Basking Ridge Troop Backpacks 70 Miles Through New Mexico Wilderness

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A crew of 7 Boy Scouts and 4 leaders from Troop 351 of Basking Ridge went on the trip of a lifetime this July, embarking on an 11-day backpacking trek through the mountains of New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch, which included hiking to the 11,700 foot summit of Mt. Phillips.

Philmont covers 214 square miles, a vast expanse of wilderness, where Troop 351 hiked approximately 70 miles over the course of 11 days at elevations ranging from 6,500 feet to 11,700 feet.

The Scouts and their leaders hiked from camp to camp, carrying on their backs all of their required supplies (clothes, tents, cooking gear, food, water), weighing 40 to 50 pounds. Though hiking through bear territory and often inclement weather, the Scouts participated in backcountry activities at their stops, including rock climbing, rappelling, horseback riding and shooting events, and visited historical backcountry cabins.

The Scouts started preparing for their adventure over a year before going, with periodic "shakedown" hikes to test out their gear and their skills to see where improvement was needed. Troop 351 returned home safely from New Mexico on July 12 with no major injuries, but plenty of great memories.

- By John Maloney Assistant Scoutmaster Boy Scout Troop 351, Basking Ridge

Photo by John Maloney: Picture taken at the summit of Mt. Phillips (11,700 ft. elevation). Pictured from left - (front row) Andrew Ingling, Jack Maloney, Jason Quinn, Kruthik Ravishankar, Ravishankar Dharmalingam and Nicholas Casey. (back row) Michael Ingling, Tim Ingling, Hans Iselborn, Jai Loonker and CP Loonker.

Have a news tip? Email [email protected].