The little toaster that could

Philmont is, without a doubt, a challenge.

The days are long and grueling, and morale can be an issue for even the most seasoned of crews. Enter the toaster.

It’s not the most traditional of mascots, but the cheap Walmart-brand toaster plastered with stickers and bedazzled on every edge helped crew 615-BB1 out of Crawfordsville, Indiana, push through their trek. From Hell’s Fire Canyon to the top of Baldy, this crew shared the load of the little toaster.

The toaster started as a joke during the crew’s train ride. Scouts Logan Vogler and Henry Taylor came up with the idea and successfully started selling toast to other passengers. 

“We made six dollars,” Vogler said. “We ate three loaves of bread, though.”

When the train ride ended, however, the crew had become attached to the toaster and decided to make it the first bedazzled toaster to reach the summit of Baldy. Everywhere they went, the toaster went too, accumulating stickers from each staff camp they passed.

“It was a morale booster, honestly,” Vogler said. “It was one of those things where we said ‘We have to get there because we have to bring the toaster,’ obviously.” 

Though 615-BB1 eventually accomplished their goal of summiting Philmont’s highest peak with their mascot in tow, they’re hoping that the toaster’s legacy lives on past their trek. They plan to send the toaster back to their ranger in hopes that he’ll pass it on to another worthy crew.

“Hopefully, it’ll end up in the Scouting Museum,” Taylor said.

It may seem a bit silly to outsiders looking in, but that little toaster was a rock to crew 615-BB1. They cared for it, protected it, and only dropped it a few times before accomplishing their goal.