ment and went through aj “shakedown.” For this shake-!

ment and went through aj “shakedown.” For this shake-! down we had to unpack our packs. The rangers sorted out all of our equipment telliBgajs what to take and what not fo take. He also instructed us on how to pack our packs and advised us about the conditio at Philmont such as' .co weather at nights, hotweathi in the daytime, insects^ aid tude, etc. we .finished t shakedown and ‘picked up o4r mail. After reading our lette: s we were issued tents, pot>,| pans, utensils and our deh drated food. We would be ca ryiwf—o tooth After—this three period, we would be able to' pick up more food at a staff camp. After attending more instructional classes, we ate supper, we all went to bed so that we would be fully refreshed in the morning. On Monday morning we started our twelve day journey when we were taken by bus to our starting point. After hiking sew eral hours, we arrived at our first trail camp. That night we were told several facts about the land we would see for the next eleven days. We were told that Philmont covers 137,221 acres. The altitude ranges from 6,500 feet to 12,441 feet. Philmont was given to the Boy Scouts of America as a gift of Mr. Waite Phillips who was the founder and president of Phillips Petroleum Company (Phil lips 66). We were also told that Philmont is rich in wild game....deer, elk, coyote, antelope, mountain lion, buffalo, wild turkey, bear and many more. During our twelve days on the trail, we enjoyed a few interesting courses such as survival and soil conservation courses. We enjoyed trapshooting with .20 gauge shotguns. We panned for gold in the streams and saw a gold mine, too. We saw the fishing cabin of Mr. Waite Phillips which is valved at 90 thousand dollars. Not 9 thousand - 90 thousand. Can you imagine a building that was used only 5 or 6 times a year being worth 90 thousand dollars? We also enjoyed horse back riding.