The
Scoutmaster’s Perspective on Philmont
Mr. Gregg Bialk September, 2003
I am in my 13th year of Scouting leadership and if I had to boil
Scouts down to two distinct qualities that is built into our young men,
it would be PREPAREDNESS and ADVENTURE. Preparedness encompasses all
aspects of life. Not just preparing for physical needs, but for
spiritual needs as well. It is in our nature as men to be able to
provide to our loved ones, even when it is not convenient to do so. When
challenged, we want to be prepared to meet that challenge. Jesus taught
us to be prepared physically and spiritually in his parables and Solomon
taught us in the Proverbs. The “unprepared one” is referred to as a
sluggard and ends up poor and destitute. God blesses PREPAREDNESS.
ADVENTURE is in the heart of every young man and most of us older men
as well. We love to explore, experience the unknown, challenge ourselves
and others and have fun.
These two aspects, PREPAREDNESS and ADVENTURE, are intertwined
throughout all of Scouting. I ask the boys in almost every Scoutmaster
Conference, “What is your favorite part about Scouting”? The answer 99
times out of 100 is the trips…or in other words, our adventures.
Every two years, our Troop prepares for the ultimate Scouting
adventure, Philmont! Some of these young men, who were once challenged
as Cub Scouts to build a jewelry box for Mom made out of popsicle
sticks, now prepare themselves for putting on a 45 pound backpack to
hike nearly 100 miles through all kinds of mountainous terrain depending
only on their faith in God, their training and their crew for survival.
Not only did we hike, but we climbed mountains named Baldy and Tooth
of Time, walked through the Hidden Valley. We rappelled down cliffs,
sparred poles, shot black powder and shotguns, threw hatchets, read
Anastasi Indian writing, raced burros, learned how to outsmart bears and
mini bears. We played mountain ball and Pond Scum. We read maps and
listened to the Pueblano Boys pick their guitars and banjos around the
campfire under the stars. Our food came from packages and our water came
from streams. We learned to endure each other after 9 days without a
shower. We saw double rainbows, the tops of the clouds and the bottom of
the Milky Way. We saw the glory of God’s creation as he intended us to
see it.
No one can adequately describe what we or anyone else saw and
experienced. All we can recommend to you Scouts is that you need to
experience Philmont yourself and it will be part of you forever. The
Philmont Hymn attempts to describe this Scouting mecca.
The Philmont Hymn
Silver on the sage
Star-lit skies above
Aspen
covered hills
Country that I love.
Philmont, here's to thee Scouting
Paradise Out in God's country – tonight
Wind in wisp'ring pines
Eagles soaring high
Purple mountains rise
Against an azure sky
Philmont, here's to thee Scouting Paradise Out in
God's country – tonight
View the slides here on our Troop 276 Website. It will give you a
small peek into our experience in 2003. Your experience is waiting for
you in 2005.
