July 4th, Day Fourteen – My First Real Independence Day

Brian on the ridge climbing up Black Mountain.

Today is the Fourth of July, my first one away from home. Though it does not bother me as the magic and beauty of Philmont is better than fireworks. We woke up and hiked to our last campsite: the Tooth of Time. This was a lengthy hike, as we stopped at the Black Mountain Camp. While that does not seem difficult, it was a testing hike. Getting to the Black Mountain Camp was easy, the trick is getting out of it. The camp is located in a valley, where no roads lead to it. While at the camp, we had a chance to shoot rifles.

To leave the camp and stay on course, we hiked up the Black Mountain trail, also known as "the Mount Everest of Philmont." I figured out why they called it that. The beginning of the hike was easy, but as you got towards the top, your pack felt like it weighed no less than 300 pounds. You could only take about 15 steps until you had to lean on a tree and take a five second break. The trick was to make mental goals in your mind of going from one tree to another. The climb was extremely intense and I went through most of my water on the very assent.

Brian with a sunset behind him while traveling to the Tooth of Time ridge.

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to the top and it wasn't without reward. Here were could see where we hiked for the past few days, including the camps we stayed at and Mount Phillips. We also saw a ski resort located not too far away from Philmont Scout Ranch. We caught our breath and pressed onward. We were falling behind schedule and had to get to the Tooth of Time ridge before dark.

The sun started to set as we hiked. We had to keep going, the end wasn't far from now. The sights were magnificent. We could see where we first started on our trek five days ago. This hike was great to end the trek. Just after the sunset, we hit the ridge of the Tooth of Time.

Panoramic view of the Tooth of Time ridge.

We climbed up to the ridge to look at the horizon. It was simply incredible. Not only could we look down at base camp, but right over Cimarron, we saw actual fireworks celebrating the forth of July. The thunderstorms we saw in the distance from a ridge on the first night of this trek must have been foreshadowing. How noble of a feeling it was to be on the ridge of the Tooth of Time with my tight group of brothers to celebrate the fourth of July with fireworks in the horizon. This was by far my favorite and most memorable Independence Day in my 19 years of existence. It was my first real Independence Day, as I was free in God's country enjoying life.

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Revised 6/02/2006