Nathan woke us up at 5:30 AM. We packed up and had breakfast in camp, preparing for our long haul over Mt. Phillips. Of course, speed still was not the hallmark of this crew. We ate breakfast at 6:15, but didnít get out of camp until 7:30.

We arrived at Clear Creek at 8:50, and we were the first crew of the day in camp. Adam set a good pace for us on the trail. Reggie was the staffer who checked us in. We told him that we were planning on cooking our dinner here before our assault on Mt. Phillips, so he let us set up in site 8, which was close to a water spigot and close to the staff cabin.

I had some postcards and film that I wanted to mail, but the next mail pick-up at this camp was not scheduled until next Thursday, almost a week away. I decided to hold onto my mail and try again when we got to Sawmill in a couple of days.

We hung the bear bags and strung some clothes lines to dry our damp things, then covered our packs (just to be on the safe side) and headed off to the black-powder rifle program. While we were waiting for Reggie to start the program, Crew 6 ambled in. They were mouthing off a bit, but we were really surprised to hear that their advisers were back at their campsite cooking lunch for them! Unfortunately, it appeared that the Dougs were doing it again (being mother hens). I told our guys that we just found out why Crew 6 is called our sister crew! On the bright side (literally), it was very sunny.

The crew enjoyed the shooting, but it was really good that we didnít have to depend on my marksmanship to eat. Dave Thomas offered his T-shirt as a target (without him in it, of course), but we didnít do much damage to it. When we got back to our site, Larry and I spoke with the Doug duo about the poor attitude and lack of respect that their crew was exhibiting (thatís what we call a bad thing). They agreed to speak with their crew about improving their behavior.

The next event was the tomahawk toss, which was a lot of fun but very frustrating (especially for this adviser with the poor aim). The consensus was that the safest place to stand was in front of me. Kevin, one of the staffers, had a great sense of perspective. He said: "If at first you donít succeed, redefine success!" I liked his style.

At 11:30 Reggie gave us a tour of the staff cabin, which was outfitted as a trapperís lodge. His presentation on the life and livelihood of the fur trappers was very informative and interesting, and it captivated our crew. In general, the program at Clear Creek was very good. The guys were finally getting what they came to Philmont for.

The crew started preparing lunch at noon. While they were doing that, I took the opportunity to do a bit of laundry (yes, I was tempting fate again). The guys were still having trouble with the MSR Dragonfly stove, which was acting erratically. I tried cleaning it, but it still didnít burn smoothly. Putting a pot on the stove smothered the flame. (We later found out that this stove requires less pumping at high altitude to work properly. I chided myself for not having thoroughly read the directions before we left NJ, because it was clear that our Quartermaster hadnít done that either.)

Doug Bonn came over to our site and explained that he and Doug Sanecki had "counseled" their crew about their behavior. I reminded him that Scout Manners is the first of the Philmont Notes for good reason. Doug was genuinely concerned and promised to reinforce the expectation of proper behavior as necessary. I thanked him.

Lunch was served at 1:07 PM. Actually, the crew prepared our dinner meal for the day because we were heading to a dry camp and we wanted to take advantage of the plentiful water here at Clear Creek for cooking and clean-up. While we were eating Blake found a fly in his soup (he really did) ñ and he ate it. He must be ranger material!

We packed up our gear (with laundry draped on the outside of our packs), loaded up on water (including drinking an extra large quantity), and hit the trail for Mt. Phillips at 2:05. It was a hard hike, with hot and dry conditions on the trail, but we made good time. We used the caterpillar hiking method during the climb. Thatís where the point person (the lead hiker) steps off to the side of the trail and rests while the remainder of the crew hikes on. The new point person does the same thing after a few paces, and so on down the line. When the sweep person (the last hiker in line) passes by a resting hiker, the latter rejoins the line as the new sweep. In this manner the crew keeps hiking at a steady pace and everyone gets brief rest stops along the way. Neat.

We were on the peak at 3:53, which was pretty good time. It was cold and very windy with some serious looking clouds rolling in, so we didnít stay very long. However, we did manage to take the opportunity to capture some great photos of the surrounding vistas, and of course the mandatory crew photo. We got back on the trail at 4:10.

At 5:03 we reached Comanche Peak. It was a milestone to note, but there were no scenic views because of the trees. However, the good news was that the sun was out again. We reached Comanche Peak Camp at 5:15. As we passed Crew 6 in their campsite, they called out: "Nice job, Crew 4!" I gave them a thumbs-up sign and a smile, hoping that the Dougsí counseling was having a positive effect.

We set up camp in site 5. It was breezy, but still sunny, so I put up a clothesline to dry my laundry. So far, my rain jinx was not bothering us on this day.

Supper was at 6:00. It was a lunch menu, so there was minimal clean-up and we didnít waste water in this dry camp. After the meal we had an excellent session with the crew. It started with an "Advisersí Coffee", hosted by Larry and me. Actually, it was mostly Larryís show. He pulled a pound of Twizzlers (red licorice candy) out of his pack and passed it around to the crew. That won instant awards. Then Larry told his story of why he chose the trail name "Survivor Spice". He survived testicular cancer, with three recurrences, multiple operations, and heavy chemotherapy treatments. He has been in remission for four years. His story deeply affected the whole crew, but especially Blake.

Paul led a good review of the next dayís trail to Sawmill, but he left out a few details which he agreed to fill in the following morning before we left camp. Then Tim Lingelbach led a good interfaith session, after which we sang the first verse of America the Beautiful ñ a very appropriate selection. The Thorns & Roses session was very moving. These guys have a great knack for analyzing how theyíve overcome obstacles and itís good to see them complement each other after a hard day. Also, at this session they suggested that we add a personal descriptive item. Tonightís item was each personís favorite movie (I said the Star Wars trilogy). Finally, they requested that we finish with the Philmont Hymn. They were really beginning to take a liking to it.

At 8:30 the guys quickly hung the bear bags and then scrambled into their tents. We agreed to get up at 6:00 AM tomorrow, since the hike to Sawmill would be an easy one and we didnít expect to have any problem getting the 30.06 rifle reloading and shooting program in.

Adam was coughing a lot tonight, but he had no trouble on the trail and he said that heís feeling better. A little extra sleep would be a good thing.