Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12	1983 Trek	E-MAIL

I woke up this morning to see sunlight beaming through the forest canopy above me. There was no tent to block the view. The entire floor was covered with rusty pine needles, and the needles that remain on the trees have dew on them. There were a lot of people here. Most every trek was getting ready to do the Tooth this day.

712 Day 12 - One Year Later: The Tooth of Time

Leaving Shæfer's Pass, we hiked along Shæfer's Peak as it became the Tooth of Time Ridge.

The trail was as I remembered it from last year -- we drove on along the southern face of the ridge, around its crevices. Towards the cusp of the Tooth itself, there were several switchbacks to go through before we got over to the north side of the ridge. These were not really indicated on the map, but then switchbacks rarely were. The trail brought us to the base of the cusp. We dropped our packs here, as we would not take them up to the top. We took only our cameras and our lunch. It was a bright mid-morning, and this would be a picture day. The Tooth of Time is one of those great "Kodak moment" places. For nearly everyone who climbs it, their trek is over, and crew members are wishing that it would not end. It is a relaxed time, so, taking as many pictures as possible is in order. Unfortunately for me, my film was almost used up. But, luckily, my father had several frames remaining.

Just as on the prior year's visit, I found myself hopping over the square-edged slabs of white porphyry which sat pointing at the sky. We found several suitable for seating and broke out lunch. When you go to the extreme tip of the Tooth, on the cusp, you can look back to the west -- at the ridge along which you have just hiked. The southern face looks steep because it is. Our trail had cut up an over the ridge before reaching that area.

Tooth of Time Skyline: We stood on this very spot last year, and took the same picture.

There was -- and I think still is -- one dead tree at the tip. You can see it in my picture from last year's trek. Interesting thing is that I've seen this same tree in photos from treks as late as 1997. Nice to know some things do not change.

We could see everything again, though the skies were a bit cloudier than a year ago. Baldy could be seen, but just barely, with clouds on it. Our cameraman, my dad, was still on the job.

Someone in my crew had brought along a "Rebel" flag (the flag of the Southern forces in the Civil War which sought to break up the United States). They posed, raising it Iwo Jima-style, atop the Tooth. I remember thinking that this probably broke a few flag protocols (after all, Scouts are concerned with such things). It was something we probably would not have done today. Regardless, thinking about it now makes me wonder what happened to the actual American flag we had carried. It's my recollection that all (or most) crews carry an American flag which is obtained from the Trading Post. Or, was this rebel flag what we had purchased there?

We had the usual quick lunch on the top (Libby's Spreadables®), peanut butter on bread, etc. There are squirrels ("mini-bear") everywhere, begging food from anyone who moved. We took a group photo and then packed up our mess to go back down.

R8-08a

And, then it was time to leave.

We began to descend from the peak -- returning to our packs -- when I realised that I still had something to do. It was the thing which I had been waiting eleven days to do. I let the others go ahead a ways and then I walked back up to the south-eastern face of the Tooth. I reached into my pocket to retrieve the stone which I had brought with me from Leonard Scout Reservation (LSR), from the point near which John's ashes had been scattered. I set it on the Tooth's south-eastern face, facing home, as a gesture of thanks. He was the one who got me to come to Philmont.

I had carried this rock with me the entire trek in the top compartment of my pack, careful not to lose it, in the plastic bag along with my wallet, itinerary sheet, film, and other important items. I'd had it in mind to do this ever since the time I spent that last winter helping build the memorial Tower at LSR. It was a sentimental gesture, of course, and a minor one compared to the Tower itself. I had no idea, at that time, that it would outlast the Tower. I will speak more on this in the afterword to this journal.

I hurried back down the slope of the Tooth to rejoin the rest. We passed through the secondary laccolith as I had done a year before. I still did not manage to get a picture. Then we proceeded to Tooth Ridge Camp, and came down the full extent of Tooth Ridge (no shortcuts this time). The main trail is not particularly longer than other hikes, but much of it lacks significant tree cover, and is therefore very hot. I still recall the winding switchback path down the northern side of the end of the ridge. We were surrounded by scrubby, low water plants, wildflowers (Mexican Hats and smaller yellow things) and dust.

Because the previous night's camp had been dry (no water), we had just about exhausted our supply... and despite the clouds, the noon sun was heating things up. As we neared the bottom of the ridge, most of us decided it was time we drank the remaining water each of us carried. The smell of dust and imminent rain was in the air as it began to precipitate just a little by that time. We reached the gate of Base Camp, crossing over a cattle guard and bridgeway painted yellow, as a typical afternoon Philmont rain shower opened up on us.

As was procedure, we checked in what equipment we had, and got settled into the outbound section of Tent City. We spent the rest of the day essentially coming down off the adrenaline of the trek. I was not as good about writing postcards this year as I had been last, and I still had a blank one in my backpack. This was my last chance to send it from Philmont, so I quickly penned a message and went to the Post Office to mail it home.

I still had a few shots left on my 110 camera, and mentioned that I wanted to get a few extra shots of Base Camp. Steven volunteered to "help", and went off to memorialise Philmont for me. A self-portrait and three pictures of the Base Camp toilets (I've not included them here, guys) was not what I had in mind. Okay, 15 years help bring out the humour in this.

The remainder of the afternoon was ours to spend. Those in my crew who had not been here the year before visited the Trading Post to buy the things which they'd passed up at the beginning of the trek. Not surprisingly, the Philmont belt and buckle were fairly high on the list of priorities. True to what I was told last year, my own belt had darkened with wear. But, this second trek itself had left its mark. The portion of the belt which rested between me and my pack while hiking had turned almost black with constant soakings of sweat. I thought about having the rest of the belt stained dark to even out the discolouration. But, I decided in the end just to leave it the way it was.

The day was nearly done. We had dinner in the Dining Hall -- and by that time the food tasted really, really good. We attended Closing Campfire just as was done the previous year, and the Philmont Arrowhead patches were awarded. I knew that these guys realised that they had accomplished something, not merely attended a summer camp. And once again I was beginning to regret that it was ending. In the next week, I would even find myself feeling a little resentful at going back to the regular world's routine. I guess we tend to get settled into trail life after two weeks.

And, then it was dark. Back to Tent City and off to sleep. My remaining thoughts for the night were totally my own. This was our last night at Philmont.

I lay there in the cot in Tent City listening to music which I had brought (kept in Camp Headquarters lockers during the trek). The flaps of the tent were drawn open to let in the cool night air. Through them, I could see the very clear night sky. The moon was shining brightly in from the south, and seemed almost entirely full. It was bright enough that I could see the ridge of the Tooth of Time trailing off into the distance with even the cusp faintly illuminated by the lunar glow. I continued to watch the moon, trying to stay awake because I knew that the experience was nearly over, and wanted to extend it, if I could, just a little bit. The trek would be past at sunrise. And, for a brief moment that night, I wondered whether I should have written more postcards throughout the trek, and thereby chronicled events. The idea of keeping a actual journal had not occurred to me even then. Of the many things I've forgotten about the trek over the years, this moment on the last night still comes through clearly.

With the morning, we would depart, driving back to Texas in our own vehicles. Philmont remained in view, behind us, for some distance. Highway 21 stretched out before us into the great plains to the east of Philmont. In less than a day we would be home again, and, this experience would be over. I got to drive the truck part of the way which, I am sure, was some sort of violation of policy. But, I suppose it was safer to have me driving when my dad had gotten tired.

Afterword

This brings the account of the trek itself to an end. However, the journal would not really be complete if I did not mention a few things. I save this for the afterword.

		Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12	1983 Trek	E-MAIL