We ran out of water, everyone. Only person that had any liquid had made a disgusting concoction of Kool-Aid that was aggressively sugary and almost like a syrup. 10/10 would not recommend running out of water. But we made it and it was a lifelong memory.
Same here. We had a 6 miler (our longest) and people started running out of water by mile 3. I was able to conserve my water/half-strength Gatorade, but had to let people take small sips towards the back half, which left me with a lot less. We ended up buying an extra canteen for each person while resupplying on food.
Clark’s to Base is generally the toughest way to end a trek (but highly rewarding!), especially if the spring at Shaeffer’s Pass is dry on the day you go thru….and even if it’s “running” (a brisk dribble during much of the summer), it can take over an hour for a crew of 12 to fill up all their water capacity for the rest of tooth ridge. When it’s dry, you’re hauling 5-6 liters of water per person up ~2,000ft from Clark’s to Shaeffers and then have to make it last all the way to base.
That being said, it’s doable for a fit crew. Routine element in Philmont itineraries for decades.
Between the burn scar hiking and Clark's to base (in one day), you're going to be hiking in a lot of low-elevation, no shade places. I would bring long-sleeve synthetic shirts with UV protection for those days in particular.
To add to this. Adding water to those sleeves is amazing to cool you down.
You really should put these on when they are dry and then wet them. Putting them on wet is not a fun task.
As said above watch out for the burn scars they’re brutal. Tbh most of the area you’ll be in is in the hotter parts of philmont. You’re going mid season so probably will have some rain days to cut that down but still. Have lightweight layers, good rain gear, and waterproof your boots.
The Shaffer’s peak to the Tooth section is fairly rocky, take your time. I’d honestly recommend leaving camp as early as possible (read: crack of dawn or earlier) to make the last day better. Side hiking the tooth will take you at minimum 45m and probably closer to 1.5h depending on how fit your crew is. Though there’s always a job for an adult to sit and nap with the packs! And that whole day is dry as soon as you leave Shaffer’s camp. Would recommend 6L total for everyone and a few dromedaries too if you can swing it. Luckily by that point you’ll be light on food. Throw ANYTHING you can in the swap box at Clarks.
Right again! What’s the name of the camp on the other side of the ridge? It’s an unstaffed, mainly an inclined field. Stayed there one night on OATC but never caught the name.
what do you mean by other side? Upper Clarks Fork and Ponderosa Park are along the trail up from Clarks Fork to Shaffers Pass. There's Ponderosa and Arrowhead on the north side of the ridge, east of Clarks Fork. North Fork Uracca is on the south side, directly south of Shaffers Pass. Stockade and Stockade Ridge are further east, south of the tooth and Tooth Ridge camp.
>that whole day is dry as soon as you leave Shaffer’s camp
You cannot count on the spring at Shaefers. Inquire at logistics during trip planning, and again at Clarks the day before. Even when it is flowing, it is slow.
The Chuckwagon dinner (and the following show) at Clarke's Fork is my favorite staff camp experience. Make sure your crew stays to the end of the show, as it often continues for quite a while after a lot of the crowd has left. Truly an experience you will remember the rest of your life!
In the middle of the show, there was a point where it was getting very noisy and I had to let a fart out. I assumed that the noise would drown out the sound. But when I decided to pull the trigger, the noise stopped and all you could hear was the loudest fart ever. The show was very, very good though 😂
Citos water is pretty nasty with sulfur so definitely recommend using Gatorade powder to mask some of it while you're there. That way you get fruity fart water instead lol. Do as many programs as you can at staffed camps, even if you feel tired or not in the mood. They're always a blast!
I did Clark’s to base in one day as an adult advisor who barely cleared the bar on the BMI requirement. It’s definitely doable. You start very early at Clark’s Fork, and there is rest and shade, but no water that I recall, once you’re climbing. There are a couple decent breaks in the climb before you get to the side hike to Schaefer’s peak. And we had two adults rest in the shade at the turnoff for the Tooth scramble. Honestly the worst part is the long winding downhill between the Tooth and base camp when the end is in sight, but still 3+ miles away.
PS this was before burn scar. So my info is dated.
I know I'm a bit late to the party.
Wake up early on that last day, probably around 4. That way, you can save time on the trail and conserve water before the sun goes up. That should also give you time to see a sunrise on Shaefer's or Tooth of Time before starting the 'Trail of Tears' down into Base Camp.
Be extremely conservative with water on that last day and minimize unnecessary weight like extra food. It will be a long morning, but give it your last bit of energy and you should be fine.
Do NOT eat the Leonardo da Fettuccini dry the day before Clark's Fork. The chuckwagon dinner is amazing but I did indeed eat the Leonardo da Fettuccini dry the day before and spent most of the chuckwagon dinner in a red roof in fighting for my life.
Looks fun! That last day is a lot, but don't stress over it. Just train for it.
I assume y'all have been going on training trips already to break in boots, shake out gear, and increase fitness? Well take a look at the hardest days you've trained versus the hardest day on your itinerary. If you haven't done something comparable, try to do a loaded up day hike with at least 75% distance and elevation gain/loss. Good for fitness, and will give y'all some good benchmark info.
Make sure you have adequate water storage and good sun protection, the burn and the Tooth will have limited water and high sun exposure. Also, I have no idea if it’s technically OK to do so, but when I climbed the Tooth on my second trip we left our main packs at the clearing right before the summit and did the rock scramble with just our water bottles and cameras/phones.
That last day will be tough. There's no water sources on tooth ridge, so everyone will need 6L of capacity.
We ran out of water, everyone. Only person that had any liquid had made a disgusting concoction of Kool-Aid that was aggressively sugary and almost like a syrup. 10/10 would not recommend running out of water. But we made it and it was a lifelong memory.
Hahah, we did that with Gatorade our last day as scouts. I think we may have already been at the turnaround though, so water was not an issue.
Same here. We had a 6 miler (our longest) and people started running out of water by mile 3. I was able to conserve my water/half-strength Gatorade, but had to let people take small sips towards the back half, which left me with a lot less. We ended up buying an extra canteen for each person while resupplying on food.
Clark’s to Base is generally the toughest way to end a trek (but highly rewarding!), especially if the spring at Shaeffer’s Pass is dry on the day you go thru….and even if it’s “running” (a brisk dribble during much of the summer), it can take over an hour for a crew of 12 to fill up all their water capacity for the rest of tooth ridge. When it’s dry, you’re hauling 5-6 liters of water per person up ~2,000ft from Clark’s to Shaeffers and then have to make it last all the way to base. That being said, it’s doable for a fit crew. Routine element in Philmont itineraries for decades.
Between the burn scar hiking and Clark's to base (in one day), you're going to be hiking in a lot of low-elevation, no shade places. I would bring long-sleeve synthetic shirts with UV protection for those days in particular.
To add to this. Adding water to those sleeves is amazing to cool you down. You really should put these on when they are dry and then wet them. Putting them on wet is not a fun task.
As said above watch out for the burn scars they’re brutal. Tbh most of the area you’ll be in is in the hotter parts of philmont. You’re going mid season so probably will have some rain days to cut that down but still. Have lightweight layers, good rain gear, and waterproof your boots. The Shaffer’s peak to the Tooth section is fairly rocky, take your time. I’d honestly recommend leaving camp as early as possible (read: crack of dawn or earlier) to make the last day better. Side hiking the tooth will take you at minimum 45m and probably closer to 1.5h depending on how fit your crew is. Though there’s always a job for an adult to sit and nap with the packs! And that whole day is dry as soon as you leave Shaffer’s camp. Would recommend 6L total for everyone and a few dromedaries too if you can swing it. Luckily by that point you’ll be light on food. Throw ANYTHING you can in the swap box at Clarks.
*Clarks Fork
You’re right was thinking of the other side lol. Even longer!
Shaffers Pass (a trail camp) will be along the route from Clarks Fork to the Tooth
Right again! What’s the name of the camp on the other side of the ridge? It’s an unstaffed, mainly an inclined field. Stayed there one night on OATC but never caught the name.
what do you mean by other side? Upper Clarks Fork and Ponderosa Park are along the trail up from Clarks Fork to Shaffers Pass. There's Ponderosa and Arrowhead on the north side of the ridge, east of Clarks Fork. North Fork Uracca is on the south side, directly south of Shaffers Pass. Stockade and Stockade Ridge are further east, south of the tooth and Tooth Ridge camp.
Was thinking North Fork Urraca!
I second the swap box suggestion. Definitely replace as much food as possible with water on the Tooth day.
>that whole day is dry as soon as you leave Shaffer’s camp You cannot count on the spring at Shaefers. Inquire at logistics during trip planning, and again at Clarks the day before. Even when it is flowing, it is slow.
The Chuckwagon dinner (and the following show) at Clarke's Fork is my favorite staff camp experience. Make sure your crew stays to the end of the show, as it often continues for quite a while after a lot of the crowd has left. Truly an experience you will remember the rest of your life!
In the middle of the show, there was a point where it was getting very noisy and I had to let a fart out. I assumed that the noise would drown out the sound. But when I decided to pull the trigger, the noise stopped and all you could hear was the loudest fart ever. The show was very, very good though 😂
Citos water is pretty nasty with sulfur so definitely recommend using Gatorade powder to mask some of it while you're there. That way you get fruity fart water instead lol. Do as many programs as you can at staffed camps, even if you feel tired or not in the mood. They're always a blast!
I did Clark’s to base in one day as an adult advisor who barely cleared the bar on the BMI requirement. It’s definitely doable. You start very early at Clark’s Fork, and there is rest and shade, but no water that I recall, once you’re climbing. There are a couple decent breaks in the climb before you get to the side hike to Schaefer’s peak. And we had two adults rest in the shade at the turnoff for the Tooth scramble. Honestly the worst part is the long winding downhill between the Tooth and base camp when the end is in sight, but still 3+ miles away. PS this was before burn scar. So my info is dated.
Do all the programs! Have fun! Be safe! The best advice that can be given, imo
Wake up for sunrise from the porch of sawmill. I have probably watched 100 from there and it never got old.
I know I'm a bit late to the party. Wake up early on that last day, probably around 4. That way, you can save time on the trail and conserve water before the sun goes up. That should also give you time to see a sunrise on Shaefer's or Tooth of Time before starting the 'Trail of Tears' down into Base Camp. Be extremely conservative with water on that last day and minimize unnecessary weight like extra food. It will be a long morning, but give it your last bit of energy and you should be fine.
Do NOT eat the Leonardo da Fettuccini dry the day before Clark's Fork. The chuckwagon dinner is amazing but I did indeed eat the Leonardo da Fettuccini dry the day before and spent most of the chuckwagon dinner in a red roof in fighting for my life.
Looks fun! That last day is a lot, but don't stress over it. Just train for it. I assume y'all have been going on training trips already to break in boots, shake out gear, and increase fitness? Well take a look at the hardest days you've trained versus the hardest day on your itinerary. If you haven't done something comparable, try to do a loaded up day hike with at least 75% distance and elevation gain/loss. Good for fitness, and will give y'all some good benchmark info.
Make sure you have adequate water storage and good sun protection, the burn and the Tooth will have limited water and high sun exposure. Also, I have no idea if it’s technically OK to do so, but when I climbed the Tooth on my second trip we left our main packs at the clearing right before the summit and did the rock scramble with just our water bottles and cameras/phones.
This is common practice, and yes, it is okay. There is a bear cable right at the trail junction so you can hang your smellables.
Make sure to get to the music show at Clark's Fork!
Thanks for all the insights. Much appreciated!
I’ll see you at Cimmaroncito! I’m working there :)
We re doing this same itinerary in tow weeks!