Up at 4:50 am, clear and pleasant, 56 degrees.  Woke everyone in my line of tents at 5:00, asking Brad to check on the other 2 groups as soon as he got up.  Everyone hit the shower houses, got dressed in Class A's, broomed out their tents, and starting hauling their packs and last carry-on gear over to the vans.  I had to chase a few guys back to the tents to get the Totelockers and other Crew gear, but even so we were just about ready to fly by 5:45.  Then a head count showed we were 2 Scouts short - Andy and David M., whom no-one had awakened because they were isolated in D56 - a tent in another section.  Someone (David B.?) finally gave them a holler.  They came flying over half-dressed in their Class A's and carrying their gear, looking a little sheepish.  With that, we did the final stuffing, putting Hank and Matt M.'s gear in last (for easy removal in Raton), and everyone grabbed seats.  Turned the Motorolas on, and we're out the parking lot exit - goodbye `til (hopefully) 2002!  Going down Rt. 21, everyone took the time to look over their shoulder at the Arrowhead formation, so we should all return at least once more in our lives....  Brilliant sunshine and clear skies as we turned east on U.S. Rt. 64 and cruised to Raton.  North on I-25 for 2 exits, then a stop for breakfast at a Mickey-D's - which coincidentally was also the Greyhound Bus station that Hank and Matt needed for their trip to Albuquerque.  We had all the drivers eat first again, but the service was fairly quick regardless (they did the bag trick too), and we were all ready to go within 35 minutes.  Goodbye to Hank and Matt, and back on I-25 North, through Raton Pass and into Colorado.  Up to 75 mph again, and flying to Denver.  Great views of various peaks to our left, but surprisingly little wildlife today.  Most of the Scouts zoned out, but some listened to music or watched the scenery go by - for the latter Scouts, the end of Philmont is beginning to sink in now....  Took a pit stop after Pueblo - everyone snagging snacks and drinks, and stretching muscles now unused to sitting for so long.  Back in the vans, and on to DIA.  Unusually heavy traffic between Colorado Springs and Denver, but the construction zones approaching Denver were clear and moving OK.  Approaching the airport, we stopped to fill all the vehicles one last time, and quickly pushed on.  Got to the airport at noon - excellent time - and unloaded (and semi-cleaned) the vans near the Northwest section of the terminal.  Stefan's uncle was there, and after giving him Stefan's e-ticket for his return, they both took off.  Gave some basic re-instruction on wrapping the packs and properly marking everything for "DCA" (i.e., Washington National), then David B. and I left with the 2 passenger vans for Dollar Rent-a-Car.  Rick and Tim A. headed out soon thereafter for Enterprise with the 2 cargo vans.  At Dollar, check-out was a triviality:  enter the vehicle ID, check the mileage and fuel, and "see ya later."  About as easy as it gets; let's hope no surprise charges crop up on my next credit card statement!  Rick and Tim were equally fast.  Back to the airport via shuttle buses, and the guys had already completed the packup.  A few were standing guard, but most had headed inside to the arcade to kill a few more brain cells and waste a few more dollars.  I took Clay's place at the Northwest group counter, and we waited about 25 minutes for a large family to finish their re-ticketing.  Another group of Scouts - a 628 Crew, oddly enough - were also wandering around the airport, looking for boxes for their packs; they were headed to Atlanta.  Said goodbye to Rick, Chris and Eric W. - they're off to Salt Lake City.  Finally it was our turn.  This time, only our smaller checked luggage was handled through the counter, and we also weren't allowed to help manhandle it onto the conveyor belt "for insurance reasons."  All the packs and large Totelockers were handled as "oversize" luggage, and were taken by a skycap to a separate cargo entrance.  I tipped the guy $20.00 for the extra work.  Once we had our boarding passes and luggage taken care of, I gave each Crew adequate cash for lunch, and gave them their releases, with the understanding that everyone had to report to Gate C-34 by 2:30.  Clay, David B. and I hit the Panda Express for Chinese food, quickly joined by about 10 Scouts.  That went quickly enough, and I encouraged everyone to hit the bathrooms while they had the chance.  Then we were all off to Concourse C via the airport subway.  Gate C-34 turned out to be Gate C-36; no big deal.  By the time we arrived, the plane had already half boarded, but there was still plenty of space in the overheads.  Filled up quickly after us, though.  Northwest Flight 48 to Detroit/Fort Wayne.  We pushed off at 3:05, right on time, but then spent 35 minutes burning off fuel on the tarmac; apparently, the pilot felt we were a little too heavy.  Well, every seat was taken, so we probably were too heavy.  Finally lifted off at 3:40, pretty bumpy ride as we climbed to 37,000 feet, but smoothed out once we were at altitude.  Not the best views - lots of clouds or thin overcast, offering at best rather hazy views of the countryside below.  Most of the guys zoned out pretty quickly, until dinner arrived - chicken BBQ or Reuben sandwiches, your choice.  I took the Reuben; not bad (for airline food.)  Got restarted on the diary after dinner, and wrote all the way to Detroit.  Touchdown 8:25 pm, already Eastern Daylight Time.  Terminal a complete zoo - we could barely exit out the access tunnel without running into people.  This airport is crying for a major-league expansion.  Our next gate was just 5 minutes down the hall, so I gave everyone 15 minutes for a group toiety and/or final candy bar buying spree.  Did the group ticket thing with the attendants again; this time, they took the main section of the boarding passes, leaving us with just the stubs.  Northwest Flight 230 to Washington National.  Boarded en masse first, but this flight wasn't full anyway.  Pushed off at 9:20, 5 minutes late.  Easy liftoff and flight.  Brad and I sorted the awards for everyone who was still with us; everything fine except the plastic protectors for the Arrowhead patches - the damn pricetags were superglued on the fronts of the protectors, and couldn't be cleanly removed.  Not the brightest move by the Trading Post, and that's a fact.  We bagged it after about 5 minutes of frustration; I'll get them replaced after I get home.  Back to the diary, with a brief intermission to go beg some drinks and snacks from the stewards, who had inexplicably missed just our one row as they came down the aisle.  Touchdown at 10:25, and a slow taxi up to our gate - oddly enough, the very same gate we had left from on June 26th.  Exited to a deserted terminal - apparently, no-one was allowed in past the security barrier this late.  Reminded everyone to neaten up their Class A's (and also to thank their parents), and we headed out as a group, to cheers and camera flashes.  For the record, 10:50 pm.  I let everyone get the hugs and kisses out of the way, and we headed off to one side to do the closeout.  Started off with some comments to the Scouts on delivering their hard-earned Philmont skills and knowledge to their Troops, then Brad and I handed out the awards:  Philmont Arrowheads, Bolo Ties, 2000 Adventure patches, and 50-Miler Awards and patches.  With that, everyone collected their luggage, ripped the trash bags off the packs, and headed out to the parking lots.  After stripping their packs of Crew gear (with everything getting relayed into the Troop Van), everyone hit the road for home.  Brian P. drove his family, David and Tim B., and I home in the Troop van, dropping me off last.  We chatted for a few minutes in the driveway, and I headed on in just before midnight.  Came out a few minutes later to do some final reflection before washing the dust of Philmont off.  Another great trek! - we filled our pockets with rocks, and came home with gold.

- Dr. Bob Klein, July 31st, 2000