HARLINGEN – It was all about survival.
A group of local Boy Scouts and their leaders went on a life-changing summer trek through the Sangre de Christo Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.
Philmont covers 214 square miles of wilderness with trails that climb from 6,500 feet to as high as 12,441 feet.
Scout Troop 1701/709W members carried everything they needed to survive during their more than 100-mile hike over 12 days.
They hiked from camp to camp and participated in backcountry programs along the way, including laying railroad tracks, team challenges, gold prospecting and rock climbing.
The trek also included a conservation project where the scouts learned and participated in the construction of a new hiking trail.
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Nine scouts
Charles Kilbourn – crew leader
J.B. Ruiz
Sammy Ruiz – chaplain’s aide
Chris Cavazos
Matthew Cavazos
Will Bell – wilderness pledge
Jay Randazzo
Victor Ringheanu
Baldy Mountain and the Tooth of Time
Baldy Mountain is the highest point in Philmont at 12,441 feet.
The most recognizable landmark on the ranch is the Tooth of Time at 9,003 feet and is a granite monolith protruding 500 feet vertically from an east-west ridge.
