“A hiking we will go”, has been the battle cry for the Boy Scouts of Troop 9 for the last few months as they prepare for the task of hiking and camping at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico this coming July. 

    At Philmont, scouts will take a 10-12-day hiking trek through many hills and mountains at the scenic 137,500 acre retreat. The boys will have to carry all of their supplies, food and water for the hikes. This is typically over 40 pounds per scout. That is one reason a scout must be at least 14 years of age to take this arduous trip.

    Steve Corey is the Scoutmaster of Troop 9 which meets every Tuesday night at Highland Baptist Church in Meridian. Corey, along with assistant scoutmasters Dr. Mike Purvis and Steve Landrum, set up a schedule for the scouts to take 5 – 10 mile hikes at least monthly to prepare for Philmont. The scouts and their leaders, along with scout parents Lamar Gidden and Brian Kelly, have been hiking with loaded packs along trails at Bonita Lakes, Binachi Scout Camp and other private properties since last September. Some of the scouts even took a 20-mile hike at Shiloh National Battlefield near Shiloh, Tennessee.

    As much as they have been hiking it is still hard to duplicate what they will face at the high altitudes of Philmont. 

    The highest peak at Philmont is Old Baldy Mountain at 12,441 feet above sea level. Much of the entire Philmont property is above 7,000 feet. Meridian and the surrounding areas are not more than 350 feet above sea level. Additional fitness will be required to be able to manage the thinner air and cooler temperatures above 7,000 feet.

    The Troop 9 scouts will also attempt a practice campout in June in which each scout and leader will hike into an area carrying all supplies for the weekend.  Tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food, water, clothing, and anything else that is needed will have to be backpacked into the campsite. Also, no garbage will be allowed to be left behind. Purvis and Gidden experienced Philmont as scouts themselves, and they know how fun, but difficult, the hiking will be. 

    “Philmont makes such an impression on people that many want to go back,” says Gidden. “It did with me, and this is a unique opportunity to go with my son.  Some of these scouts may want to return one day with their son or family.”

    “A hiking we will go” hasn’t been just a slogan. To the Troop 9 scouts headed to Philmont this July, it has been a way of life.