Philmont Trek 803-I 1997

Part of Troop 104's 1997 Philmont Trek

August 14, Day 12
Back to Base Camp via Tooth Ridge

Today started very early for crew 803-I. We wanted to be at the top of Shaefer's Peak for sunrise. We'd been told that it is a 2+ hour hike from Upper Clark's Fork to Shaefer's Peak, so after adding some fudge room, we decided that we should leave at 2:30 am. Most of us slept underneath the equipment fly to speed our morning getaway. Don and Bob chose to sleep outside (it was a bit funky under the fly). I was on one end of the fly, and not sleeping well, edged out so I could watch the stars. Even with a three-quarter moon in the sky, they were beautiful, and I saw several impressive meteors.

1:30 am came early. We got up reasonably quietly, I think, and were out of camp at 2:30.

Peter led the group up the hill, keeping a respectable pace on the hike up to Shaefer's Pass Camp. We had one moment of consternation when we arrived at Ponderosa Park Camp. There is no "Ponderosa Park Camp" on our more detailed but older Central Philmont map. We were afraid that we'd missed a turn and ended up at Ponderosa Camp, which is on the northern flank of the Tooth Ridge. But the hike had been too short and steep for that.

A check of our newer overall ("intended as a souvenir, only") Philmont map showed that we were on the correct path. Ponderosa Park is a new camp on the route up to Shaefer's Pass.

The hike up was steep and dark, but we did it, and reached the top of Shaefer's Peak (9414 ft) at 5, well ahead of schedule. There was a cold wind blowing, so we put on our warm pants and wrapped up in our sleeping bags until sunrise at a little after 6. We had a cold breakfast while we waited. We were joined by one other crew, and we all watched the sunrise quietly. It was quite a sight.

After sunrise, we continued along the ridge to the Tooth of Time. There was a cloud layer and a cool breeze, so the hiking conditions were pleasant. The trail is pretty deadly, though, just full of loose rocks that break up the gait and threaten to turn an ankle. Many steep sections are full of loose gravel, broken from the underlying rock, and are extremely slippery.

We reached the Tooth and most of us climbed the 800 feet to the top (9003 ft). The view there is unsurpassed, and well worth the very steep climb, much of which is over jumbled sharp rocks that have flaked off the igneous dike that formed the Tooth Ridge. [The Tooth is several hundred feet lower than Shaefer's Peak, but it presents a 360° unobstructed view.]

We found a crew at the top that had climbed up with their packs in the dark. Utter foolishness. I don't think that they had an advisor with them.

Jasper's camera had broken sometime yesterday, and Dustin has been working hard to get it fixed. I'm not sure what was wrong with it, but every time we stopped Dustin had the camera out and was playing with it. Sometime around the Tooth of Time, he finally got it back together. It looks like Jasper will get a few last pictures, after all.

As we left the Tooth for the hike to base camp, the sky cleared, and the remainder of the day was quite warm. There is little shelter from the sun, and we were happy to see the "You Made It" gate. Pictures were taken.

Back in base camp (6700 ft) [Note: up 1100 feet and down 2300 feet in one day, not including 800 feet up and down the Tooth!], we went through the "homebound" routine, retrieving stuff from our crew lockers, checking in our equipment (the missing items cost us $13), moving in to our tents, taking showers! After that, things were pretty laid back. We made good use of the snack bar, but the Trading Post was pretty well picked clean.

While in the backcountry, we had been hearing rumors about a train wreck involving the Southwestern Chief. It was variously reported to have happened in Arizona and Ratón, NM. Many or no people were killed. The main common thread was that there were several Boy Scout crews on board on the way to Philmont, and they had taken charge and gotten the mess all cleaned up before rescue people arrived. We were unsure whether we'd be able to take the train home. Back at base camp, we got the real story. There was, in fact, a derailment of the eastbound Southwestern Chief near Kingman, AZ. There were injuries, but no deaths. There were Philmont-bound crews aboard in their Class A's who helped deal with the wounded and disoriented. They were probably the only ones with flashlights. The local press made a big deal of it, and followed the crews to Philmont and interviewed them. The trains are running again.

The closing campfire was quite entertaining. They've obviously got it down pat. The general theme was a takeoff of a late night talk show, with a ranger, a crew chief, and an advisor as guests. It was hilarious.

They called the crew chiefs up to present the arrowhead awards. Joel presented me with the crew flag that we carried on the trek. I will treasure it.


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