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The night was pleasant. We got up at 6 am, had a non-cook breakfast, and got out of camp by 8. We hiked up to Ute Gulch Commissary (7910 ft.) to pick up our food for the next few days.
The sky was cloudless all morning; really a beautiful day.
The trail up through Grouse and Sawmill canyons was very pretty. The canyon walls are steep and we got to cross the stream at least six times. We hiked through a string of meadows full of wildflowers. It's a lovely place to be. And the aroma of the ponderosa pines was strong. (The smell of the pine forests is one of my fond memories of Philmont.)
Something interesting this year is the abundance of fungi. The wet weather has really brought them out. There are lots of large, colorful mushrooms. There is one type, in particular, that looks like something carved from wood and painted that you'd buy at a kitchy tourist souvenir shop. It's round and red, with white spots.
The streams are running very high, and some of the crossings are pretty tricky.
The hike up to Sawmill (9200 ft) was strenuous, but we did have some awfully nice views. The view down the valley from the front porch of Sawmill Camp is awesome. You can see all the way to the flatlands to the east.
The altitude is getting to me, I'm afraid. I'm worrying about tomorrow's hike up Mt. Phillips. It will be longer, steeper and higher than today. My stomach is bothering me and I have a splitting headache. It took some ibuprophen and drank a bunch of water, but so far it hasn't helped.
After setting up camp we went to do the program. We loaded 30-06 shells, then went to do some shooting. I hit my bandana, which I had laid out on a rock, on my first shot. It left several holes, one where the bullet went thru the first time, then several from fragments of rock (or bullet?).
I felt pretty badly by dinner time; the whole altitude thing: headache, nausea, fatigue. On top of that I was chilled and just couldn't get warm. A warm dinner helped the chills, but I had trouble eating very much. I went to bed early, skipping the advisors' coffee.
We all carried a huge amount of food (yum) to Sawmill today. I found it not easy. Getting ready for the big bad hike up to Mt.Phillips. (MMW)
All of the *ahem* conditioning *ahem* paid off today. Lots of weight, a moderate hike.
Phillips should be fun. (EP)
A tough hike today, but we did it well. Tomorrow is the big challenge. I hope it doesn't rain.
Very long hike today, tomorrow will be hell. We're tired. It will be worse tomorrow. (MD)
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