Day 3 – 7-7-99 – Wednesday

Tom and I where up at 5:30, and watched a beautiful sunrise through the breaking clouds. The boys started crawling out of their tents at 6:15. They mopped around, slowly packed up their gear, and were finally ready to go at 7:30 – and they hadn’t eaten breakfast yet!

We had decided to take a side trail up Wilson Mesa, and visit Wilson Lake on our way to Rich Cabins. This more than doubled our mileage, but we had heard that the views from the mesa were really good. After crossing the Philmont boundary, the trail up the side of the mesa was a tough climb, and very muddy. We stopped and ate breakfast just before we got to the top. On top, we had an incredible view of Baldy, and the ‘Val to the North. The trail runs through an old burn area, and the hillside we hiked across was dotted with burned trees, and millions of wild flowers that spread out in various colors as far as we could see. We stopped once for a group photo with Baldy in the background. Everyone was raring to go climb the mountain. How things would change in the next 4 days.

Our crew arrived at the lake at 10:30, and found some shade to eat an early lunch in. Rob spoke to us for a bit, and we did the wilderness pledge. After we ate, several of the guys found an old gravesite on the hill above the lake. It was ringed in by rocks, and had a wooden marker that simply said "Cutter". Someone obviously cared for the grave on a regular basis. There was a great view of Wilson Lake, with Baldy behind. I think I could have stayed there all day.

At 1 PM, we left the lake and headed towards Rich Cabins along a steep, rocky trail. The crew really kept up a fast pace, and got to the bottom of the canyon at 2:30. We took a short break, filtered some water, and then set off along the road for Rich Cabins.

We got to the cabins around 3 PM, and were greeted by a young lady named Kathryn. She was wearing a long period dress. She offered us a cool drink, and told us where we could set up our camp, and invited us to return at 4 PM for a tour of the cabin. So we took a short hike up the canyon, found some level ground, and set up the tents. We quickly found a tree to hang the Bear bags in, and went back down to the cabin.

Kathryn had us sit on the screen porch, and she and Missy gave us a short history of Rich Cabins. She then took us through the bedroom, dinning room (or "dog run"), and the kitchen. "Rock", the senior staff member there, explained about the wood burning stove, the water system, and the food storage area. I found out later that Rock has been on staff at Philmont every summer for the past __ years, and has served in every staffed camp on the ranch. I wish I could have spent some time talking to him.

After the tour Nate gave us our food for the next two days, and headed back to camp to eat dinner. It rained lightly during dinner, but the crew took it in stride. At 7 PM, we went back to the cabin the advisors coffee. Tom and I spoke to the advisors of a crew from Nebraska that was headed up to Whitman Vega, our next destination. At 7:30, the guys came down for the evening program. First, they had to move several burros from one pen to another, and they moved a young calf into the barn. Then the fun began! Kathryn and Missy tied up "Buttercup", the cow, and it was time to milk! Rob kept feeding Buttercup handfuls of grain, and one by one, the guys got to try their hand at milking. Of course there where a lot of jokes and good-natured ribbing, and everyone seemed to have a good time. After milking, it was time for the "Rich Cabins International Caber Toss". A seven-foot long log was tossed as far as possible. Our sister crew won the contest! Our crew was asked to retire to colors for the evening, and then we retired to the porch for story time. Nate told us about his crazy cousin; Rock spun a tale about the "Sick Burro and the Vet"; Nate talked about the party Ted Turner threw; and then Rock closed the evening with an inspirational lesson about tough times on the trail. Back at camp, Rob surprised us with pound cake and fruit topping, that he had carried for the past two days. WE then headed off to bed, under a clear, star-lit sky. Our first full day on the trail was finished.