[From the Philmanac - Shaefers Pass is located between Shaefers Peak (9,360 feet) and Black Mountain (10,892 feet.)  It is one of the few passes at Philmont that is still used as a trail camp.  Most Crews who camp here are on their last night on the trail before heading into Basecamp on the Tooth Ridge trail.  A new trail from Shaefers Pass to Shaefers Peak was completed in 1994.  The spring at Shaefers Pass is not always flowing; be sure to check the second spring a little further back.]

[From the Philmanac - Tooth Ridge is a popular trail camp to stay at for the last night of the trail because of its close proximity to Basecamp and the Tooth of Time.  Tooth Ridge is a dry camp located just a short downhill hike from the Tooth of Time.  Tooth Ridge is so close to Basecamp that Crews can almost hear the closing campfire a night early.]

Up at 6:30, breezy, 62 degrees, “It’s Perfect Again”.  We did a rather leisurely breakdown and breakfast, packed everything up, and headed back up to the cabin.  Parked our packs in the shade, and headed over to the corral.  Ran into Dan Ross (Crew 893), and we chatted for a few minutes before I followed the guys.  At the corral, there were four or five Crews awaiting, so a pretty good crowd.  I noted that Todd didn’t have his long pants, so off he went - soon followed by Luke, who had left his Crew Leader’s Copy in his pack.  Wranglers Wes and Emily gave the intro talk, starting off with the bad news that they had only 26 horses - so we would have to split into two groups and have a one hour ride (on a short circuit) instead of the normal 2 ½ hour ride.  After some discussion, they decided to let the two Crews who were leaving for Tooth Ridge camp later that day to go first (that included us, and I thanked the other Crews for the accommodation).  Since we couldn’t get a Scout to volunteer, I went ahead and read the rule list to the assembled group, in my lecture hall teaching voice.  After we finished the intro talk, the first two Crews headed into the corral while the other Crews were taken off to the side to work on replacing some of the corral fencing.  We dumped all our assorted gear on a small porch/walkway alongside the equipment “barn”, grabbed helmets, and headed into the mounting corral.  The first thing we did (by Wes’ request) was pick up 20 small rocks apiece from the corral grounds - apparently, these can cause some problems for the horses.  Once that task was done, everyone (except me) lined up on the posts lining the corral [Photos: 1, 2]; I wandered around taking photos (what else?)  After a mounting “how-to” demo and discussion from Wes, we got our horses from the wranglers as follows:

Luke - Guywire
Drew - Shadow
Michael - Cimarron
Todd - Forrest
Matt - Buddy
Will - Red Bullet
William - Sammy
Hugh - Winchester
Thomas - Sombrero
Charlie - Wee
Neil - Cowboy
Mark - Tonto
Me - Muskrat

By 9:05, we were all mounted up, and Wes, Lauren, and Emily led us out.  Still mostly sunny and getting hotter.  We exited the corral with the horses finding their own friends - though oddly, Muskrat decided to follow Buddy (Matt’s horse), which the wranglers had warned us was a touchy horse.  Hey, great choice, eh, Muskrat???  As usual, it was nose-to-derriere at a very sedate pace.  Whenever Buddy lowered his ears and looked back, I reined in for a couple of seconds - so neither Muskrat or I got our respective clocks cleaned.  We took a winding trail through the woods, which was actually pretty interesting riding.  Then eventually we broke out into the open for about 10 minutes, giving us some nice views of the plains to the east and the north side of the Tooth of Time ridgeline.  I took some photos of the guys from my perch atop Muskrat, then got Wes to take photos of everyone from off on the left side [Photos: 1, 2, 3].  Hopefully, these latter photos will turn out better than my “bounced” efforts (let’s hope!)  Back to the corral at 10:00 exactly, so just under an hour ride.  As usual, enough to give you an appreciation for those who do this for a living.  In the corral, we dismounted, gave our helmets and horses to the waiting Scouts from the other Crews, thanked the wranglers and headed back to the main cabin.  The guys gathered around and asked if we could stay at Clark’s Fork for awhile longer.  I replied that it was OK with me if it was OK with the staff, and warning everyone that we could end up getting caught in a thunderstorm in the afternoon (which could seriously delay our arrival at Tooth Ridge camp).  Well, Brian said we could stay as long as we liked, so it was a done deal.  Just as we got permission from Brian, Rene came in with a Crew, and we gave him a loud and boisterous welcome (he was happy to see us, but didn’t have too much time to chat, with a new Crew to train).  The guys mostly elected to play horseshoes and chess.  I played a bunch more guitar (this time David’s), with David joining me on Brian’s guitar, and some of the staff occasionally singing along.  Crew 893 left soon after we started - a third of the Crew wanted to side hike Black Mountain (wow!), and Les Duvall (the other Advisor) needed extra hiking time to Tooth Ridge because of a sprained ankle.  Dan Ross was bummed that he couldn’t stick around to hear me play, however.  We gave the guitars a rest each time another Crew came in for their respective porch talks.  Per his request, I also taught one of the Rangers how to play Fire on the Mountain.  A Scout in another Crew eventually joined me, playing Brian’s guitar, but he was more into finger picking, not playing and singing.  Also, an Advisor (Todd B.) asked me to email him the sheet music for Night Rider’s Lament, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, and Fire on the Mountain; I wrote down his contact info in my diary.  We went til about noon, at which point the porch talks were rapid fire and the porch getting increasingly crowded, so we bagged out and went to eat lunch at our packs, and discussed the hike to Tooth Ride.  As predicted, it was getting cloudy already, so rain was a distinct possibility - and hiking the ridgeline trail in a thunderstorm is (definitely!) not a good idea.  We also agreed to do the Tooth of Time for sunset, if the weather allowed, as opposed to joining Genghis Khan’s hoards at dawn tomorrow.  We gave everyone another 45 minutes of “play time”, but in reality most of the guys just sat around and relaxed.  At 1:15, we called it a half-day well spent - and a lot more fun than twiddling our thumbs at Tooth Ridge - and began to saddle up.  I went over to thank the staff for a great day and a half, and also briefly chatted with Rene, inviting him to join us for dinner the next day at Basecamp; he agreed to try if he could get back in time.  Let’s hope.  We filled all our canteens and both drink jugs and water jugs (seven extra gallons) - probably excessive, but it can’t hurt to have too much, and our packs are otherwise all “feather-light” right now anyway.  Since we knew both of the water jugs leaked slightly, we put them in plastic bags to avoid flooding Luke’s and Neil’s packs.  Todd and Hugh carried the drink jugs.  We took all the rest of their Crew gear to lighten their loads a little.  I handed out some chewing gum and Tic-Tacs to help keep everyones’ mouths moist.  We left Clark’s Fork at 1:30 - one more speed run uphill, up the Shaefers Pass Trail.  We soon blew past a Crew that had left 15 minutes before us.  Once again, the guys hiked hard with no breaks, only taking a double caterpillar every 30 minutes for water.  About halfway up to the Pass, we started getting a little light rain with some moderate thunder and lightning (one close strike, just under a mile away - probably on Shaefers Peak), and we stopped briefly to put our pack covers on.  Got to the Pass at 2:35, super time, and took a five minute break for some more water, chewing gum, and Tic-Tacs.  I also took a minute to re-state instructions on hiking when lightning is possible, since the rest of the trail to the Tooth of Time was pretty exposed.  Fortunately the current thunderstorm had apparently moved quickly to the east, and the danger was significantly reduced (so all in all, it looked like staying at Clark’s Fork a little while longer was a fortuitous decision).  We saddled up, cut across the first campsite to the Shaefers Peak Trail, spaced ourselves out at 25 feet intervals, and headed on up.  We soon ran into a doe and a suckling fawn right on the trail (Hugh photographed them).  A little further up Neil noticed that his water jug was leaking right through the plastic bag it was in.  Upon checking, Luke’s jug was just as bad.  So we transferred almost all the jug water into canteens, drinking lots to make more room.  Continued on to the Shaefers Peak cutback trail intersection, and quickly decided to pass on going up for the view - it’s a little too exposed on top, and we still had weather in the area.  So down the ridgeline trail - very rocky, great views both sides, but rain in all directions, especially northwest (Baldy and Touch-Me-Not) and west (Black and Bear).  I took time to grab a few photos at some of the more interesting overlooks [Photos: 1, 2] (primarily using Urraca Mesa as a backdrop).  Surprisingly, we passed several of the Crews that  had left Clark’s Fork that morning (guess they ate lunch or stopped for water at Shaefers Pass).  In one rather curious incident, we passed one aggravated looking Crew whose Advisors aggressively demanded to know how much further it was to the Tooth - rather startled at their tone, I answered (accurately) “about 5 minutes to the base!”  They exchanged sheepish glances, and I continued on with a half-smile.  Sure am glad I knew the answer to that $10,000 question!  We arrived at the Tooth trail intersection at 4:30, (once again) excellent time from Clark’s Fork.  Left turn, Clyde, and quickly down to Tooth Ridge camp, passing Les Duvall just before we arrived - he was limping badly, and taking it slow, but seemed to still be in good spirits (and declined our offer to assist).  At 4:40, we arrived at Tooth Ridge, and the guys announced: “Hey, there’s Brad!” - and indeed, Brad and Eileen (another Arlingtonian) were waiting for us at the camp “entrance”.  Brad and I gave each other a sweaty hug.  He and Eileen had come up the Stockade Trail to intercept us - and had also brought some special treats for us.  He recommended that we stay at a campsite on the upper righthand side of the camp, and Hugh went to check if it was still free (it was).  After talking for a few more minutes, light sprinkles began falling and so we headed up to the site, while Brad and Eileen went back over to the left to get their packs.  The campsite that Hugh had found was really nice - flat, covered in pine needles, and outlined with some interesting rock formations.  I had no idea these sites were this nice - I had a memory from my youth that Tooth Ridge was just a sandpit.  Well, very happy to be proven wrong....  With light rain still falling, we did a “emergency” three minute tarp set up and started sorting gear.  Naturally, the rain soon ceased, and the sun broke out.  [Don’t like the weather? - Wait 5 minutes....]  We went ahead and set up tents - hoping we wouldn’t regret it in 20 minutes!  Brad and Eileen came up as we were finishing setup, but they didn’t set up (they were planning on spending the night on top of the Tooth).  After some more chitchat, Brad entertained us for a few minutes with his “Bear Be Cool Tool” - a bullwhip which he could crack with great effect.  He was carrying this with the intent of entertaining his Crews at trail camps and - if necessary - scaring off bluffing bears (he had yet to use it for the latter purpose, however, which maybe was just as well).  Then he and Eileen pulled out the promised treats for the Crew - a “pie maker”, two loaves of bread, and four cans of cherry and apple pie filling!  Instant heroes, to put it mildly.  Brad also brought out an MSR Whisperlite stove, which most of the Scouts had never seen before, and so they were very interested in it also.  Since the “pies” would take some time to make, we went ahead and at our “lunch for dinner” (Brad and Eileen were having Ramen Noodles and oatmeal later).  As dinner was (very quickly) polished off, Brad kept a steady stream of “toaster pies” coming (two per person) - and yes, they were delicious!  Once they were done, I enjoyed talking with Brad and Eileen, while some of the guys did a little exploring and bouldering for about 30 minutes; others took down the tarp.  We also put up our (final) bear-bags.  At 7:00 (a little late), we staged for the Tooth, with flashlights, warm clothes, and snacks, etc.; Brad and Eileen pulled their own dinners and started cooking.  We ended up leaving at 7:25 (10 minutes later than I had hoped), pushing hard.  We were surprised to find an occupied campsite at the base of the Tooth (no one there); I’m guessing these guys are supposed to be at Tooth Ridge, and mistakenly thought this was the place because of the bear-bag cables located at the trail intersection.  As we headed up, two Crews were coming down - which surprised me, since sunset on the Tooth is supposed to be a special experience.  We soon ran out of trail and did the hand-over-hand deal up the boulder field.  Arrived on top at 7:50, good time, and an absolutely spectacular view, but the sun was behind some late clouds and sinking behind Black and Bear mountains.  But as I told the guys “just wait a few minutes, we may luck out”.  There were 3 or 4 Crews at the top, but (surprisingly) they were all leaving.  We got some quick Crew photos before the last Crew left, then had the peak to ourselves.  I took lots of mommie shots from various perspectives, and - finally - we were treated to a spectacular glow under the western clouds as the sun ducked below them on the far side of Black and Bear.  It only lasted two minutes, and we just about burned out my camera grabbing as many shots as possible.  A great way to end the trek! - and I’m really sorry all the other Crews missed it.  Once it finally faded out, we took a few more photos on the cliffs [Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4] and with the dark eastern plains in the background [Photos: 1, 2, 3].  We also found a red jacket left behind by one of the recently departed Crews, so we grabbed it in hopes of a reunion.  The light was fading fast at this point (the downside to sunset versus sunrise), so we called it a view at 8:20, and picked out way down quickly, but carefully, staying together the whole way.  It was nearly dusk by the time we got down to the trail, so we had pushed it as long as we could.  A minute later we ran into Brad and Eileen coming up; as they had planned, they were spending the night on the Tooth.  Way cool - but I warned them that it would be a zoo the next morning well before dawn.  At the base, the Crew that was camped there asked if we had seen a red jacket, so we relayed it to its rightful owner, requesting a song in return.  So they treated us to an all-hands chorus of “I’m a Little Teapot” which had us all grinning ear to ear (they were very appreciative.)  At the main camp trail intersect, we talked for a few minutes with one of our neighboring Crews - they were planning on going up for sunrise - along with about 10 other Crews, I suspect, including several that had been up with us that evening.  They wanted to hear about our trek, and were very impressed.  Back at our campsite, nice stars (no moon yet), but no one was interested in satellite or meteor spotting tonight, so we hit the sack about 9:30 or so, after making a collective decision for a 5:15 (first light) reveille.  I wrote diary for an hour - surprisingly, a very full day!