Expedition group 714 E2 deplaned in Albuquerque, NM on the morning of 11 July, 2009: eight people, 4 adult advisers and 4 Venture scouts. For four members of the group this would be their first visit to the vast BSA wilderness ranch known as Philmont, located in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of Northern New Mexico. For all it would be a life altering adventure, testing their limits; physical as well as mental. They experienced nature in many of it's vagueries, and saw the best of human behavior.

A mountainous adventure that would start at an elevation of around 6,500 feet above sea level and include a climb, midway through their trek, to over 11,000 ft. asl would require some high altitude acclimatization. The air becomes quite thin as you rise in elevation which means there is less oxygen available to fuel your muscles. For that reason the group will spend three days getting accustomed to altitude by spending a day in Albuquerque (5,312 ft (1,619.1 m)) and moving north to Taos (6,969 ft (2,124 m)) for two days, filling their time taking in some wondrous sights along the way, to wit: Sandia peak, white water rafting the Rio Grande, visiting the Taos Pueblo, mountain biking, 13 miles, along the Rio Grande Gorge, and sure to include a meal at Blake's Lot-a-burger, Five star burger, and always Michael's Kitchen cafe and bakery in Taos. A trip to WalMart was necessary so that a certain adult member of the group could buy a camera, since he'd forgotten his. The last visit before Philmont: Angel Fire's Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park.

If your interest is peaked, stop back, as I detail our trip/trek.