Just some pics

Just some pictures taken on the way to and on the way back from Hunting Lodge Camp.

North Country

I haven't been to the North Country in a long time. This year the North Country is really green.

Where the fire was in 2002, alot of brush is thriving. It looks really green. Alot of flowers. I just got of the trail and my last group was really nice. There was a retired High School history teacher on the trek, and he was very helpfull in advice in the field. They were all very nice. I have a day off tommorow, I don't really know what Im going to do tonight and tommorow.

Crater Lake is having their Phil-Fiesta tonight, and I think I might stop by for that.

I don't really have much more to say other than that my hair is starting to get pretty long... :)
PICTURES


Sunrise in the Northern Canyon area. My group woke me up at 5 :(



My group and I did some digging. I think Dan would of enjoyed this. They had a Grad student out of Nevada running the dig. All we found were fire remains, but the guy said as long as we didn't touch them he'd be able to carbon-date. Earlier in the summer they found sandles from the Indians. It was a temporary hunting camp of the Anasazi.



A cool Cactus in my last campsite. It was bigger than me!



The Canyon I went into with my last crew.


I Hope All is Going Well Back Home!

The End is Near!

My summer is starting to wind down and this makes me a little unhappy. It makes me unhappy that I have to leave this simple way of living and go back to school and work. All I need to remember is "to keep my body active and alive". I fear once I get back I won't have the time to take a hike in the woods anymore. Although everyone thinks they don't have the time. They don't realize that you won't have the time, if you don't make the time.


I'm actually looking forward to alot of things back home. My family, friends, and food. Especially the kind of food that isn't freeze dried, or dehydrated. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with letting the woods rub off on you a little bit. Once you've lived in the wilderness for two summers you begin to respect them a little bit more. I know when I came out here when I was 15, I deffinately didn't have as much respect for the wilderness as I do now.


You can deffinately tell the difference between someone who respects the wilderness, and someone who doesn't. Take for example: Most rangers make sure to follow all principles of Leave No Trace camping, and have a high respect for the wilderness, but I noticed that some begin to disobey these rules once they leave the backcountry and throw all the rules and principles out the window once they leave the backcountry. hypocrites...


Anyways... I have been doing extremely well out here. I've been taking advantage of my tentmates alchol stove to boil water for tea. It boils water surprisingly fast. I have also been doing alot of hiking lately. My last most interesting hike took place in the Rayado River from Craggs to Abreu. Thats right, I hiked a river. It was an awesome experience! The water at times was up to your chest, and other areas down to your shins. I hiked the river with another ranger named Machee (Muh-Shay). Shes an excellent hiker and actually managed to keep up. Aside from a few slips and falls we made it. At some points we took off our backpacks and slid down the slippery parts like a big Slip'n'Slide. It was tons of fun!

Pictures...

Me Sliding down the river. Machee thought I was going to float away! Haha

The water was nice and cold. Whereas it was nearly 100 degrees in the sun!

Sunset from Lookout Meadow

Flower I never seen before.

Beautiful flowers. They were all over in the meadow.

Just a bridge I thought was cool.

Trail surrounded by Aspens.

Trail Surrounded by Douglas Firs.

Bonito Canyon



For Those Leaving to Philmont:


Head Advisor: Make sure All documents are completely filled out by arrival. Crew Roster, Talent Release Form, Medical Forms, Tour Permit, First Aid and CPR Cert.(for at least two adults). Also be sure everyone brings any and all perscription medication. And make sure to bring a Map of Philmont. Lean to keep up with your ranger and scouts. good luck.


Crew Leader: You can begin creating a duty roster including activities such as Cooking dinner (breakfast, and lunch will not need cooking), getting water, bear bags, setting up dinning fly. Assign a navigator and a pace setter for each day. Start weilding your iorn fist, and learn the power of deligation and decison making. Your the strongest and most important part of this trek. Just remember it's not a democracy, it's a "Nate'tatorship".


Chaplin: Learn Philmont Grace. Begin practising thorns and roses. Learn how to make god smite unruley advisors. You'll be the crew's spiritual advisor.


Everyone remember, no matter what, that you Will All Make It!

Another Adventure

Me on the Tooth of Time

My last Mountain Trek was Amazing! We did the Tooth of Time, Made burritos and Casadillas on the trail, went rock climbing, fly fishing, and spar pole climbing. It was so much fun. All along the way I got some great pix as well.

The cool thing about being a mountain trek ranger is that you get to see the whole crew develope, rather than when your a normal ranger you leave on the third morning and don't get to see how the crew ends up. Anoter good reason to be a mountain trek ranger is that are no Adults. This is a major plus, not only so the kids get to do everything themselves but also because we hike ALOT faster without adults hahah.

Heres some cool Pictures

Me on the Notch on the last day of LDSMT

Fish Camp

A view of Black Mountain From the top of Shafers Peak.

The Buffalos were out one day, so, me and my friend drove to the pasture to take pictures. Those animals are huge!

Disaster struck when my tent's zipper broke! I eventually ended up taking it down and burrowing a Phil-tent the rest of the trek. So i got to carry two tents that time, haha. At least this didn't happen during my Mountain trek, I would of been in trouble.

My Pack that I've taken out on my last 4 crews contained:
1.) Tent
2.) Sleeping Bag
3.) Three and a half liters of water
4.) Sleeping Pad
5.) Cup and Spoon
6.) Ranger Handbook, Map/compass, Knife
7.) Pound Cake / Icing (for Crew)
8.) Fleece
9.) Rain Coat
10.) Two changes of clothes
11.) First Aid Kit
Total Weight= 25lbs

Me on Window Rock. Un-like the ranger we had in 2002, I didn't blindfold my crew. Beautiful view.


Well I finally got another chance to upload some photos and type a little bit. I'd first like to mention that I just got accepted as one of the Mountain Trek Rangers! Mountain Trek rangers take out a group of 6-8 kids that don't know each other for five days on the trail. The position is extremely hard to get. There are 200 rangers in the Ranger department. Out of those two-hundred, 8 rangers are selected for Mountain Trek Ranger(MTR). 2 of those 8 have to be female, for the female mountain treks. Another 3 have to be 21 year old males. So basically, I'm one of the 3 out of 200 rangers under 21 that got the position!



Me doing a "challenge course" at Uracca Mesa with one of my crews from california. They helped me up the wall, then I helped people up.



In this picture, my crew had to balance a giant wooden plank.


Im about to take out my 6th crew out tommorow, and when I get back I'll be taking my muntain trek out for 5 days. I'm extremely excited. On my last trek I gave my wilderness pledge speach at sunrise at Inspiration Point by Uracca. The colors were so beautifull. While the sun was comming up, I talked to them how some people never even take the time to observe the sun come up. Then I told them to take in the moment by think about how at that moment theres no tyranny of time, taxes, or any commercial. I think I really made an impact. One of the advisors shed a tear, which helped the kids realize that alot of people live there lives in a safe deposit box.






On another one of my crews I got to enjoy a campfire that was very humorous with great music and a view of the Tooth of time in the background.

The view behind the campfire

The Staff that did the Campfire. Crater Lake.

The Campfire was really nice. Alot of humor, mixed with a really nice talk on how Philmonts not only about scenic views, but also about finding yourself. I've been finding myself out here as well. I've learned alot about myself just but using this solitude. It's amazing how climbing a mountain and enjoying the view can change you. Simplicity is to be found. Society has it all wrong. Your back yard is more than just a lot of woods, it's your vacation spot from society. "Although the cities a nice place to visit. I wouldn't want to live there."



Cito Res, and Cathedral Rock.





Me on Lovers Leap. That edge near me drops down like 200ft! I was scared to death. It was a nice view.


Till next time, I suggest all of you should contemplate that stillness in nature.

Happy Birthday Ranger Tim

My first crew of the 2007 Philmont season were great. They told the staff at Zastrow it was my birthday, and they made me cake!




On the secound day that Philmont recieved crews I was called to pick up a crew. The crew was from Houston, was comprised of 4 adults, and 8 youths. Their trek was number six, and I was to hike with them from the Rayado turnaround to Olympia, and then to Zastrow the next day.


The first camp at Olympia, was in my opinion, one of the worst camps at Philmont just for the mere fact that I could not find the sump (water waste area). The entire first day on the trail consisted of me teaching camping skills to the crew. I had an adult and a youth who have been to philmont before, so they helped the others by example. I cooked there dinner and showed how to properly wash dishes. And at night the crew made a fire, and we began to tell stories and bond as a crew.



The view at Olympia was nice.


The next day my crew and I hiked to Zastrow camp, which was a staffed camp whose program was a map orienteering course. After doing program and playing a few games of chess my crew cooked dinner and also a dump cake in a dutch oven provided by the staffed camp. After dinner and my birthday cake my crew and I went on top of a mesa where I gave them the Wilderness Pledge.



The next morning I hiked to the Zastrow turnaround to catch a bus ride into base camp.

Back to the BackCountry

The Ranger Office, AKA ~ R.O.

Ever since I arrived at Philmont I had almost no time to get on a computer. It's been non-stop training for the incomming campers. I've been tweaking my knowledge of Philmont's backcountry, tying knots, hiking, and learning more than enough saftey precautions.

My training began after I was placed in a TC(training crew) comprised of random staff members. For five days my TC and I went in the Backcountry with our Ranger Trainer, or RT, to learn the required knowledge.

If you have a Philmont map: We went from the Turkey Creek Turnaround to Deer Lake first night. From Deer Lake to Lower Sawmill the next day. Lower Sawmill to Lamberts Mine the third day. Lamberts Mine to Black Mountain Camp. Blackmountain Camp to Crater Lake. And finally, from Crater Lake to Base Camp (no bus in).

After camping on the trail with my TC, I've become quite attatched to the group. We all learned to respect each other as people. When your in the wilderness everyones labels vanish. It doesn't matter what religon, race, gender, or personality you have. When it comes down to it, the people in your group are the only ones there for you, and you learn to treat them as family.


My TC taking off their packs at Deer Lake, You can see Black Mountain in the background.


My Ranger Trainer checking out Deer Lake


Deer Lake is so beautiful after all the rainfall Philmont got in the off-season.


A "Red Roof Inn" on the way to Sawmill Camp.


My Crew relaxing at Sawmill before we went over Thunder Ridge.


ME!!!


Hello! From Ohio! I think I'm used to these conditions. Camanche Pass


The Whole Gang. TC 10.


Lover Leap, picture taken while hiking into Basecamp.


Ranger Fun-Day in Taos, NM. We all passed the RAT. (Ranger,Ability,Test)

No Place I'd Rather Be

My dorm for the summer!

While trying to write this blog I found it near impossible for me to describe my feelings and thoughts about being out in the wilderness. This quote by Edward Abbey describes everything I feel when Im out in the mountains. I hope all of you enjoy it.

Well I am looking, I am searching, I have found
Near the ground, my soul, myself, beneath this trail.
There's no other place I'd rather be.
Can't you see me out here walkin' in the rain and hail.

Purpose of life seems to me is
Not to take yourself too seriously.
I wouldn't want to be an old man sittin' in an office
Building someplace far away, with worry on my face.

Well you can take my car, my stereo, my little money.
Leave me with nothin’ but my trail family.
Take my dress up clothes, my cheap cologne,
My college loans I don't mind, I don't mind.


Well if that taxman comes lookin’ I'm at 10,000 feet
Cookin' up some oatmeal or some rice and beans.

I worship the Spirit who doesn't just look down
He looks up and through and all around,
Find Him in the rocks and trees. Cause there's no reason to pray
When you wake up every day to the sunrise over Cito Peak.

So find some ground lace up your boots start walkin'
And you will find reason, enough reason to believe.

Well you can drop your worries at the parking lot
Or way down in the city where the sun burns hot.
Although civilization is a nice place to visit,
I wouldn't want to live there.

Oh just one final paragraph of advice don't burn yourselves out.
Be as I am. It's not enough to fight for the land.
It's even more important to enjoy it while you can, while it's still here.

So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around.
Ramble out yonder explore the woods, encounter the grizz,
Climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers,
Breathe deep that yet sweet lucid air.

Sit quiet for awhile contemplate the precious stillness
That mystery and awesome space enjoy yourself.
Keep your brain in your head and your head attached to your body.
Body active and alive. And I promise you this much.

I promise you this one sweet victory, over our enemies.
Over those desk bound people with their hearts in a box
And their eyes hypnotized by calculators.
I promise you this one sweet victory...
YOU'LL OUTLIVE THE BASTARDS!



The Tooth of Time, I took the picture as we were hiking in from Crater Lake.