#philstaff

Back in October, I finally got the nerve to get the Philmont tattoo I always wanted. I got GPS coordinates and people always ask me what location at Philmont are they? 

Baldy Mountain? Tooth of Time? Dean Skyline? Window Rock?

Actually, none of those. Quite simply -- Base Camp (more specifically the middle of CHQ dining hall if you want to get technical. Hey, food is important.)

But why Base Camp? You have all this back country with more beautiful places than Base Camp? 

Because Base Camp is very definitely the heart of Philmont. People begin and end their journeys there. 

Think about it, every time a heart beats, blood cells exit into the body on a little journey and return changed. Every time a participant or staff member goes to the backcountry they return changed. 

Base Camp is also the gateway to every memory (good and bad) that I’ve ever made at Philmont. I could never choose one location in the back country over the other because each place that holds significance to me represents a different point of growth for me. 

I’ve met the crews that have changed my life in that very Welcome Center  in Base Camp. 

My roommate texted me earlier to say “You Philmont contract came in the mail.” That’s the 5th time I’ve ever received a contract from Philmont and for most that get the opportunity to work at such a magnificent place, they don’t get 5 consecutive summers. I started reflecting on my past 4 seasons as a Ranger and came to realize that  I’ve had the best Ranger Trainers a Ranger could ever have: Chip, Katie, and Morgan. 

Chip was the RT who literally had to mold my skills and hold my hand through the process of just doing the job. He was there for the insurmountable amount of tears and anxieties I had just trying to survive the whole summer. But with his guidance I came out stronger than when I started. 

Katie was the RT who gave me a strong female lead as a backbone to finding both my feminine side that mixed with my mountain man tendencies. She encouraged more spontaneous, strenuous hikes that could really push me and try my hand at long-distance hiking. 

Morgan was the RT who gave me the 3 parts exuberant attitude and 1 part “how to know Philmont like the back of your hand”. She gave me opportunities to work with partners through mountain treks and really focus more on my soft skills rather than the hard skills I had so diligently sweat over to learn. 

All three of these characteristics and moments have exploded into this amazingly brilliant palette of color that has lead to literal blood, sweat, and tears. While, currently, none of them are returning for another summer, I’m thankful to know I had the opportunity to be guided by the knowledge and instructions to be the best possible version of myself as a Ranger I could be. 

I’ll leave you with a quote from a letter I received from Chip last year that really sums up me as a nervous first year ranger:

"With Right Comes Responsibility"

The ROCS program has the office right next to ours (we call it the ROCS box).  It’s a fantastic opportunity for young men and women to get out there and begin to understand the natural world - very comparable to an intro level college course that touches upon every science topic ever.As for working within the program - my first recommendation is to send in an application as soon as possible. While it's a little harder to get the job on a sheer numbers perspective (there's typically approx. 10 spots a summer), prior Philmont, Scouting, and conservation-esque experience (especially environmental ed) will help. PM me, and I can pass off the email of some former leadership if you want there input.All in all, working for the Conservation department kinda ROCS (sorry, I had to). "With Right Comes Responsibility"-Waite Phillips

Thanks! Once a PhilStaffer, always a have a little bit of that New Mexican sun stuck in you.I sure do miss the Ranch - waiting for a contract so I can hopefully be back this May.