Yelling From The Mountaintop

Day 6 (6/1)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:54:49 -0600

Its not a secret that Baldy Town is the best place on the ranch. Sometimes, however, other staffs forget this and it becomes necessary to assert our dominance. Today we did so in the field of money counting. It was the stuff of a Sly Stallone movie. My eyes went into focus, “Thunderstruck” played on the soundtrack, and I counted ones and fives until victory went to the Baldy Town team. Our reward? The fealty of other camps and pizza for the entire staff.

CPR certification came next, complete with the campy video. I really don’t understand, why is it so difficult to make a training video that doesn’t suck?

We then went on a tour of the Aztec Mill, the tallest building in Cimarron history. Its an interesting museum, but just kinda a collection of old junk. The most interesting thing I found in the museum was the old phonograph. While generally unimpressive, I was able to find the song and listen to it. The record was “Ain’t That Marvelous” by Ben Bernie and his Orchestra.

Fun Fact: Ben Bernie coined the term “Yowza!”. You’re welcome.

We ended the day at the Cimarron Art Gallery. The selection of products is less than stellar, but they do have an old-timey soda fountain. It’s a staple of any crew’s Philmont experience, but it’s definitely worth a trip.

I hope you're not creeped out by my liking every single one of your journal updates, It's just that I miss the place so much. And you're totally right, Philmont totally makes a man out of you.I'm determined to make it back and do a Rayodo trek in the next two years.

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:09:11 -0600

Absolutely not!! I appreciate knowing that someone out there is actually reading these. If there’s more of a certain kind of content and less of another, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Who are you? Names, nationalities, and virtually any other socially-defined attributes do not count. Deep down, who are you?

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:07:25 -0600

This is a good question, anon. It’s hard to tell without social attributes. That’s one thing I’m working hard to figure out this summer. The silent trails, the bubbling brooks and the windy mountain tops help clean your head more than you think. Ask me again at the end of the summer, I’ll have more of a clear answer for you.

Day 5 (5/31)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:57:06 -0600

Staff training not usually a fun event. When you’re learning the interesting things you have to do for the back country, however, its worth paying attention to. Today, we learned 4 different skills.

1. Food Preperation

One of the cool things about working in the back country is the fact that we get to cook all of our meals. It will be like making food for a big extended family of around 10 people. In order to make sure no one gets anything like ghiardia or staph or any other food-born illness we had to learn how to you know…not do that. So wash your hands. Gonna have to start doing that. No smoking during food prep. Gonna have to stop that. As Chris (my coworker) put it, we can’t have Marlboro Mashed Potatoes. So many rules.

(Pictured: what we fly instead of our health inspection grade)

2. Leave No Trace

Not worth talking about. Boring. So here’s a picture of what happens if any camper lights a fire this summer.

3. Radio Training

This was pretty incredible, really. With the radio set up as it is, we can transmit information, vehicles, and first aid all across the ranch exceptionally fast. We also got to hear about two staffers who worked at two different camps who apparently flirted pretty heavily to the point where when they went in to Cimarron, people knew who they were and used their pet names. Filed under: glad it wasn’t me.

4. Firefighting

Since Philmont is a tinderbox, we are under constant threat of a wildfire that would ravage all 200+ thousand acres of land we have here at Philmont. This is obviously stressful and requires being

having

with

and being

or basically. There are technical details, but I feel like this teaches it much more effectively.

After lunch I went to the mailroom and got my first letters of the season. I love getting letters so much. Maybe because you have to actually sit down to write it, its more than a passing interest, it costs money, or just its the person who wrote it to you’s actual hand, but it makes me really excited to receive one. or two.

yeah. the mailroom lady (Peaches) made fun of me and gave me advice for that one.

We then got to look through our program box. This is an interesting experience because it’s a mix of important stuff and inside jokes from past years that, taken out of context, make absolutely no sense. For example. We had a pair of actual handcuffs (no safety release) and a toy firehelmet. In addition, we had 35 books, 17 decks of cards and 14 coloring books. I am so pumped to be in the ranks of the people who make program boxes like this.

That night, we had a delicious meal, which was then followed by an intense tournament of foosball that I emerged victorious from.

This was followed by Mulan which was made better by the entirety of the audience singing “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” which was made even better by the fact that THAT is what Philmont does.

I ended the night with a rousing game of Uno. It turns out that games ruins friendships. Totally worth it.

Day 4 (5/30)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 11:58:21 -0600

Today was a lazy day, but that doesn’t mean it was empty. After breakfast, I brought my laptop and music to the porch of the Sack and just relaxed. If theres anything more peaceful than a New Mexican morning, I don’t know of it. I got to write up the past few journal entries, before I went to go give blood.

I wish I could say the motivation to give blood comes from some higher obligation to my fellow man, but it simply comes from this. They tell you that every time you give blood, you save three lives, right? That means that by NOT giving blood, you are allowing 3 people to die due to your inaction. I can’t have that on my conscience. So, there I was. Sitting in an improvised blood drive, getting blood drawn and chowing down on snacks.

(Pictured: the only higher calling I *really* respond to)

After giving blood, I spent a solid few hours playing Egyptian Rat Screw and BS, both of which I’m awful at. After solidly bruising my coworkers’ egos, we went to lunch and then backcountry trading post training. After that, back to the sack to play some foosball and cards and pool because #yolo.

After dinner, I got to watch yet another campy training video. This one was called “Fish”, which was a video about a place called Pike Place, a fish market in Seattle where they throw fish. Forget the Foster’s Home of the Thrown Roll, these guys throw frozen fish at each other and customers. I…don’t know what exactly what we were supposed to gain from it, but it was entertaining, nonetheless.

And now, as I sit here on the porch, in a rocking chair, looking out in to the hills and valleys, I know more than ever I want to cut this cord, to go live on a mountain, and get away. Thank you for reading.

Day 3 (5/29)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:00:08 -0600

When I woke up this morning, I was delighted by how warm the sun had made my tent. It was a little shocking, as it had only been up for about an hour. This pleasant realization, however, was tempered by the realization that its about 20 degrees colder on the top of the giant mountain I’ll be living at this summer.

(Pictured: Me in about 2 weeks)

After breakfast we went to something I’m always down for: A library stocked with old books. The Seton Memorial Museum is usually a footnote to most Philmont experiences, but today it was the main event. Most every camp in Philmont is steeped in western history of the miners, prospectors, Native Americans, and trappers that came before this place was ever dedicated to scouts. Baldy Town (the camp within Philmont that I’ll be working at) used to be a mining town, so we had to research its history.

I won’t bore you with the details, but basically it was a mining town that couldn’t get itself together and fell apart 5 seperate times from 1868 - 1940.

Points of interest:

When the gold started running out in the mines, Baldy became so lawless New Mexico sent out Federal Cavalry to keep the peace.

The total profits of the mine from 1868 - 1940 were around $4 million, and total expenses were also around $4 million.

And…thats about it. So, not one to waste time in a library, I learned a variety of other things.

1. How to sword fight using a) a rapier; b) a dagger; c) a sword; and d) two-handed sword.

2. Games advertised by the first scouting handbook are literally all lawsuits waiting to happen.

3. Miss America wrote a dating advice column in Boys Life in 1967 that gave out pearls of wisdom including, but not limited to such gems as: “girls don’t want to go steady, don’t make them” “assume you’re not going steady unless the girl has told you explicitly” “make sure to call their parents 4 days before the date and tell the parents a step-by-step schedule of your date”.

After what I consider to be a sucessful morning in the library, we toured the illustrious Villa Philmonte.

Donated by Waite Phillips (The benefactor and namesake of Philmont and former part owner of Phillips 66), it was his summer home and contains all the trappings of old money. A fountain room, 7 head shower, stained glass, and a 15th-century chest carved out of a solid piece of cherry wood used for….firewood. Its definitely worth a tour, if you’re ever in the area and want to be reminded about how great capitalism is.

Following lunch was the first and only staffwide meeting on the lawn of the Villa. Pretty uneventful, met some cool people, but a whole lot of get-to-know-you games. It occurred to me that the only bonding people ever do over get-to-know-you is talking about how lame the games are.

More training, which basically consisted of me ignoring it to talk to a guy named Charlie Lee and a girl named Rachel.

The night was uneventful, until the end. We had a regular country hoedown, complete with bluegrass band. It was delightfully redneck, and I enjoyed myself .

Day 3 (5/28)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:57:43 -0600

Waking up bright and early twice in a row! 7:00 AM to get ready for the day and have a delicious breakfast. Loyola, take note. Even camp staff food is better than an good day at Lake Shore Dining. We leave for a meeting of “Scouting’s Aims and Methods” lecture given by the number 2 out here, Mark Anderson. The meeting itself was rather dry, but there were some highlights. For starters, Mark had quite a few amusing and heartfelt anecdotes to share with us, a few sound words of advice, and some cautionary tales about how not to get fired. The star of the show was a beautiful work-training film from the 90’s, titled “Ripples”. It’s a delightful film about how if you’re nice to customers you’ll get the girl, and if you’re mean, you’ll get a parking ticket. Seriously. That’s the entire crux of this video. The video examines how these two loan officers were up for a promotion for the same job. Lance Landers (BOOOOOO.) was a mean loan officer who wouldn’t give a guy a loan just cause it wouldn’t be profitable. The good guy’s name was less memorable, but he had exceptional customer service. The guy Lance had screwed over goes on to screw over the next person he works with, and so on. (RIPPLES) The guy the good guy helped went on to help other people. (RIPPLES). It was the campiest video ever, but it was made better by a Rocky Horror Picture Show-esque booing and cheering at the film.

After that quality piece of cinema, we went and got lunch, then headed to Comissary Training, because Baldy Town has a comissary. Pretty uneventful, except for this

Seems docile enough, doesn’t it? It sure does, up until you realize that it’s so pasteurized that it doesn’t need to be refridgerated and has an unfridgerated shelf life of AN ENTIRE YEAR. Those of you who know me, know that I am firmly against anything “organic” because I love my salts and preservatives as much as the next god-fearing, red-blooded American. I do think, however, that maybe bastardizing milk to the point that it doesn’t need to be refridgerated for an entire year is a step too far. WHAT EVIL HATH SCIENCE WROUGHT?

After drinking what I can only assume comes from a farm owned by Viktor Frankenstein, we as a staff eat dinner. Then I come to the SAC and play a good game of BS (Always the lowest common denominator for card games, nationwide.) and then some pictionary because…#yolo? Am I using that correctly? Then, we had some mocktails (because Philmont is hardcore like that), watched some Archer with the staff, and then went to bed, ready for the next day.

Day 1 (5/27)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:53:39 -0600

Sleep on a train is never a good thing, but it allowed me to catch the sunrise from the observation car. As the sun rose higher in the sky, I could see the mountains rapidly approaching in the distance. I knew I was almost there.

When we got to Philmont, we experienced a phenomenon known affectionately at base camp as “Hurry-Up-and-wait”. You walk at a brisk pace unknown in civilization, arrive 10 minutes early, and wait for 15 minutes after your appointment to be served. Registering went off without a hitch, got the beautiful Philmont Staff Polo, and a stunner Philmont Staff Hat. Basically, I look really official.

At this point, its been about a solid 36 hours since my last smoke, and I’m needing it a bit so I walk over to the smokers table, about 6 miles away from the rest of camp. Say what you will about this addiction, its dirty, it takes years off your life, etc., but it sure helps when meeting people. In one smoke, I met 5 people, got their numbers, and made plans to go to Cimarron before I leave for Baldy. I shake their hands, and go to meet my friends from the train for dinner.

After dinner, we meet our CD, Regina Engle, and my coworkers. David, from West Virginia; Chris, from Virginia; Brooke, from Chicago; and Amanda, from Virgina. We’re currently missing two, but I’m enthusiastic about the staff. Everyone seems like the great mix of relaxed but hard working employees that I thrive when surrounded by.

That night, I went to the Silver Sage Staff Activities Center (Called by personnel who work there S^3AC, by all other staff, the Sack). Its a cool place, with a pool table, ping pong table, and a couple foosball tables. Everyone meets there, and you can play cards with a mix of rangers, backcountry, dining hall or anyone else and probably never see them again.

That night, as my head hit the pillow, I reflected on my first day at Philmont. I eagerly rushed to sleep, wanting to be one day closer to being in the back country.

Day 0 (5/26)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:34:24 -0600

Every great adventurer, fictional or factual, has ventured in search of their paradise. The allure of the garden of eden, or heaven, or utopia has lit a fire in their bellies that civilization was unable to extinguish. How much time they could have saved if they had known about Philmont. The purple, majestic mountains, the desert, the meadows, the forests, the stars… everything that makes a paradise, Philmont has.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where I’m spending my summer.

I left sweaty, 75% humidity Missouri around 4:30. The sun was high in the sky and I was sweating like a politician on a lie detector. After my mom took an unnecessary amount of pictures, I boarded the train. It was an uneventful, but pretty ride. I’d recommend the River Runner train offered by Amtrak.

I got off at Kansas City, and within the hour I caught the train to Raton, New Mexico. This is when the ride got fun. I met 9 fellow staffers on the train out there and we became fast friends. Identifying each other only by our uniforms we met and talked about things like old friends. That, without sounding too hokey, is the magic of Philmont. You can’t understand what it possibly means unless you’ve been there, you hiked and sweated and thought you were gonna break down and experienced the victory and defeat that Philmont gives you.

6 MORE HOURS!

the-notorious-z-m-b — Sat, 26 May 2012 09:51:53 -0600

6 hours until I leave for the greatest place on earth

‘

Everyone in Kirkwood, I’m sorry I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye. Being grounded will do that to you. I do hope everyone has an amazing summer, and keeps in touch with me.

If you’d like to send me letters, they would be much appreciated.
Care packages, love letters, gifts and baubles of all types can be addressed to:

Zach Brand (Baldy Town)
47 Caballo Road

Cimarron, NM 87714

Any letters will be responded to in any dialect you would like. The default is that of a Civil War soldier.

Anyone perusing the Philmont tag, if you’re gonna be there as either a participant or staffer make sure to let me know!

reverantfool ha iniziato a seguirti

the-notorious-z-m-b — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:59:15 -0600

reverantfool ha iniziato a seguirti

Less than a week left!

the-notorious-z-m-b — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:50:02 -0600

Sorry it’s been a while since I posted last, I’ve been getting my house in order to get ready to go to Philmont.

BUT. 6 days until this blog goes live for real. Be looking for once a day posts after the first weeks or so.

If you have any questions about Philmont, or suggestions for what I should do while I’m at Baldy Town, don’t hesitate!

scout-things: [submitted by reclamation]

the-notorious-z-m-b — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:05:28 -0600

scout-things:

[submitted by reclamation]

southerngirlsguidetolife: 50 days

the-notorious-z-m-b — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:05:23 -0600

southerngirlsguidetolife:

50 days

southerngirlsguidetolife: 51 days

the-notorious-z-m-b — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:40:43 -0600

southerngirlsguidetolife:

51 days

cm2dude: Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien...

the-notorious-z-m-b — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:00:27 -0600

cm2dude:

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien Beaubien

itshardtoquarrelwithamelody started following you

the-notorious-z-m-b — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 21:33:44 -0600

itshardtoquarrelwithamelody started following you

It's the Philmont Countdown (Duhdundundun....duhduhduhduhduh)

the-notorious-z-m-b — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:02:45 -0600

It is 49 days, 23 hours, 6 minutes, 19 seconds
until Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 12:00:00 Noon (Chicago time)

^When I leave for Philmont.

Thats:

71941minutes

4316454

seconds

GET EXCITED.

Photo

the-notorious-z-m-b — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:25:19 -0600

wise man on the mountain

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:16:54 -0600

hi wise man on the mountain. I was wondering if you could answer: what is the most inspiring thing you have seen in the sangre de cristos?