Philmont wait listed at over 500 for 2007

[SR540Beaver]

I just checked our council website and our council contingent has 106 spots available. While a "troop" might not get to go and be led by their SM, they and a few buddies could go if they sign up and pay up. Nothing on the council website had any kind of restrictions on who could sign up or how many from a unit could sign up. It appears to be on a first come basis.

 

Like John said, their are other opportunities out there beside Philmont. I believe our troop has done the Pecos Wilderness in the past. Here are a couple of sites I found that might be useful.

 

http://internet.cybermesa.com/~swede/Lodge66/Trails/Pecos/pecos.html

 

http://internet.cybermesa.com/~swede/Lodge66/Trails/Veredas/veredas.html

[EagleBeaver]

We are #1034 on the waiting list of 1418 groups for 2007. Philmont services 22,000 participants each year. If trek crews are 12 people, that means they have about 1800 crews go through and 1400 more wanting to go.

 

I asked Philmont about our chances for 2008. Being on the wait list gives us NO advantage the next year. Everyone enters the lottery and lucky ones get selected. With this system, our troop may never get to Philmont again.

 

I asked about availability of Double H as a new adventure. Double H said they used the same system as Philmont and have no openings for 2007.

 

So, this summer our scouts are organizing a backpacking trek to Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming and backpacking to Arches Nat'l Park in Utah in 2007. I'm expecting our adventures will broaden as the scouts get experience in planning and running a trek from start to finish. We'll keep putting in for Philmont, but we don't expect it to happen.

 

 

 

[Swigs]

How fast can you get motivated? Can you go THIS summer? As of a couple weeks ago, Double H still had LOTS of openings for 2006 treks. Yes, that's this summer - 2006.

 

Both our crew and troop are on the Philmont waiting list for 2007, sitting at over 1000. I think we're going to Northern Tier.

 

To the person who mentioned the similarity to the waiting list for Green Bay Packer season tickets, right now, there are over 60,000 names on that list. As soon as your child is born, put their GRANDchildren on the list. They might get them. LOL

 

Pete

[GernBlansten]

Update...

Although our troop pulled a big goose egg on gaining any slots for Philmont 2007, our council secured 48 slots and opened them up to the OA lodge. We quickly submitted our apps and my son is going! I'm on the wait list though. So at least someone from my family will experience Philmont! I was told the drop out rate for the trip is pretty high and my chances of going are still good.

[John-in-KC]

One comment to MN_Scout:

 

As I understand the Philmont lottery software, if BSA Troop A of Council B wins a slot for Philmont in year 200x, then the software rejects that units' application for year 200(x+1). The software uses the local number AND the Council number.

 

Again, from my understanding of the old "call-in" day (prior to 2004 season), PSR tried, but could not guarantee, a good cull of units which had gone in year x from the year (x+1) list.

 

My last question: Do you have a fairer way for BSA to allocate a scarce resource?

[EagleBeaver]

John-in-KC:

The 'old' way of a troop getting lower priority in year x+1 was good - but that is no longer being done according to the reply I received from Philmont.

 

I believe a more fair way would be for a troop to get a priority boost for each year it puts in and is not picked. I would expect each troop could then go at least once every three years with the current load on the ranch.