2002 PHILMONT FIRE INFORMATION
The Complete Guide to Philmont Home Page
Philmont North Country was opened on a limited basis to crews leaving Base Camp on July 13! While not all of Philmont is expected to open this summer, more areas will become available based on hiring of personnel, seeding of burned areas, rainfall, rebuilding of latrines, and structurally sound bear cables.
Click here for Philmont burn pictures and other fire information on Selden's page.
Click here to read about the fires in the The Sangre de Cristo Chronicle. Article was published October 3, 2002, and includes an interview with Mark Anderson.
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To help restore Philmont to its full grandeur, please consider a donation
to the PSA - Fire Restoration Fund. For details go to:http://www.philstaff.com/2002fires.html
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***************************************************************** FIRES AT PHILMONT *****
July 16, 2002
Here is some information I just received from a Philmont Conservation Crew:
[Original message edited for brevity]
As for the bridge at Fish Camp everything went spectacularly and we finished on time. It is a 40 foot two-stringer bridge complete with dovetails and handrails. All the while not using power tools or any metal (ie. nails, bolts, etc.). We were quite proud of ourselves and hopefully the bridge will last for many Troop 764er's and other scouts to walk across.
As for the information you requested, the North Country was reopened to staff and participants on the 13th of July. Not all parts are open, as the burned areas remain closed to participants. Recently I found out that Ponil was flooded due to heavy rains without sufficient soakage into the ground because of the burned vegetation. No personal gear was lost, only Phil-gear, including a couple of bridges my department had put up only a few days before. The frequent thunderstorms have caused severe erosion problems in many areas. Many 10-70s are being reported (fires), but luckily many have ended up in false sightings.
A couple interesting things to note, just the other day a bear was captured at Beaubien as it was constantly entering campsites. Also there have been some trespassers on Philmont property that have cut the locks on the gates to drive into the Philmont backcountry.
We will be going into the North Country and hiking around. I am not sure yet whether we will be doing any work related to the forest fires, but I will be sure to update you when I return.
[End of Cons message]
June, 2002
We are aware that many people are somewhat anxious (nervous?) about the changes at Philmont this summer. You can rest assured that the logistics staff has been working overtime assigning new itineraries to those who had been scheduled in the Valle Vidal and North Country. Also, some of the South and Central itineraries have been slightly modified to accommodate the additional load there. The switched itineraries included some existing itineraries and some that have been created to accommodate the situation this year and, to the best of their ability, all treks mimic the difficulty and program mix of the original itinerary.
A few points:
1. Every crew will have a "sister" crew this summer -- use this as an opportunity to make new friends
2. Staff from the Valle Vidal & North Country have been moved to the camps in the South and Central countries -- this should prevent problems with "overcrowding" in programs
3. Water is extremely scarce--springs that normally run until August never started
4. Detail maps for South and Central countries were still in short supply although more are reportedly being deliverd very soon. Just in case, all crews should remember to bring their wall map they received.
The following is recommended:
1. Don't call logistics or Philmont with questions about your itinerary -- they are really busy now and things may change before you arrive anyway
2. Have confidence that Philmont will work diligently and successfully to make everyone's trek a success
3. Tell your crew members that this is an act of nature and you have to be flexible and roll with the punches
4. Prepare for lack of water and to have to carry water long distances (everyone should carry at least 3 quarts of water and you should have bladders/milk jugs, etc. to carry water)
5. your "new" itinerary may have a long day in it
6. Philmont is closely monitoring the fire situation and will take necessary steps to insure the safety of trek participants and the staff if conditions change
7. Just plan to enjoy yourself and have fun -- it will work.
-abridged by Rice Brewer from an on-site report from Sid Covington, Tour Director, Capitol Area Council Philmont Contingent 2001-2003
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