Local Troop 200 Scouts New Mexico wilderness adventure

The boys trekked across over 50 miles of the rugged terrain in an area that is provided through a partnership between the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Boy Scouts of America.

The team hiked to an elevation of over 8,000 feet on an unmarked trail.

"It was uphill both ways," attests Scout Jacob Reeves with a smile. Reeves fell victim to the heat well into the hike and spent some "off time" at base camp.

One Scout, who had anxiously anticipated the trip, barely began the journey when he was forced to return home. Steven Ulm had been nursing a bad knee and was committed to making the hike, but was forced early on to return, disappointed, by train.

For all of the boys who completed the trip, and for their leaders as well, it was a trip of a lifetime and one, they unanimously agree, that they'd take again.

"Just not right now," says Scout Steven Harrellson, who captured the adventure in photographs, some of which are included in this edition of the Daily Statesman.

The troop separated into two groups and each elected a leader among their Scouting counterparts. Harrellson and Tyler Gillespie served in the leadership roles. Although the four adult leaders were close at hand, they served primarily in an emergency capacity only. This journey was a trip for the boys and of the boys.

The Scouts got an education, not only in the realm of hiking and wilderness survival, but in the area of American History as well. They were afforded an opportunity to see the land as the Native Americans did, in all its glory and innocence. Wildlife abounds in the region and they sighted several antelope in the wild and slept with the wails of coyotes in the distance.

Asked what they missed the most, the Scouts' responses varied.

"Showers," says Ryan Bagby.

And for another, "TV."

And the worst element of the adventure? All agree it was the dust, with the cactus placing a close second.

"You could lay your water bottle down on the ground and in a matter of minutes, it was covered with dust," Harrellson says.

That same dust, they say, coated their skin and hair and left them feeling parched through much of the climb, with temperatures nearing 100 degrees.

"The humidity isn't as bad as Southeast Missouri, though," says Bradley Mitchell.

Scenes from the boys' adventure include breathtaking views of the mountainous region of New Mexico and the rugged terrain that provided the challenges faced by the Dexter crews and can be seen on page 14 of today's edition.