Tuesday, June 30, 1998.
Miranda to Baldy Camp.

Tuesday, June 30, 1998. Miranda to Baldy Camp. We awoke around 5:30 a.m., or, in my case, awoke for the final time that morning. I still was not finding the ground to be any more comfortable than I had the previous nights. Neither Jim or Tony were complaining so I tried to be a good soldier too. Breakfast preparations proceeded somewhat better. We had hot water for coffee and hot chocolate today.

We broke camp and commenced arranging our gear. The only hitch was an announcement from Steve Ybarra that one of the bear bag ropes had become tangled on the cable some 30 feet above. the ground. The boys had tried to untangle the rope without success and, as a last resort, decided to consult the old guys.
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When we walked over, we could 'see that, somehow, the rope had become knotted around the cable. While sorely tempted to engage in a lengthy rant to the tune of -How could they do something like this,- we decided simply to try and rectify the situation as soon as possible. Tony said he could undo the-knot with a long stick if he could get on my shoulders. I complied and Tony came through, undoing the knot in about two minutes. The boys pulled the rope free and we finished packing up.

We loaded the pack horses without incident, hiked over to the corral, saddled up and departed Miranda a little before 9:00 a.m. We were on time and in good spirits. Perhaps sensing that the ride would be short and they would have the next day off, the horses also seemed to be in a good mood. Probably just my imagination-too many Disney movies as a child.
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In any event, the ride was short and the scenery quite spectacular. For most of the way, we had a good view of Baldy Mountain, which we would be climbing the next morning. The elevation at Baldy Camp was about 10,500, and as we climbed higher, fewer trees blocked our view. Increasingly, we could see mountain peaks far off in the distance. We also could see private ranches of adjoining landowners and I must admit that the thought occurred to me on more than one occasion that I might learn to like such a lifestyle-dealing with fundamental issues rather than continuing a fruitless paper chase.It seemed like we had barely gotten started when we reached the corral at Baldy Camp. If we had thought that the terrain at Miranda was steep, Baldy Camp's was significantly more so. The horses had a nice area, however, and our campsite was only a quarter of a mile away.

As mentioned earlier, we would be spending two days here. The boys did not fully appreciate this initially and did not exercise particular care in selecting our camp site-likely because they had been sleeping well. The three senior members of the group were very conscious of the situation and took great pains to locate flat ground. We found what we determined to be the best site about 75100 yards down a slope from where the boys were gathered. This area apparently had been the site of a camp many years prior. We could see an old iron bed frame and various other debris scattered about. We also observed a large number of bear droppings not too far away; some appeared less than a day old!

The adults commenced setting up their tents and soon observed that the boys had decided to join us. We took our usual pains to make certain that the rain flies were put on properly and that all lines were properly tightened. The boys were not as concerned with such things, despite our efforts to convince them that changing mountain weather dictated setting up their tents with a view to extremes. After all, it was hot and dry now and the sky was clear just as it had been since we commenced our adventure. There was no reason to believe that this would change anytime soon. It had not rained anywhere in New Mexico for more than a month.

The closest water was in Baldy Town, more than % a mile away and all uphill. We had brought two, plastic, collapsible, 2 V2 gallon jugs to hold water for drinking, cooking and cleanup. 5 gallons was not a lot for 12 people, especially when we were each supposed to drink 2 gallons every day. The boys assigned to keep the water supply replenished-Jr. and Steve Ybarra-had a busy day ahead of them.
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Once camp was set up, we enjoyed a luxury that we had not experienced for awhile: free time before 1,-mch. The boys explored the area a bit and the adults relaxed. Jr. and Steve went off to see if there was a water source closer than Baldy Camp. They returned about an hour later to confirm that there was not.

We ate lunch-more squeeze cheese and crackers, raised the bear bags and headed up to Baldy Town to check it out. I carried along a towel, my shaving kit, a change of clothes and two large pots, which I intended to fill with water and carry back to the campsite to do my laundry. I did not think that it would be fair to ask the boys to provide water for this purpose.

The walk from the campsite to Baldy Town was a steep one. Baldy Town had been formed when gold was discovered in the area. At one time, over a thousand people lived and worked in the vicinity. Mostly men and mostly miners, however, the area was also used for logging and a smattering of other activities-mostly to support the mining operations-blacksmith shop, assayer, etc.

Evidence of the mining activities was abundant, especially the loose rock which had been removed to access the gold and other minerals. We learned that the f irst mines in the area had been started just after the American Civil War by a couple of former soldiers. They thought the area contained copper and that is what they were looking for when they struck gold.

This discovery created a -rush", albeit on a smaller scale than the one in California. Soon, numerous mine shafts were being dug on Baldy Mountain. It is estimated that there are approximately thirty five miles of mine shafts throughout the mountain. Some of the mines were quite productive, but all were played out after ten to fifteen years and most of the miners moved on. The mines were abandoned as were most of the camps or towns which had sprung up around them. Baldy Town was one of the largest of these.
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We walked past the corral where our horses were calmly munching on hay-Jeremy told us not to give them their feed bags after the morning ride since it was only a-short while since they'd had breakfast. The horses only got feed bags on days when they would be working. otherwise, they ate hay.

Along the way we passed a couple of 1920's vintage vehicles-trucks, apparently, which were rusting away off the side of the trail. We could easily imagine the strain those trucks endured as they motored up and down the uneven dirt roads hauling equipment or lumber. Horses were the preferred means of conveyance in this area, and we could see why. They were sure-footed, unlikely to get stuck or break down and could handle steep grades without rolling over-as far as we knew, anyway.

Baldy Town consisted of several wooden buildings. One of these was the general store where we could replenish our fuel and candy supplies. Assorted items of clothing, camping equipment and postcards were also on sale there. Next door was the Bally Town Museum, which housed artifacts from the mining operation and the Native American tribes which frequented the area many years before. There was also a Commissary Building, where Andrew would pick up our provisions for the remaining portion of the Cavalcade-alas, the bear bags would be a lot heavier now. Finally, and of greatest interest to me, there was a shower building, complete with hot water and an area to wash clothes. I had come prepared for the former but had not brought my dirty laundry with me. I decided to stay with my original plan and wash my clothes back at the camp site.

I enjoyed a lukewarm shower-a number of scouts from other treks were washing their clothes and, I suspect, used up most of the hot water supply. It was nice to wash the trail dust out of my hair and ears.

While I was so occupied, the rest of the group enjoyed a presentation about the history of the area given by one of the rangers at the museum. I caught the tail end of the lecture when I got out of the shower. Although greatly impressed by their surroundings, the boys' prime topic of conversation after the presentation was the great "deal" to be had on candy at the general store-100 snicker bars for $1.00, if I recall, but only if you ate them all at one sitting.
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The remainder of the afternoon was free time. I went back to the campsite and washed some clothes. The boys and the other adults took showers and washed their clothes at Baldy Town. We strung a couple of clotheslines between trees and most of our stuff was dry in a few hours.

Toward the end of the day, we observed some clouds beginning to form ir, the sky and the temperature dropped about 10-15 degrees. For the first time since the Cavalcade began, it appeared that it might rain. It didn' t, however, we expected that the situation might change that evening or during the next day or so. Rain was long overdue and we certainly would not have minded a little moisture to keep down the dust. Afternoon showers, we were told, were quite common and made the Philmont experience much more tolerable-cooling things down, reducing the dust and washing of f the dirt.

Dinner preparation proceeded pretty smoothly. The cooks still had a little trouble lighting the stoves but resolved the problems quickly. Andrew continued to show progress as Crew Leader and had things far better organized than on previous occasions. He ensured that everyone sterilized their eating utensils and that all crew gear was stored away properly after the meal. He also took steps to ensure that we would be adequately prepared for the events of the following day, when we would be climbing Baldy Mountain, exploring the Aztec mine and French Camp and hiking back to Baldy Camp-a ten hour day at the least.

Andrew designated two of the boys-Chris Bosch and Tom Phelps-to carry the lunches for everyone in the backpacks they had brought along. He also reminded everyone to take at least two water bottles along because there would be no place to get water until we reached French Camp, which was on the other side of Baldy. Jeremy had advised us to get started early, so Andrew orchestrated a 5:00 a.m. wake up so that we could be on the trail by 6:30.

After dinner, the boys explored, played cards and relaxed. The three adults hiked back up to Baldy Town to have coffee and talk with the rangers. Jeremy again played guitar-we were getting to know his repertoire pretty well by now. We did not linger too long, however, because we did not want to walk back to the campsite in the dark-what with the bears and all- and we knew that we had a busy day ahead of us.

We turned in soon after getting back and I resumed my impersonation of a sleeping man. The ground still was not particularly accommodating and I slept fitfully.
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