We had our first Philmont training hike this Saturday (Aug 27) under the leading edge clouds of Hurricane Irene.   We started at Chain Bridge and hiked along Pimmit Run all the way back to McLean (approx 6 -7 miles).  Each scout and adult planning on attending Philmont wore a backpack with at least a partial load:  sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad, raingear, camp shoes, trail snacks, dish and utensils, hat, and 3 liters (minimum) of water.  At Philmont we will carry more than this.  We also had several scouts and parents who are not going to Philmont came along to do the hike.

We'll make several more Philmont hiking trials to make sure all participants are well prepared for the real thing next year.