By Dhaeshna and Siyona
On October 19th, we went on a 5 mile navigation, consisting of two groups, the navigation group and the Philmont group. We started the hike with some stretches, warming up our muscles, and quickly revised or learn how to use a compass. After hiking about 0.6 miles, we split ways, Philmont scouts going ahead because their main goal was to get used to the backpacking gear they needed to carry. While hiking we were required to count our steps, trying to figure out how far we walked, with only the number of our paces. We spent some time on trying to figure out the length of a “river”, but after a few tries everyone got how to calculate it. We definitely did more hiking that we needed too, as we went the wrong way a couple times. Overall I think this was a great hike, with a few steep hills and even a nice view at the top of one!
During the hike, the Philmont scouts practiced their compass and navigation skills while carrying their backpacks. They put around 20 pounds of weight in their bags to get ready for future backpacking trips. Along the way, we took bearings of trail markers like the newer scouts did. The trail was flat, making it easy to hike. Around halfway through the hike, we stopped under a tree to make and eat some snacks. Three scouts who were working on the Cooking Merit Badge made everyone snacks like pita and hummus, rice cakes and guac, and nutella tortilla rolls. After this break, we got back on the trail and walked further. Once we got near the visitor’s center, we actually noticed that we had completely skipped the steep part of the hike where we climb up a hill. Instead of going back, we continued back to the parking lot since we had already called the parents to pick us up. Despite these small hiccups, this hike was really fun and everyone had a great time!
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