Below is a press release from Troop 56:
WILMINGTON, MA — A crew of boys from Scouting America Troop 56 hiked to the summit of Mt. Pierce earlier this month as their latest training exercise in preparation for a nine-day backcountry backpacking trek in the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch planned for the summer of 2027. The trail to Philmont requires dedication from this subset of the troop. In addition to their usual Scouting activities like weekly meetings and monthly campouts, the Philmont crew goes on regular hiking excursions not only for physical conditioning, but also to practice wilderness skills like navigation, trail cooking, and team building.
Mt. Pierce is one of the famed 4000’ mountains of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. The crew hiked a rocky trail, gaining over 2500’ in elevation with 40 pounds of gear on their backs, made camp near the summit, and returned the following morning to complete the 8-mile round trip. Though this was the crew’s first backpacking overnight, previous training hikes in the White Mountains have included Mt. Osceola and East Osceola and the Franconia Ridge loop, which covers Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack, and the tallest peak for the crew thus far, Mt. Lafayette (5,249 feet).
Philmont Scout Ranch is a high adventure base operated by Scouting America. It covers 140,000 acres of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo subrange of the Rocky Mountains that offers Scouts the chance to challenge themselves on treks of 40-60 miles over rugged trails while learning about traditions of frontier and native life through immersive history campsites and hands-on skills workshops.
Want in on the adventure? Troop 56 Wilmington is open to all boys aged 11–17. Come join us and see where scouting can take you! Contact Troop56wilmington@gmail.com.
Left to Right: J. Borgen, A.Murphy, T. Adamek, H. Borgen, C. MacDonald, T. McGagh
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