration

August 21, 2021 – For most of its 50-year history, the Philmont Conservation Department has focused primarily on trail building and forest management. However, in recent years the department has extended its focus into new arenas. Namely, the restoration of Philmont’s streams. Seth Mangini, Ph.D. candidate at Montana State University and project manager for the […]

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First female PCs at fur-trapping camps lead program

August 21, 2021 – Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of the 2019 PhilNews series Women of Philmont, which started to celebrate the first female PCs at the logging and railroading camps. You can read the previous stories at PhilmontScoutRanch.org. This year, two additional camps join the ranks: Miranda and Clear Creek. Mountain men and […]

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Climbing out of the pandemic: the Miners Park experience

July 10, 2021 – I’m working my first summer here at Philmont as a graphic designer. I first heard about Philmont from my younger brother, who finished a trek here in 2016. After that, words like ‘bear bag,’ ‘yum-yum bag,’ and ‘just sump it!’ became typical dinner conversation, much to the rest of the family’s […]

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KUMC students conduct medical research

July 7, 2021 – While Philmont’s many challenges give participants a deeper understanding of themselves, those same challenges also provide an opportunity to the scientific community to learn more about how those challenges affect the participants. The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota partnered this year to conduct an altitude sickness […]

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Conservation Department founder returns on trek

July 7, 2021 – Over the lands of Philmont lies a reverence for nature most everyone who visits here feels on a near-daily basis. That reverence may first be ignited in one’s life by a trek through the ranch as a teenager and may continue to burn throughout the remainder of one’s life. For those […]

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New in 2020: 9-Day Treks

Philmont Scout Ranch is excited to announce 9-day treks as an additional program option available to those who want to participate in a Philmont trek. 9-day treks are an excellent option for those who want to spend more than a week in Philmont’s backcountry, but may not be able to make it out for a […]

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Lumber Jills make it to Pueblano

Video by Zoe Hambley Editor’s Note: As part of Philmont’s busiest season ever, a record number of participants and seasonal staff are visiting the ranch and reaching new milestones. Three staff camps have female Program Counselors for the first time ever this year: Metcalf Station, Crater Lake and Pueblano. As part of our series Women […]

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Garcia Cow honors Seton legacy

Scouts who trek across the rolling hills leading to Garcia Cow are in for a program they may not be expecting– simple relaxation.

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Valle partnership brings benefit to land

Thousands of Scouts trek through the Valle Vidal each year, which is made possible by Philmont’s relationship with the Carson National Forest.

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