Included in this message:
- WMA Invitation / Friday night and Saturday morning schedules
- Watchu Request – fill your water bottles at home
- Crew Photo and Cell Phone reminders
- Fast Pass update
- Note to Contingent Tour Advisors
- Guidebook to Adventure tip / Trail Planning reminder
- WMA Pre-test
Your crew is enthusiastically invited to attend the
2015 Watchu Mountain Adventure!!
Friday, May 1st through Sunday, May 3th
Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation
The Watchu Mountain Adventure will be the highlight of your entire Watchu Experience – the opportunity to put all you have learned to the test in a simulated Philmont environment, the chance to ask questions of experienced Philmont veterans during presentations on every aspect of a Philmont trek, and two exciting multi-media shows that will have you and your crew chomping at the bit to get into the Magic Mountains of the Philmont backcountry.
The schedule, as follows, is identical for all crews until 8:00am Saturday morning, at which time each crew will begin following one of two separate tracks through the remainder of the weekend’s activities.
Friday Evening:
5:00pm to 6:30 pm Check-in
5:15pm to 8:15pm Trail of Discovery (floating start, based on arrival time)
6:45pm to 8:30pm Setup camp (floating start, after Trail of Discovery)
8:45pm Advisor Orientation
9:00pm Youth Gather
9:30pm Opening Program, followed by a crackerbarrel
10:15pm Setup camp (if more time is needed) / Free time
11:00pm Lights out
Saturday Morning:
6:00am Reveille, breakfast, strike camp, and pack
7:15am Crew Chief Briefing on Shakedown Mesa
Chaplain Aide Briefing on Shakedown Mesa
Crew Reporter Briefing on Shakedown Mesa
Lead Advisor Briefing on Shakedown Mesa
Recall – all youth crew leadership positions should be filled BEFORE you arrive on Watchu Mountain
8:00am Find the gaps – it’s not just a hike – hiking is a team sport!
See Friday/Early Saturday Schedule and Sample Saturday/Sunday Schedule for more information and detail about the schedules. Your crew will receive its actual schedule for the weekend at check-in on Friday evening.
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Watchu Request: Please remind everyone in your crew to come to the Watchu Mountain Adventure with full water bottles – it will help speed up your journey on the “Trail of Discovery.”
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Crew Photo Reminder: Shortly after arrival, a crew photo will be taken – each crew member should look sharp in their full official BSA uniform.
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Cell Phone Reminder: Each crew should carry at least one cell phone throughout the Watchu Mountain Adventure. Cell numbers will be recorded at Check-in on Friday in case your crew needs to be contacted in an emergency and crews will be given a telephone number to use if they need to contact the Watchu staff.
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Watchu Fast Pass Check-in: Tuesday night 17 crews were certified for Fast Pass Check-in at the Watchu Mountain Adventure. Great work!.
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Special note to Contingent Tour Advisors (one per contingent): You are expected to attend a short meeting Sunday morning at 8:15am on Shakedown Mesa with Rob Pardue of Blue Sky Adventures and Chief Watchu.
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Tip: The Watchu Mountain Adventure will work much better if all members of your crew have read their Guidebook to Adventure beforehand. Also, all advisors should have read the other material sent from Philmont in the advisors package, especially the Philmont TREKS – Itinerary Guide. Bring these important guidebooks and your Philmanac with you to the Mountain for your Trail Planning session Saturday evening.
Trek Planning Reminder: Your crew will have a crew-specific Trail Planning exercise during the Watchu Mountain Adventure. Recall that Dwight Stein, the former Logistics Manager at Philmont, will be on the mountain to answer specific questions you may have about your trek. Bring your crew’s Philmanac and TREKS Itinerary Guide. Each crew member should bring their Guidebook to Adventure. (If you have not received your copies of TREKS, the Guidebook to Adventure, and other documents, you should contact Philmont about getting replacements.)
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Pre-Test: The Watchu Team refers to the Watchu Mountain Adventure as a “mid-term exam” for you to evaluate where your crew is on the trail of preparing for Philmont. Test yourself to see if you are ready for the Adventure – do you know the answers to the following questions from the Watchu Mountain Adventure section of the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page of the Watchu Experience Web site? If not, you should spend some time brushing up.
- How does a crew handle a Tour and Activity Plan for the Watchu Mountain Adventure?
- What is the check-in time on Friday for the Watchu Mountain Adventure?
- What is “Fast Pass” check-in and how does a crew qualify for it?
4 Will copies of the Philmont medical forms be acceptable at the check-in for the Watchu Mountain Adventure, or must originals be used?
5 Is it possible to turn in something other than a Philmont medical form for a crew member at the Watchu Mountain Adventure?
- Is it possible for a crew member to leave the Watchu Mountain Adventure for a short period of time to attend to some other personal commitment?
- Will crew members wear the full official uniform during the entire Watchu Mountain Adventure?
- Is it correct that, unlike Philmont, crew equipment such as toilet paper, tents, dining fly, cooking utensils, pots, etc., will NOT be provided for the Watchu Mountain Adventure and must be supplied by each crew?
- Is there anything special (not on the Equipment Lists) that advisors should bring to the Watchu Mountain Adventure?
- Will food be provided to crews at the Watchu Mountain Adventure, or must each crew bring meals for its members?
- When should the crew’s Crew Chief, Chaplain Aide, Wilderness Pledge Guia and Navigator be selected?
- Will there be opportunity to fill water containers during the Watchu Mountain Adventure?
- Will dinner be at sites with a water source, or will it be a “dry camp” where water must be carried in?
- Will the hike during the Watchu Mountain Adventure a crew be at least 15 miles, satisfying the requirement for the Backpacking Merit Badge?
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See you on the Mountain!
Bat Masterson
St. James Hotel, Cimarron, New Mexico Territory
Lawman, gunfighter and guest