2013 Jamboree Troop A318

May 2011

Crew 713-106 Members and Parents of Crew Members,

Congratulations on deciding to accept the challenges Philmont has to offer you. You will, without a doubt be challenged in many ways, but you will have PHUN. As hard as it might be to believe, now is the time to start preparing for your adventure for the summer of 2012. In much the same way as a mountain climber commits to the challenge of climbing a mountain, preparing for this trip will require commitment. However, by the time we arrive at Philmont, you will be completely prepared for your trek, if you do what we discuss between now and then. It is important that both participants and parents read this letter. Our trip to Philmont is over a year away, however, we will be hitting the trail before you know it. This letter is to inform you of important items related to our trek.

First, the dates for our trip will be from July 12, 2012 to July 26, 2010. Next, I anticipate our trip to cost about $1200. The fee that Philmont is charging is $740. The rest of the money will cover transportation, meals on the road, hotels on the road, TWO REQUIRED shakedowns and required CREW gear, including crew photo and t-shirt. This fee does not include personal gear (boots, sleeping bag, pad, backpack) or spending money. I will update the cost by our first shakedown, but it is pretty close.

A word on dates and deadlines

Please pay attention to event dates and payment or information deadlines. All deadlines are established so we will have time to make our payments. You should have made your deposit by now. The first payment will be due September 10, 2011. The second payment of $400 is due by January 31, 2012. You balance is due by April 1, 2012. PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO TROOP 518. So, look at the shakedown dates and let me know ASAP if you have a conflict, otherwise, please pay attention to the dates and keep your schedule open on these dates. In addition to payments, it is equally important to pay attention to due dates for physicals (we will get them around Christmas) or other required documentation. I will send another letter with payment envelopes to you this summer. Please use them to make the payments.

Commitment

I hope you are excited about this adventure. Philmont is a life changing experience for most people. It is also a group project. To be able to succeed, our crew will have to train and work together. Your commitment is extremely important. This is not a trip that you can pack and prepare for the night before you leave. Now is the time to prepare.

I am 110% committed to insuring that you are ready for this experience. I will be doing everything I can to help you prepare. However, you must do your part. Being prepared will require attending all shakedowns, reading the Philmont Guidebook to Adventure (when it is available) and carefully reviewing your personal equipment.

Safety

In addition, I expect all participants to commit to following Philmont’s rules and regulations that you are taught. Philmont has rules for a reason. You might prefer a different method than is taught at Philmont. In matters of safety, we will not debate Philmont’s methods and you will be expected to do things the Philmont way. Failure to abide by Philmont’s rules on our trek and shake downs will not be tolerated once you are taught the proper procedures. When we go over rules, please pay attention. I will expect you to follow the rules after we cover them. Each rule has a health or safety implication and can directly affect you or your crew members.

We will not be hiking in the back yard. We will be in the wilderness and we will not be at the top of the food chain. Philmont has many locations that are several hours from a radio or a jeep trail or a cell phone signal. With that being said, thousands of scouts hike at Philmont safely each year, but the key is knowing and following the established procedures for hiking, camping and cooking. I will attend Philmont during the summer of 2011 and will consult with Philmont rangers on anticipated changes for 2012. I will be teaching you the current procedures, however, some procedures are modified each year and if our ranger teaches us new procedures next year, we will need to adapt.

A word on gear.

Now is the time to start checking out your gear and deciding what will work and what will not work. The big 3 things are your boots, your pack and your sleeping bag. Don’t skimp on your boots. While backpacking, nothing is more important than your feet. You will probably need to spend at least $150 on appropriate boots. Your pack needs to be in good shape. Picking an internal or external frame is up to you. You will spend a third of your trek in your sleeping bag, so make sure it will keep you warm enough if the mercury drops to the thirty’s. You will also spend a third of your trek carrying your bag, so if it is over 3 pounds it might be time to upgrade. It should not be much larger than a basketball, either. We will examine your gear on the first shakedown, so try to have what you need by then. Your name needs to be on every thing you take-from your water bottle to your t-shirts. If I find a sock, I want to find a name on it. If you want something returned that you drop on the trail it will need to have our expedition number on it- 713-106. REI in Dallas is a good place to get educated on gear. They have a great staff that can show you appropriate gear for Philmont. They will not over sell to you. Tell them you need gear appropriate for Philmont and they will give you a couple of choices. You do not need a tent. We will use Philmont tents.

Skills

Mastery of skills is vital to insuring a successful trip. Camping skills, backpacking skills, orienteering skills, cooking skills, hygiene issues, and familiarity with your surroundings, including weather and nature is of the utmost importance. We will cover all of these skill sets and more in our shake downs. We will cover many of the requirements in several merit badges. It will be up to you to work with a merit badge counselor and apply your accomplishments to the appropriate merit badge. As a group we will work to complete the requirements for the Philmont Arrowhead and 50-miler award, but not merit badges.

I have traditionally held three shakedowns. We will have two, but we will spend the same number of days together preparing. In the past I had two overnighters and a three nighter. We will combine the overnighters into a full weekend. These represent our two chances to prepare as a crew and are not optional. If you want to go to Philmont with this crew you need to attend both. Good shakedowns allow us to maximize the PHUN at Philmont.

At the end of this letter you will find a gear list. This is a maximum list. You can comfortably spend 10 days with much less than is on the list. A good goal for your personal gear, without water, crew gear or food is 20 to 25 pounds. You should start gathering everything on this list and we can weed it out on our shake downs. I will expect you to have ALL YOUR GEAR for the FIRST shakedown. If you are not sure if something is ok- ASK ME.

Right now, I am planning on having our first shakedown at Tyler State Park the last weekend in February 2012 (2/25/2012). We will do some short hikes, but the emphasis will not be on hiking. It will be on gear and learning Philmont camping techniques. The second shakedown will give us a chance to function as a crew for a long weekend. It will probably be over Memorial Day (5/25 to 5/28) in the Ouchita Mountains on the Boardstand Loop in Oklahoma near Talihina starting at Talimena state park. Shakedowns are NOT for getting in shape, they are for learning skills. You need to prepare physically at home on your own. If either one of these dates are known conflicts for you, please let me know ASAP.

Do not hesitate to ask any questions you might have. If I do not know the answer, I will find out. This is my twelfth trek, not including anything I did the summer I worked at Philmont or my non-trek visits, so I have answers for most questions. I will use my experience to help you have a TERRIFIC and PHUN time at Philmont. For you to benefit, however, you must start preparing today.

IWTGBTP,

Matt Lindsey

903-262-8043 or [email protected]