Friday, July 3rd, 1998.

Pueblano to Ponil; Gymkhana and back to headquarters the Cavalcade ends.

I actually slept pretty well. It occurred to me that I might be getting accustomed to sleeping on the ground after almost a week of doing so and that I'd have no further difficulties. Alas, I'd have no further opportunities either.

We had breakfast and breaking camp down to a science by now and Andrew has us working very efficiently. I'd like to think that this was due largely to our familiarity with the routine, but I suspect that knowing that the trip was almost over also enhanced our performance. The boys were pretty pumped up about the opportunity they would have this afternoon to ride their horses at a much faster pace than they had thus far.

Jeremy did not approve of the job we did in arranging our gear and equipment on Panda and he helped us redo it. Then he discovered that another group had taken his water bottle and he rode off to retrieve it. He returned about fifteen minutes later, his mission completed successfully. Even with these delays, we mounted up and rode out of Pueblano pretty much on schedule.

We took a different route back to Ponil than the one we used the first day. Instead of following the dirt road, we used a trail through the woods. This was a lot more scenic and far less dusty. Knowing that this would be our last day with our horses, I think we all tried to savor every moment.

The five mile ride went quickly and we found ourselves back in the Ponil Corral by 10:30 a.m. We unloaded Panda and Sandia for the last time, turned in our camping and cooking gear and removed our saddle bags from our horses but did not take off the saddles or feed them. After all, we'd be riding them one last time in the Gymkhana which was scheduled to get started at 1:00 p.m.

We had about two hours to eat lunch and relax before the Gymkhana. We polished off our last meal of spreadables and gathered up all of the extra hot chocolate packets and various other items to "donate" to the bin outside the Ponil Cantina. Several of us kept a few Pemican bars as reminders of what we'd been willing to eat while in the back country-few of us would agree to eat that stuff for money back in civilization.

After lunch, we wandered around for an hour or so. Most of us headed over to the branding area to have belts, wallets, boots and even felt expedition hats imprinted with the Philmont horse brand-a squiggly line next to an "S". The branding irons were all heated by gas and became red hot within minutes. Something of a departure, I'm sure, from the traditional method, but equally effective. The young woman in charge of the operation emphasized that we should not use an iron that was too hot. The idea was to dissipate some of the heat on a wood block before slapping the iron on leather.

I elected to brand my scout belt. I followed directions but kept the iron on the belt a few seconds too long, resulting in a brand that was a bit deeper than I had intended-it burned all of the way through the belt in a couple of places. Still, I got what I wanted-a nice, distinct image emblazoned on the middle of the belt.

Jim and Tony both decided to brand their expedition hats and both walked away with brands which went all of the way through the felt material. Several of the boys branded their boots, which worked out pretty well. one or two branded their wallets, which did not. Seeing how quickly the brands burned through leather, we could only imagine what they would do to living cow or horse hide.

Tony and I walked over to the Cantina to purchase some Dorito chips for Dale and Jeremy. The deal was: anyone who dropped anything while mounted and who could not retrieve it themselves was required to pay both Dale and Jeremy a bag of chips for their trouble in riding over, stopping the Cavalcade and retrieving the dropped item. Most of the -drops- occurred during the first few days and Jeremy and Dale collected their compensation at. Baldy Town. A few of us dropped items on the last two days of the ride, however and had to settle our accounts at Ponil.

The thought crossed my mind that one bag of chips constituted inadequate compensation for having to retrieve a person, which is essentially what Jeremy and Dale had been required to do in my case. I gladly would have purchased them a case of chips and inquired about doing that, but was told that supplies were low and it would not be fair to the other trekkers to monopolize the snacks in this fashion. So I bought the token bags of chips-as did Tony and we gave them to Dale and Jeremy as we headed back to the corral. Our gifts were accepted graciously, consumed swiftly and our debt satisfied with honor and good spirits-the way things are done in the back country !

We assembled back at the Corral at 1:00 p.m. as Jeremy had instructed and he gave us an overview of the Gymkhana. This would be something of a mini-rodeo/horsemanship demonstration. We would be joined by and competing against the other Cavalcade which had started out with us six days earlier.

There would be five events. The two Cavalcades would compete amongst themselves for the first three and against each other in groups for the final two. The events were as follows:

Triangle Race. In this event, three 50-gallon drums were arranged in the shape of an equilateral triangle, with sides about 35-40 yards in length. One rider at a time would attack the course. At the signal of the timer, a rider would start from a position about 40 yards from the mid-point of the triangle's baseline and ride as fast as he could to the drum on his right, circle it to his right, then ride over to the drum on the left and circle that to his left. When that circle was completed, the rider would ride quickly to the drum at the "top" of the triangle and again circle it to the left. Then he would ride as fast as he could back to the starting line. Time would be kept from start to finish. Riders from each Cavalcade would alternate until everyon4 had completed the course. The rider's with the best and second best times for the event would be entitled to a prize-a gift certificate for candy back at the trading post. The average time for each Cavalcade would also be recorded.

Figure 8. This event required only two of the drums, which would be set up in a line about 40-50 yards apart. Again, the rider would start about 40 yards away from the closest drum. When signaled by the timer, the rider would gallop to the far drum, circle to the right, ride back to the closer drum, circle to the left and then gallop back again to the drum, circle one more time and then ride as fast as he could back to the starting point. This event would be conducted just like the previous one.

Flag Race. For this event, a drum was set up 75-80 yards from the starting point. An empty, one gallon aluminum can was set on the top of the drum and a small red flag-the kind seen at construction sites, was placed in the can. The idea was for the rider to race up as fast as he could, grab the flag and ride back to the starting line. To speed things up, separate drums and flags were set up for each Cavalcade, however, only one rider would be permitted to proceed at a time. Like the other two events, time would be kept and prizes would go to the top two finishers.

Flag Relay, This was the first of two events in which the Cavalcades would compete against each other. The idea here was for all of the riders in each Cavalcade to line up. At the signal, the first riders in each group would ride to the drums, which were set up exactly as they had been during the Flag Race, retrieve the flags and ride back to where the next rider in line was waiting. The first rider would hand the flag to the second in line, who would ride back to the drum and replace the flag in the gallon can and ride back to the third rider. When he passed the third rider, he would ride to the drum and retrieve the flag ... and so on until everyone in the Cavalcade had gone. Because we had two f ewer people than the other Cavalcade, two of the boys in our group-Andrew and (I forgot) -would have to go twice. The winner would be the group which finished first.

Burro Roundup. At the far end of the corral in which we'd been competing was a small pen holding 4 or 5 burros. The object of this competition was to get the burros out of their pen, "drive" them once around the corral and back into the pen in as short a time as possible. Jeremy gave us a general game plan for accomplishing this. Andrew would select the two best riders. They would be responsible for doing most of the work. The rest of the group would position themselves in the middle of the corral, evenly spaced. One of the riders who Andrew selected would wait near the gate of the burro pen while the other rode in and got behind the burros. When every one was positioned properly, the rider inside the pen would -push the burros out of the pen while the rider who'd been waiting made certain that they stayed in a group near the outside portion of the corral. The riders in the middle were there to direct any stray burros to the outside and prevent them from losing their "group integrity". After the burros had proceeded some distance out the gate of the pen, the -middle protectors' closest to it would reposition themselves to form a wall blocking the burros from making a second pass around the corral and leaving them with no choice other than to return to the pen. Sounds reasonably straight-forward, doesn't it. The winner would be the group that completed the event in the quicker time.

The competition was supposed to get underway at about 1:30 p.m. and' everyone was a bit worried that it might rain. For the third day in a row, thunder clouds had begun forming just after lunch and rain appeared likely at some point during the day. We kept our fingers crossed that it would hold off until we finished. Jeremy told us that we could not do the equestrian events in a storm=. Consequently, we were anxious to get started so that wecould at least say that we'd participated in some of the events. We had to wait for a couple of "officials" to arrive from headquarters. Even in the back country, the bureaucracy must be served !

The guys we were waiting for showed up around 2:00 p.m. and things got started immediately thereafter. The Triangle race was first. Andrew, as our crew leader, led off the event and amazed us with his equestrian skill. He really seemed to know what he was doing and finished with an excellent time. The first participant for the other Cavalcade did not fare nearly as well. His mount simply did not want to cooperate-so much so that Jeremy asked the young man to dismount and allow him (Jeremy) to put him through his paces. Jeremy was able to get the horse to cover the course, but only with significant difficulty. The young man was allowed to try again using a different horse and he did much better.

We all got the chance to try the course. The secret to a good time was keeping the horse close to the barrels (drums) when circling them. Some of us drifted substantially and all of us were impressed by the power and speed of our horses. What a difference it was to be riding at faster speeds ! Keep in mind that, until the Gymkhana, we had not gone any faster than a trot. Galloping was a completely new and exhilarating experience.

Tony had graciously volunteered to forego the Gymkhana and take pictures of all of us as we rode through the events. Of course, that meant the adults had to endure his scathing critiques of our abilities-which he could back up with photographic evidence. Because he did not ride in the events, he will forever be able to maintain that he would have ridden circles around all of us !

After several of the boys had completed the course it became evident that the horses were enjoying the events as much as their riders. Predictably, the boys with the faster horses achieved the better times, but not always. Some of the horses probably could have completed the course faster without the aid of a rider.

Alex's horse, Sally Frog Daddy, had a leg problem which made it very difficult for him to run. Tom's horse, Star, required a great deal of encouragement to increase his pace above a walk. Jr.'s horse, Cleo, on the other hand, was so primed to get going that Jeremy told Jr. not even to climb in the saddle until seconds before he was supposed to start.

Budweiser and I were last in line and got to watch everyone else proceed through the course ahead of us. Granted, I harbored no aspirations of having the fastest time. My goals were more basic: stay alive, stay in the saddle and finish the course.

Although I had been horseback riding on a number of occasions in my youth, I don't believe I had ever galloped. Frankly, I was not sure that Budweiser would gallop-it occurred to me that he might prefer simply to lope gently around the barrels and back and forth from the starting line. I certainly was not prepared for the almost instantaneous manner in which Budweiser accelerated from a walk to a full gallop. The only thing I can liken it to is being on a motorcycle. When I gently urged him to pick up his pace, he surged forward immediately. Perhaps he was inspired by the younger horses around him. Whatever his motivation, Budweiser, the steady, unflappable and eminently dignified- steed, transformed himself into an eager, energetic and impatient colt who would endeavor to complete the course in a credible time.

Thank goodness for the saddle horn. I was able to reach out and grab it when Budweiser started to gallop. I am convinced that it is the only thing that kept me in the saddle. After I overcame the initial shock, I was able to enjoy the sensations of speed and power. Believe me, any deficits Budweiser may have had in the first department were more than compensated for by his great surplus in the second. Atop Budweiser, I did not believe that anything could stand in my path and mount any credible challenge.

When the event was over, Andrew and Jr. had gotten the fastest times. I think we all were a little surprised at how well we'd done and how much fun it had been to ride fast. We couldn't wait for the next event-the Figure 8.

Andrew again went first and, again, had a ver fast time. He was firmly establishing himself as the best rider in both Cavalcades. Alex and Tom also repeated their earlier performances, but Tom was figuring out how to get Star moving a little faster. Jeremy decided to let Alex use another horse.

Steve Ybarra, riding Skipper, got a very good time as did Jr. on Cleo. Scott, who was riding Mescale, was going just as fast as every one else, if not faster, but a few wide turns cost him precious seconds. Chris Bosch, who was riding Rascal and whose bloody nose count had topped out at 38 the day before, presented quite a sight as he leaned way back in the saddle while galloping.

Justin's horse, Chatahoochie, performed the course in a somewhat wild and erratic manner, as his name might imply that he would (remember the movie, -Deliverance"?-the river the main characters were rafting in that film was Georgia, s Chatahoochie 1) . If Justin could have kept him closer to the barrels, his time would have been much improved. David was under control the entire way, but his horse, Trace, just did not have the speed of some of the other horses.

. That left Jim and I. From my vantage point, Jim and Sam looked like they knew what they were doing and finished with a very good time-perhaps five or six seconds slower than Andrew and Jr. As for me and Budweiser, I was better prepared for his sudden surge this time and did a better job going around the barrels. We did not threaten the best time of the day by any means, but we did not embarrass ourselves, either.

After this event, we were even more charged up. The weather was holding and I think everyone of us was beginning to fashion himself a cowboy, ready to ride herd on the range. We were very excited about the next event: the Flag Race.

The first two races had required an element of finesse in maneuvering around the barrels. This event was mostly speed. The boys and the horses-the younger ones anyway, seemed to sense this and could hardly wait to get started. For the third time in a row, Andrew lead off with a very quick time. Jr.'s time was also very fast-the timer would call them out after each contestant reached the finish line. Unfortunately, I do not recall any of the exact times, but there was a difference of about 45 seconds between the fastest and the slowest times in each event.

'Scott Coleman, again, provided a very memorable moment. The secret to a successful flag race was to approach the flag from the side of the hand that would be grabbing it-typically, the rider's dominant hand. In any event, Scott directed Mescale toward the barrel so that he could grab the flag with his right hand. As he got within range, however, Mescale drifted slightly to the left, significantly increasing Scott's distance from the flag as he passed by. We did not think held be able to reach it on that pass and that he would be forced to come around again. Keep in mind that Mescale was moving at almost a full gallop at the time.

Just as held done on the wall at Head of Dean when held reached out to snag Tom and helped to pull him over-and, perhaps, because held done so, Scott desperately reached out for the flag as he passed it and snared it between his fingertips. He then turned around and crossed the finish line with the fastest time of the day for that event. We all attributed his victory to the fact that his arm had been stretched during his Head of Dean experience.

We had a great time watching each other as well as the members of the other Cavalcade. It occurred to me that none of the boys was missing his video games, internet, television, telephone or other modern gadgets at that moment. Instead, we all were enjoying something which probably had provided a source of amusement to people dating back to the earliest civilizations. One of my objectives in selecting a Cavalcade had been to provide the boys an opportunity to experience what it was like to work with horses. As I watched them during the Cavalcade, I knew that objective had been more than satisfied.

When the Flag Race was completed, only the Flag Relay and Burro Roundup remained. These were both group competitions and we were psyched to "destroy" the other Cavalcade. Having watched the two groups perform, it was clear that our boys were better riders; however, their adults rode better than Jim and I-we learned later that they both were experienced riders. Andrew, however, was better than everyone in either Cavalcade.

The weather continued to hold as the riders in both groups mounted up for the Flag Relay. As noted earlier, two of our riders would have to ride twice to make things even. Set up for the race required little time because we'd be following the same course as we did during the previous race. The only difference would be that we would not be alternating riders anymore. Riders would be going back and forth simultaneously on both sides for this event.

Andrew was first and gave us a good lead. Things then started to get a bit confused and it was difficult to determine who was ahead of whom. Just to rattle the boys' cages a little, I offered my assessment that we appeared to be falling significantly behind, which had the intended effect. Our boys were riding magnificently; so much so that my "leg" did not mar our chances of victory in the least-actually, I'll swear that Budweiser and I added to our lead. When we finished, three riders from the other Cavalcade had yet to ride. We had achieved a resounding triumph !

That left only the Burro Roundup. Andrew briefed us all as to our positions. The two adults were placed at highly strategic points in the center of the corral and essentially instructed not to move under any circumstances. Andrew and (I believe) Chris Bosch would be the -drivers', while the rest of the boys spaced themselves in the center of the corral with Jim and I. We were ready to kick some more of the other Cavalcade's butt !

The start signal was given and things commenced like clockwork. one of the drivers "pushed- the burrows from inside the pen and he and Andrew then began -driving- them around the corral. The burrows made it down one side of the corral in good shape and turned left. They reached the halfway point with everything still going as planned. About halfway down the third stretch, however, the unexpected occurred.

This third stretch was along the outside fence of the corral, which was adjacent to the road leading into Ponil. During the course of the Gymkhana, a few spectators had gathered along that fence to enjoy our display of equestrian skills. Unbeknownst to us, one of those spectators had a dog with him. As the burrows and -drivers- came around the second turn, that dog, a medium size terrier, I think, began running along the fence no more than ten feet or so from them, barking excitedly all of the while.

This caught everyone by surprise, especially the burrows. When the dog appeared suddenly on the scene, one or two of the burrows made an abrupt left turn and passed through the center group before they could effectively block their path. To everyone's credit, we did not panic. The two drivers immediately herded the burrows up again and resumed the contest. This time, "center integrity" was maintained and the burros were safely returned to their pen. We had completed the event successfully. For my part, I had kept Budweiser absolutely still, exactly as I had been instructed.

We then watched as the other Cavalcade tried their luck. While they had something of an advantage having watched us perform, I don't think that made much of a difference. They succeeded in getting the burros in the pen on the first trip around and, thus, won the event. To their credit, the same dog that had bothered us did the exact same thing to them that held done to us-chasing along the fence and barking. They were able to keep the burros from breaking formation, however, and that ensured their win.

Suddenly, it was all over ! We all led our horses out of the competition area and back to the corral where we, d left them before lunch. In a few minutes, we'd be unsaddling them for the last time and saying good bye. We'd asked Tony to take some final pictures of each of us on our horses and I suspect he dedicated the better part of two rolls to that purpose.

I think we all lingered a little longer than we needed to as we removed the saddles, blankets, pads and bridles from our horses for the final time. I know I did. In the short time that I had known Budweiser, he had proven himself to be a noble animal; forgiving of my faults, patient with my inexperience and appreciative of any kindness which I could extend to him. I was a bit saddened to think that my time with him had come to an end. I had learned a great deal while riding on his back and would carry his image in my mind for the rest of my life.

All of us were a bit quiet and restrained as we turned in all of our "tack" and other equipment.- We rinsed out our helmets and hung everything up the way it had been when we first checked in at the stables less than a week ago. The time had passed incredibly quickly.

we all grabbed our water bottles and, joined by the members of the other Cavalcade, gathered atop the same fence in the same corral where we'd sat shortly after first arriving at Ponil to listen as Jeremy described and demonstrated the horsemanship fundamentals with which we would become so familiar in the days to follow. After we had gathered, Jeremy and his counterpart from the other Cavalcade gave each of us the Gymkhana patch-the rarest patch at Philmont-of the thousands of people who visit Philmont each summer, only a few hundred are entitled to wear this patch.

Next, the results of the various events were announced. individual winners in our group included Andrew, Scott and Jr. We also learned that our average time for the three individual events was better than the other Cavalcade's. That, coupled with our victory in the Flag Relay, was sufficient to make us the champions of the Gymkhana. To the victors go the spoils, which in our case, was two ripe watermelons. At Andrew's insistence, we gave the other Cavalcade one of these and both groups gorged themselves on the sweet fruit over the course of the next 20 minutes. It tasted like victory and a job well done !

Jeremy told us that the bus which would take us back to Philmont Headquarters would arrive at around 4:10 p.m. Upon arrival back there, we'd need to get our new tent assignments and eat dinner as quickly as possible (dinner was scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.)so that we could meet him by 5:45 to turn in our saddle bags and stuff sacks. His parents were meeting him for dinner so he was on a very tight schedule as well.

It was about 3:45 p.m. when we finished the watermelon. The sky had been growing increasingly dark with the threat of rain and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would make good on its promise. We covered our gear with a couple of our plastic ground cloths and then sat back to wait for the bus to arrive.

While we were waiting, we got one final glimpse of our horses.

After we had unsaddled them, Jeremy and Dale had taken off their halters and released them into one of the adjacent corrals. A little while later, we watched as a couple of the horsemen turned the horses loose to roam about in the large meadow surrounding the corral. Like Jeremy and Dale, the-horses were now on 'free time" and would have the next two or three days completely to themselves. As they all headed out of the corral, they did not seem unlike a bunch of assembly workers heading out to the parking lot for a long week end. They seemed happy, carefree and anxious to find some open space., They certainly had earned it.

Not more than five minutes after we covered our gear, it started to rain. Softly at first, but with increasing intensity. Most of the boys sought shelter in the trees. Tony, Jim and I found a porch swing in one of the out buildings in the corral and waited there for the next 15 minutes or so. In the rain, everything seemed so peaceful. The corral was now completely empty. The horses already were enjoying their weekend and the staff at Ponil soon would be. It was kind of nice to have an opportunity to sit quietly and reflect upon the day's and the weeks events @, from that picturesque vantage point. It gave a sense of closure to our experience.

The bus arrived right on time and the boys had it completely loaded almost before the adults walked the short distance from where we'd been sitting in the corral. Andrew and his counterpart from the other Cavalcade did a quick head count and, having confirmed that everyone and all of our gear was on the bus, we left Ponil to reenter the far more civilized world of Philmont headquarters. Although we would not actually be leaving for home until the next day, I think that we all recognized that the Cavalcade ended when the bus driver closed the doors.

The drive back to Philmont headquarters took about 30 minutes. After the intense activity of the past week, I think we all were experiencing a bit of a let down now that our Philmont experience was essentially over. I sat next to one of the adult leaders from the other Cavalcade. His Troop came to Philmont regularly-every other year, which made me wonder how this was possible given the sign up lottery which is held every year. I guess you have to know how to work the system. I also wondered whether it would be possible to persuade 12-14 scouts to make the commitment to come to Philmont with that frequency. Certainly something to shoot for !

One of the boys in the other Cavalcade needed to make an emergency pit stop so the bus driver took us through downtown Cimarron to a pizza restaurant. The leader of the other Cavalcade told me that it was a tradition in his troop to gather at this same restaurant after completing a, trek to celebrate their accomplishment. He also said that they would arrive a day early to explore Cimarron-an old western town if ever I saw one, visit the Philmont museum and enjoy some of the other sights. That sounded like a good idea and something to consider should Troop 92 make a return visit.

The rain stopped several miles from Ponil and the sky got clearer the closer we got to headquarters. We could see, however, that it had rained there recently. The dust was gone and the air was significantly cooler when the bus pulled up to the welcome center-the same building where the Adventure Trails people had dropped us off a week ago. Andrew had the boys off load all of our personal gear-stuff sacks and saddlebags--and carry it over to the covered patio where we would be meeting Jeremy in about 45 minutes-it was a little after 5:00 p.m. when we arrived and dinner was being served ! While most of the group was doing this, Andrew and I went inside the Welcome Center to get our tent assignments for the evening and the various forms we would need to check out. originally, we had intended to handle all check out procedures that night. We learned, however, that most of the areas we needed to visit closed

at 5:00 p.m. We'd have to wait until they opened again the next morning at 8:00 a.m. This would prompt some consternation on the part of our Adventure Trails guide, Kiely, who had asked us to be

ready to depart at 7:30 a.m., but, hey, this was the back country ! Time was just a man made device which had little true meaning out here ! Held just have to be flexible. We were assigned to tents in a completely different section of Philmont's tent city-the area designated for groups coming off the trail-the veterans We did not have time to take showers before dinner, but we did try to wash off some of the dust before we entered the dining hall. As we were eating with a lot of other people who had just spent an extended period of time in the wilds without benefit of soap and water, we did not think that anyone would be particularly offended by our appearance or aroma. In fact, we figured we'd bring a little variety to the party-what with our equine blend of scents ! I think we all appreciated the opportunity to sit and eat at a table again. It was also nice not to have to eat everything from a bowl or drink only out of a bottle. Civilization did have its attractions and we very much enjoyed our dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce. I especially enjoyed- having some fresh fruit and vegetables for a change. After dinner, Andrew had most of the group walk over to the covered patio where we'd left our gear. Three or four of the boys accompanied me over to the storage lockers where we'd left our duffel bags and other gear which we did not take on the trail. We emptied the lockers and carried everyone's stuff over to the meeting area where Jeremy and Dale, all showered and "spiffed" up, were waiting for us. We quickly transferred the gear from our stuff sacks and saddle bags into our duffel bags and turned the stuff sacks and saddle bags in to Jeremy and Dale. They each took a few moments to congratulate us for a great Cavalcade 'and told us how proud they were of the way the boys handled themselves under adverse conditions. We thanked them for an unforgettable experience and got their addresses:

Jeremy and Dale both would be taking part in the 4^th of July Rodeo in Cimarron the next day and would not be back at Philmont for several days. Like true cowboys, they were men of few words and they did not linger very long to say good bye. We bid them farewell with a touch of sadness-perhaps not on Andrew's part, but I think we all felt that we'd acquitted ourselves well and had earned Dale's and Jeremy's respect. They had invited all of the boys to apply for the Philmont Ranch Hands program, which is designed to train Wranglers and Horseman for the Cavalcades. I am confident that Jeremy would not have extended the invitation if he did not truly feel that any of the boys could not "cut it."

We gathered our gear and headed over to our tents, about 200 yards away. It was a little after 6:00 p.m. and our next scheduled event was not until 8:15 p.m.-the closing campfire. We spent the time taking showers, phoning home and walking around. Chris Bosch managed to locate a few girls to impress with stories of his bravery on the trail.

The closing campfire was held in a different place than the opening campfire. Again, the presentation was very organized and

directed more toward our specific experience at Philmont.The rangers in charge of the campfire-regaled us with "news" of the

world while we'd been out of touch and two different "Top 10 lists, one of which concerned uses for our burlap bear bags.

The main purpose of the campfire was to congratulate all of the groups for completing their treks/Cavalcades successfully. The crew leaders for each group was called up for special recognition. When Andrew rose to walk to the stage, ' Chris Bosch yelled something to the effect of "Troop 92 is number one. The Niners rule and the Cowboys suck." Given that this was "Cowboy Country' denigrating that team in front of this audience may not have been the most prudent thing to do. Chris' comments were met with a wave of boos and catcalls. The adults wondered if we'd find Chris duct taped to a tree the next morning.

At the conclusion of the campfire, Andrew. was given a packet which contained the coveted Philmont arrowhead patch. We decided to gather at the Trading Post later that evening to distribute the patches and review plans for the next day. I was buying !

The campfire ended around 9:15 p.m. As we left, we were each given a chocolate bar. The adults walked back to the tents for a few moments. I then walked over to the Trading Post to donate my Santa Clara County Council patch to the wall map. Tom Phelps had already done so for the Piedmont Council. There was only one other patch representing California at the time. I waited in the drinks line for a few minutes and then ordered sodas for everyone. Most of the boys were sitting at one of the tables outside playing cards or just goofing around. Andrew gaveout the patches and I sat and drank a soda and talked with the boys for about 15 minutes. We confirmed that we'd need to have all of our gear packed and our tents cleaned up before breakfast the next morning, but that did not seem particularly challenging given the routine with which we'd become accustomed during the last week.

I spoke briefly with Andrew to make certain that he would be completing his critique sheet and understood what had to be taken care of before we could leave. He was on top of things. I then left the boys to spend the remainder of their final evening at Philmont however they chose-so long as they were ready to go by 7:00 a.m. the next morning, they could do pretty much whatever they pleased.

I then walked over to the Advisor's lounge where there were a couple of tables and began to fill out the critique sheets given to the adult advisors. Tony and Jim arrived a short while after I got started and we spent the better- part of the next two hours discussing how the trip went and what we thought might be done to make the experience even better. I wrote four post cards and then headed back to my tent. It was after midnight when I got to bed. I had no trouble at all -readjusting" to not sleeping on the ground.