Aug 15: Homebound

The 5 AM wake up seemed awfully inconvenient after we stayed up until 12;15 filling out evaluations and getting fully packed. Like the other early departure crews we ate the Continental breakfast, did final check out and loaded onto Blue Sky coaches bound for Albuquerque at 6 AM.

Pulling out of the camp the driver popped in a movie and Chuck groaned. Instead of letting the Philmont Experience recede naturally, with us peering out the window memorizing the Tooth and hoping for our return, the kids were instantly mesmerized by the video world they’d left behind. For the record: I watched the Tooth.

When we arrived at the airport we dropped off some folks who needed to catch early planes and the Blue Sky bossman determined that we had a ridiculously long layover so he instructed the driver to take us into Old Town and give us a packed lunch. It was a capitol idea.

Bagged lunches and drinks in hand we had a chance to get totally away from each other. Naturally most of the kids stayed together, we 4 adults hung together too. And yes, we did twist and fold up all our trash into a potato chip bag. (I don’t think we ate any dropped food from the ground.)

We did split up for a while, I did some souvenir shopping. The kids bought sombreros and fake mustaches. It was a very nice interlude.

The bus took us to the airport where the security guards chuckled at the mustaches. We gathered in the waiting area and BH handed out our Duty to God patches.

After that CHarv handed us our coveted Philmont Arrowhead patches and we posed for photos.

From my journal: I can scarcely believe I’m wearing it [the Arrowhead]! No other patch in my possession cost so much in sweat, strain and tears; in confidence lost and regained; in struggle and comradeship and sheer determination.

I did it. Thank God, thank Chuck my advisor, thank Sara my tent buddy, thank CHodge and DB my encouragers, thank WP my carrier, KC my conversationalist, CG my pacer, CHarv my crew leader, BL my mood lifter, BH my Happy Bubble, AE my role model and Chris M my fellow plodder. I also thank my husband Steve and son Eric who believed in me from the start.

It was supposed to be hard. It was actually supposed to be harder than you thought you were prepared for — even than you figured you could handle. It’s the only way to see what you really can rise to. For some of the crew it wasn’t hard enough–hopefully they’ll be back to try for Baldy.

As for me: I’ll always treasure the 2008 Trek with Crew 803-Echo, Itinerary 14.

As the bus pulled away, I stared at the Arrowhead shape of the receding Tooth of Time. That means only one thing: one way or another, in some capacity, I’ll be back.

Yeah, me too KC.