Wind!  The strong stuff – sustained winds of at least 40 mph with super strong gusts – started around 10:00pm last night.  There was one gust that we could hear coming that had to be near 80 mph.  It sounded like a tornado coming up the ridge.  Chad and Josh had to leave their beds under the crew fly and get into tents with Glenn and Allen because the wind blew the fly down around 11:00pm.  The winds died down to almost calm at 2:00am, and stayed calm for a couple of hours before starting up again with the coming of false dawn around 4:00am.

I got up at 5:30am and joined a few guys from Crew 3 to watch the sun rise from a small rock outcropping near camp.  After a while, I began gathering pinecones before starting to break camp.  We took our time breaking camp, and then had breakfast before a group went up to the Tooth of Time with Crew 3.  They left a little before 9:00am.  By then the wind had calmed and another beautiful day had begun.  I walked around camp gathering more pinecones and enjoying the view while the group was gone.  The group returned a little before 10:00am, saying that Crew 1 had just reached the base of the Tooth, and Crew 2 started down our last trail at 10:00am.

The trail down has many switchbacks, and teases you as you get closer and closer to base camp.  A turn would lead you all the way across to the backside of the ridge, only to be brought back to the base camp view again, this time a little closer.  Andrew set a wicked pace down.  I rubbed dime-sized blisters on both balls of my feet trying to keep up.  Jan and Glenn were smarter and stayed back to walk at their own pace. 

The guys were ready to get to base camp, and we reached the services building at 11:50am.  It usually takes crews two and one-half hours to get down from Tooth Ridge Camp.  At the services building we dropped our packs, and Josh went to check us in to tent city and I went to the administration building to get our crew envelope out of the safe.  Everyone else emptied all crew gear from their packs.  As we were sitting at services, we realized that we could eat lunch in the dining hall at 12:15pm, so we gathered the crew and went to eat. 

I waited behind to tell Crew 3 to join us in the dining hall as soon as possible.  Real food – even dining hall food – was great after 11 days of trail food.  After lunch I moved my pack into tent city, then went for crew mail while we were waiting for services to reopen at 1:00pm.  Services opened up, and we quickly got our gear returned, then we moved everyone into tent city. 

After all packs were stowed in tents, we went to the vehicles for personal base camp gear and clothes, and went to hit the showers with the plan of meeting at the snack bar at 2:00pm where I would buy the crew ice cream.  I cannot begin to describe how good that first shower feels after no showers in 11 days of hard hiking.  I did not think I would ever get out of the shower. 

Josh and I got together at 1:45pm and worked our way down the crew checkout sheet, visiting services, administration – where I picked up crew & contingent pictures and our Philmont patches, logistics, and security.  We got to the snack bar a little after 2:00pm, and everyone was there waiting except for Andrew.  He got caught in a long line at the showers and showed up about 10 minutes later. 

Crew 1 hit base camp around 2:20pm.  Crew 2 had free time in base camp until 5:00pm.  I hit the trading post for some purchases and then searched out Crew 1 advisors to make plans for our post-trek feast.  We decided to go to Simple Simon’s at 5:00pm for pizza. 

When we got there, Simple Simon’s had just closed, so we opted for cheeseburgers at the CreMee Drive In.  The burgers were better than I remembered, and after everyone had eaten, I talked a little about the Philmont patch, and then had the crew leaders pass out patches to their crewmembers.  I had purchased three Philmont neckerchiefs and had each crew sign one.  These will be displayed in the Troop 445 hut.  When we finished dinner, we went out in the parking lot and got into our Class A uniform shirts, complete with our new Philmont patches, and returned to base camp at 7:15pm.  Closing campfire was to begin at 8:15pm, so we tried to get everyone to bring their packs to the trailer before then.  Almost everyone did. 

Closing campfire began at 8:15pm.  The campfire was great.  There were a few skits, and a staffer named Jeremy played three songs on his guitar.   An archival movie of the old Philturn Scout Camp from 1939 was shown to end the campfire.  It was very interesting.  The campfire ended around 9:15pm, and we quickly walked over to the snack bar for a last Philmont ice cream before hitting the sack around 10:30pm.