| |
| Base Camp | |
| Geographical information | |
| Elevation |
6,550' |
| Latitude |
36º 27' 11.58" N |
| Longitude |
104º 57' 34.76" W |
| Water |
Tap Water, Potable |
| Program description | |
| Program |
Opening Campfire, Closing Campfire, Religious Services |
| Facilities |
Showers, Trading Post, Dining Hall, Health Lodge, Post Office, Laundromat |
| Type |
Base Camp, Administration, Training Camp |
| Additional information | |
| [Source] | |
Pack Lines at the Welcome Center
Base Camp is the current center of all Philmont administration, succeeding the previous base camp, Ponil Camp. It contains Camping Headquarters, the Philmont Training Center and Villa Philmonte, the Seton Museum, the fire response facilities, the cattle headquarters, and the administration area.
Location and geography[]
Camping Headquarters is a town unto itself, and its population exceeds that of Cimarron on most nights of the summer. Its primary facilities are:
- The Welcome Center, a large pavilion containing soda machines and picnic tables. It serves as a waiting area for crews arriving at or departing from the ranch, as well as crews catching a bus to go on the trail or returning at the end of their trek. Philmont operates a free bus from the Welcome Center to Cimarron twice a day. The Welcome Center's small office offers check-in instructions and general information, and its restrooms are considered the best on the ranch.
- Camp Administration/Logistics, which manage registration and orchestrate all the ranch's operations.
- Three Tent cities: Trailbound, Homebound, and Staff. Each contains several showerhouses. The staff tent city's capacity is roughly 900, though it is rarely full; Trailbound and Homebound each hold between 400 and 500 trekkers.
- Two dining halls, one for campers and one for staff. Rarely do campers eat more than three meals during a single stay in base camp; consequently, the former has a very short meal rotation and serves food of very poor quality. The latter, since it serves the entire base camp staff and any other staff who happen to be staying in base camp, has a longer rotation and better food.
- Services, a large L-shaped building whose facilities include:
- Rental and return of gear and issuance of trail food
- A room for crews to scrub their dirty pots and dishes at the end of their trek
- Hooks and bungee cords on which crews hang their wet tents and rain flies at the end of their trek. PLEASE DO NOT PLAY WITH THE BUNGEES.
- Lockers, where crews may store anything they have brought but do not want to take on the trail
- A post office, which dispatches mail to the backcountry if necessary
- The Health Lodge, which conducts "rechecks" of all incoming campers, and handles all the ranch's serious health-related issues. Health officers communicate with backcountry staff by radio, and can dispatch cars or helicopters to retrieve patients if necessary.
- Tooth of Time Traders, the official "trading post", which sells all manner of camping and backpacking gear as well as a large selection of souvenirs. Its 'Nalgene Tree', a wooden tree adorned with Nalgene-brand water bottles, is particularly well-known.
- The Snack Bar, in the same building at the trading post, which sells a variety of snack foods, beverages, and ice cream. Its tree-lined patio is a popular destination for crews and staff.
- Four chapels of four different faiths: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Latter-Day Saints. Each chapel holds services every evening, and most incoming and some outgoing crews attend these.