Day Fourteen

[From the Philmanac - Clark's Fork is the Western Lore Camp for the Central Country. It is conveniently located between Cimarroncito and Schaeffer's Pass. Crews often either stay at or pass through this camp near the end of their expeditions, as they prepare to hike into Base Camp via the Tooth Ridge Trail. The program includes Horseback Riding, Branding, Chuckwagon Dinner, and an Evening Campfire. Just to the northwest of Clark's Fork Camp is a burned-out area resulting from a camper-started fire in 1978. An enlargement of the Clark's Fork Cabin was completed in the fall of 1995.]

Tuesday, 7/14 - Woke at 4:45, when two Advisors or Scouts (or deer?) walked by the site on the trail and down towards the staff cabin. Watched the stars fade into the loom of dawn again, and got up at 5:00, waking everyone else around me at the same time. Much warmer this morning, 54 degrees, with a distinctly warm breeze flowing over the site. Nary a cloud in sight. We were packed up in short order - practice makes perfect - and gone by 5:45, stumbling over that little ridge one last time (guess that service project will have to wait another few years, unless a trail crew or another Advisor like me beats me to it.) Back to the trail intersection with the Webster Park/Devil's Wash Basin road, but we're going straight this time, towards Ute Springs and Ute Gulch. Long hike around the southern edge of Deer Lake Mesa, with a new uphill seemingly around every bend, and great views to the left of the now sunlit valley below Window Rock. Guys were complaining to stop for breakfast (especially John), but I remembered there being a really nice overlook near the top of the trail, and encouraged everyone to push on. Matt C. starting to limp noticeably - probably injured himself during the burro races - but he said he was OK, and kept on trucking'. Finally gave it up on the overlook after about 45 minutes on the trail, and ate at an OK spot with plenty of rocks to sit on, but not much of a view. Both crews started saving items from the collective breakfasts for the Tooth of Time the next day (since our scheduled lunch was at BaseCamp.) On our way again within 30 minutes, and up the really steep final rise, finally passing the overlook I had wanted to stop at for breakfast (see, I hadn't lost my mind after all); a nice spot - something to remember for next time. Another perfect, high sky. Finally the sharp downhill to the Ute Gulch road, and on our way to Aspen Springs and Hidden Valley, on yet another beautiful piece of rebuilt trail. Stopped at Aspen Springs for an extended packs-off water and latrine break, then on to Hidden Valley, cutting left at the Cimarroncito trail intersect. Hidden Valley is one of the prettiest hikes in all Philmont, a green little valley nestled high atop a ridgeline. Increasingly steep as you approach Window Rock, however, with only an occasional view to the left giving you a hint of what's to come. Some of the guys wanted to stop and check out these "mini-views," but I pushed them on to make the real objective (with the previous Philmont trekkers in both crews heartily agreeing!) Very steep uphill the last quarter mile to Window Rock, after my usual stop to warn everyone to drop their packs when we first got there, and not walk up to (and over) the edge of the precipice (it slopes away at a rapidly increasing angle, so an exhausted hiker carrying a backpack can literally sleepwalk him or herself right off the cliff.) Finally turned the corner, and got the expected reaction from the assembled crew - a vista across the eastern plains, with the Tooth of Time ridgeline to the right and Deer Lake Mesa to the left - one of the top five views in all Philmont. Even for crews that have been all over the Ranch (and seen spectacular views everywhere), this is a treat. After the usual sets of mommie shots and crew photos, we gave everyone their release for an half-hour's worth of rock hopping on the pinnacles. Did a little of that myself this year, taking additional close-up photos of the guys high on the rocks. As always, a special place. Sad to think that many crews bag out on this experience (for alternate, much easier trails through Cimarroncito or around Cathedral Rock) after counting the contour lines on their maps. Finally saddled up and headed off for Clark's Fork, our "final" camp. Steep downhill to the bottom of the ridge, then past the Cimarroncito Reservoir, and across the lower plain. Arrived around 10:45, very good time, but we're all pretty beat with the hike - seemed like too many sharp uphills for one day (or maybe we're finally beginning to wear out a little.) Unusually, the place was already pretty busy - but we got invited up onto the porch in short order for the usual orientation meeting (no meadow crashing allowed: Bummer!, showers now open: Great!, all full water bottles in the bear-bags: Dumb!), then led down to our campsites. We got a site on the edge of the forested campsites, opposite the new campfire area, while Crew B was a little further down and more into the trees. Although the weather didn't look particularly threatening, we went ahead and set up the tarps, and hung up the last of our still damp, semi-clean stuff from Harlan. Did another abbreviated meal for lunch, still saving some items for the Tooth of Time the next day, and Tim and I headed off for the showers (never miss a trick, even with BaseCamp tomorrow!) Even though it had to be short, it was wonderful, and I felt a heck of a lot better. The rest of both crews began arriving just as Tim and I finished, and took the place over as soon as "the Advisor's Minute" was over. I went ahead and washed the clothes I had come over in, warned the guys to keep their showers to a maximum of 5 minutes "and preferably less," and headed back to the site. After hanging up my newly washed stuff, I headed back up to the staff cabin with my sheet music and picks, to solicit one more chance to play guitar. Walked into a serious conversation with the Camp Director (a female from Texas, didn't catch her name), who was filling everyone in on an alleged plan by the Air Force to use Philmont for a two year test-bed for low-altitude bombing simulations by stealth fighter and bomber aircraft - you've got to be kidding me, right? Well, apparently not; the Ranch is one of three alternate sites being seriously considered for the operation, and is considered "ideal." She ended her spiel by soliciting for all of us to write to some Colonel at an Air Force base in (I think) Texas. Well, I ignored all that; I'll write to Congressman Jim Moran instead - or better yet, Congressman Skaggs, since he's an Eagle Scout, still part of Troop 111, and I took his son Will to Philmont in `95. What the hell, I'll write to both of them; can't hurt. After the meeting broke up, I asked everyone if anyone wanted any free fuel (no need to carry it to base camp for nothing), and got a quick yes from a couple of Advisors; we arranged to do a drop at dinnertime. Stupid that I didn't take care of this at Harlan - we didn't need to carry it to Clark's Fork! I finally also got a chance to ask the staff about borrowing a guitar, and was pleased to get a quick yes from one of the staff members, I think his name was Ron. I took a spot on the porch swing, and started in on a few tunes. By this time, most of our guys were up near the staff cabin, getting their boots (and other items) branded, playing horseshoes, or just hanging out and listening to me play. After a bit, freshly arriving crews forced us off the porch, and we shifted over to a tarp near the Chuck Wagon Dinner prep area, and continued playing, with Matt S. in particular pushing me to keep going. Four of our guys showed up to start in on preparing dinner, along with a dozen more from other crews, so we were gaining quite an audience - though I have my doubts as to how willing an audience they were! Finally ended up breaking a string, so I replaced the whole set with the last of the four fresh sets that I carried during the trek as "payments," and kept on going, finishing my usual repertoire. Ron paid me a nice compliment, asking if I'd play a couple of songs at their campfire that night, since only one of their normal musicians was going to be around - of course I said yes. Now, however, I regretted singing so much, cause my voice was raspy from overuse, and getting sore. Called it an afternoon, with grateful thanks to Ron, and headed back to camp to get my eating gear for dinner, the last of our fuel, and also pick up my Ludens Cough Drops - a sure cure for keeping a faltering voice alive (even if they do make you smell like a over-ripe cherry orchard.) Coming back up, Ron startled me by saying that their last muscician had just left for the night, and would I do all the campfire songs that evening? Well, OK, but Holy Cow, huh? - instant butterflies. Did the fuel transfer thing for Crew A; Rick wanted to hang onto Crew B's fuel, since he and Chris were going to need it for their extra stay in Colorado. Dinner was finally served (on time this year), and was excellent as usual - all-you-could-eat beef stew (the real stuff, not "Stew with Beef") and crackers and cookies, too, for those who wanted them. We all ate three or even four servings, each. They even had a KP setup afterwards, saving everyone from having to do it back at their sites with cold water. We all returned to our site and did tent setup and another partial camp breakdown to help speed us on our way tomorrow morning (another oh-dark-thirty wakeup call.) Got the bear-bags back up for the night, put all our empty water bottles in the fire pit, and headed back to the staff cabin for the campfire program. I was relieved to find out from Ron that the missing musicians had all unexpectedly returned, so I was off the hook for having to do the entire song program; however, they wanted me to still do the two songs I had originally planned, right after the "gunfight" skit. Works for me. The campfire was still "no campfire," and was held right in front of the staff cabin (instead of either one of the campfire circles), with the staff hanging out on the porch to watch the show, and wait their turns. Somewhat disappointedly, only about half the camp showed up; again, they don't know what they're missing here! After an opening speech by the Camp Director lauding the wonders of Texas, we started off with a great fiddle solo by one of the wranglers, followed by the gunfight skit (which I think I got a perfect picture of, just at the firing point.) I finally got up, and after leading cheers for Virginia versus Texas (there were 4 Virginia Crews there, but only a few people from Texas, so we won hands down on that one), I did "Ghost Riders" and "Country Roads," with Matt S. and Rusty holding the sheet music for me and acting as accompaniment. Thankfully, I got some assistance from my guys at least, and some singing from the rest of the audience also. I think it went over pretty well, but then again I'm pretty biased, too! This was followed by four more songs by the staff, including two great ones: "Always Marry an Ugly Girl" (which I've just got to find!), and another long song (missed the name), that was basically a black comedy about a Mexican talking to the man he had falsely accused of his brother's murder (when in fact he had done it himself because his mother always loved his brother more.) Both very well done and very funny. We also got a couple of poems tossed in there as well. They ended the night with some of the standard comments about "not missing Philmont" (a bit late for most of the crews there, since they were all heading in the next morning), and another warning about bear security (basically a repeat of the orientation lecture that they would be coming around to check, and would wake you up if there were problems.) Afterwards, Matt S. and Chris W. insisted that I play Georgetown for them, and Ron was gracious enough to let me borrow his guitar one last time; I gave it the farewell effort, "with feeling." I gave him my sincere thanks for all the hospitality he had shown me that day, and we took our leave. After a brief stop to suck down another liter of water, we all headed back to the site for the night, and some final packing. Bedtime around 10:00 - still very pleasant and warm, but hard to fall asleep in the tent now - I'm used to sleeping outside since Santa Claus. I finally drifted off around 11:00; another great day... Unfortunately, that wasn't it for the night, as two or three staff guys came through around 11:30 or so, talking and laughing, on their way to wake up one of the crews at the lower end of the camp who had blown off their bear security. Tim wasn't thrilled with being woken up (nor was I), and asked them to shut up as they passed our tent. They did, but five minutes later we heard the most horrendous, amplified "enraged bear growling" imaginable, plus these two or three guys yelling and screaming for all they were worth. Well, that woke up half the camp (and doubtless terrified many Scouts and Advisors who didn't know what was going on); I hope the crew that caused all this had a good two or three hours correcting all their deficiencies in the middle of the night. Well, they can't say they weren't warned (twice!), and that's a fact; too bad the rest of us had to pay for it, too. It took me at least another hour to fall back asleep. Certainly a strange way to end your last night on the trail!