Philmont 2016 - Day 9 - August 11, 2016

The big day … burro packing! Today we would be given a burro to take with us on our hike. The burro would stay with us overnight, and then we'd take him with us to our next camp. The hike today is only about 5 miles, however, we would be climbing approximately 1500 feet in elevation.

We weren't in a hurry to get up this morning, because we had to under go “burro training” before we could leave Ponil Camp. We woke up and got packed up, and then ate a leisurely breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed down to the corral to get our burro and get trained. When we got there, a couple of the ranch hands were messing around trying to rope each other. Once they successfully roped their opponent, they would try to pull him down into the mud and the … well … you know … it's a burro corral!!! It was VERY entertaining!

Next, they let the boys into the corral to go and find a burro that they liked.

Once they found their burro, it was time to learn how to properly pack our gear onto the burro. The boys did a really good job of it … they picked up the procedure very quickly. They also had to give their burro a name … may I introduce Harold … Harold the Burro!

The boys had wanted to take a second burro, but mean old me told them to stick with just one … I figured one would be more than enough trouble!!! We got our gear loaded up and hit the trail.

We were hiking along a dirt road on our way to Elkhorn Camp. Elkhorn is a trail camp … there would be no staff members there and no program activities. Once we arrived at the camp, we would have to unload Harold, put him in the pen, and give him some water and hay. There would be too much else to do.

The trail had a slight grade to it, but it wasn't too bad. We needed to make a left turn at some point, at which time we would have to head straight up the side of a mountain to Elkhorn Camp, which was located at the top. Once again, Mt. Baldy loomed off in the distance.

We had some minor navigation problems and initially walked past the turn. We quickly realized our mistake and turned back. We found the turn and then started the climb. It was very steep, rocky & dusty, and we had to guide Harold up with us … he wasn't really in the mood!

We finally reached the top and found Elkhorn Camp. The top of the mountain was essentially a ridge line. The camp was slightly down hill on the other side of the ridge we had just climbed. The views from the top of the ridge were just fantastic. We could see all the way back to the Tooth of Time.

We got Harold into the pen and gave him his food & water. After that, we set up camp and everyone took a well deserved rest. A little while later, our sister crew showed up with their burro, Burrito. After dinner, we decided to walk back up to the top of the ridge. The boys found some rocks to climb around on while we watched the sunset. It was absolutely beautiful.

It was a beautiful, clear night, and fortunately for us, the Perseid meteor shower was scheduled to put on a great show that night. We brought our chairs back to the top of the ridge and we sat there for at least an hour watching an incredible show of meteor trails. I've never seen anything like it.

Tomorrow we'd be hiking with Harold from Elkhorn Camp to Miranda Camp. Miranda is one of the camps that serves as a “base” for day hikes to the top of Mt. Baldy.