Philmont 2025
July 19 - August 3, 2025

Troop 98 is Going Back to Philmont in 2025!
Eligibility email sent 18 Sep 2024

WHO DO YOU WANT IN YOUR CREW (and other questions)

COMPLETE THIS FORM to let us know of your interest

Age requirement:  You must be 14 years old by the date you arrive at Philmont (or 13 years old and have completed 8th grade). You must also be in good physical condition by the time you go. You must also have earned at least First Class rank.

Dates: July 19 - August 3 (inclusive; depart early Saturday, return late Sunday)

Cost: $3,000 (approximate) plus cost to outfit yourself (your gear)

$150 Deposit required by October 1, 2024 (non-refundable, although substitutions are possible)

We've sent crews to Philmont in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, and 2023 (in 2018 we substituted a trip to Colorado which we called "Plan B").  Many of the boys and fathers who've attended describe it as “the experience of a lifetime.”  At Philmont, crews spend 12 days backpacking in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.  Along the way, they may pan for gold, ride burros, climb spar poles, throw hatchets, scale cliff faces or dance to banjo music in front of a fire.  They also endure physical challenge, develop as a team, encounter great natural beauty and transform in two short weeks from boys to self-confident young men.  It is truly a powerful experience.  See the links on the right of this page for more information or ask any of the 30 Scouts that went last summer.  We also have a lot of fun touring in New Mexico or Colorado on the way to Philmont and sometimes on the way back.

Summer 2025 may seem like a long way off, but we have to begin planning our adventure now.  The first step is to get a good idea of all who want to go (and to pay Philmont the deposit they need to hold our spots).  To be eligible, a Scout must be at least 14 years old by the time he arrives at Philmont or be 13 and have completed 8th grade.  In addition, a Scout must have achieved the rank of First Class before leaving for Philmont.  These are the minimum requirements.  

There are several more requirements that relate to physical condition and health, participation in Troop activities in general and our Philmont training program in particular, etc.  We will describe those in more detail later on.  But at this point, we want to get a sense of which boys (and adults) want to go.  We also need to be sure we have enough adult leaders to come along.  Each crew (of up to 10 Scouts) needs a minimum of 2 adult advisors (age 21 or older) for a total of 12 people (we ideally like to have three adults per crew).

Some things you might want to consider in deciding whether you want to go (or to let your son go):

• • Cost – you should plan on $3,000 per person.  We will ask for your NONREFUNDABLE deposit of $150 now.  We will ask for additional payments later.  All of these payments will be non-refundable, although we can often find a substitute if you can't go.

  • Equipment – in addition to the trip costs, you will need to have the right equipment.  Good boots ($100-150), a backpack ($100-150) and a sleeping bag ($100) are the big items, but there is probably another $100 of stuff you’ll need.  TROOP 98 PHILMONT GEAR PAGE

  • PHILMONT IS EXPENSIVE, BUT DON'T LET COST STOP YOU!  If that is the only issue stopping you, we will try to find ways to help with the cost.  And 18 months is a long time for a scout to sell Camp Cards, rake leaves, mow grass, babysit, etc.

  • Physical Condition – All participants have to meet height/weight requirements below and have a physical exam.  Unless a Scout has some special health issues, this is really a concern only for adults.  Philmont involves carrying a 40 lbs pack up and down mountains at 8-10,000 feet of elevation.  It can be very tough and requires preparation.  So both scouts and adults who sign up must understand that they are signing up for months of physical training not just two weeks of backpacking.  Any adult in reasonable shape can get ready.  They just have to be willing to take the time to do the training.

• • Scout Spirit – a successful Philmont trek requires cooperation, maturity and a sense of shared responsibility.  It requires that a Scout truly live the principles of the Scout Law and Oath.  It requires that he be a dedicated member of the team.  We judge all this by what a Scout does before he gets on the airplane to Philmont.  So we don’t allow Scouts to get on that plane who are not active participants in our Troop or who fail to live up to the Scouting ideals from now until departure.

After you have considered these factors and asked our Philmont veterans any questions you may have, we need you to indicate your interest in participating.  

GET MORE INFORMATION ON PHILMONT HERE:

PHILMONT WEB SITE

and

PHILSEARCH.ORG

and

PHILMONT BY THE NUBERS

COMPLETE THIS FORM to let us know of your interest