Ten Years Ago...

I moved out to Los Angeles ten years and one month ago, and it is sometimes hard to believe that it has been that long.  During the summer of 1996 I was working in the mountains in northern New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch.  It was really one of the best times of my life. 

We lived in tents in base camp, which were separated up into "Male Tent City" and "Female Tent City".  We ate at the cafeteria, and worked out in the hot sun, occasionally enjoying brief rainstorms and windstorms.  We didn't have computers, televisions, or any real access to the "real world", and the closest town, Cimarron, had one gas station and not much else.  It was easy to get tan and lose weight, because we spent the entire time working outdoors, hiking, camping, and generally just doing things that you don't do when you live in a city. 

A highlight used to be loading a car up with as many people as could fit and driving out to Taos.  It was quite a drive, but they had a movie theater, a Wal-Mart, and hot springs.  It was a least an hour drive, but well worth it for a brief breath of civilization.  I miss working out there, and I miss the people I worked with.  It was a great group of people that I have lost touch with, unfortunately.  Like high school and college, you think these are people that you will be around and know forever, but then you start to inexorably drift apart, and soon you don't even talk to them. 

The photo is of our crew working the opening campfire, which told the history of New Mexico and of Philmont.  I'm dressed in the "Mountain Man" attire, which was leather pants, a leather shirt, boots, a coonskin cap, and a rifle.  And you had to go commando in those pants.  Nice.  It was a real man's outfit, and you felt pretty feral wearing it.  Of all the people in the picture, I still talk to Jessica, who is dressed as Native American girl Acuma.  Everyone else has drifted away to other places. 

Sometimes I would have to wear the Conquistador outfit, which Steve is wearing on the right side of the picture.  That outfit had cooler boots, and you got to wave a sword around, but as the mountain man you got to jump off the fence, scream, and shout.  The audience would love it.  Those may have been my 15 minutes of fame, but I'd gladly trade anything to go back in time and relive it.

Comments

[MattG]

I loved Philmont. I went out there twice while I was in the Boy Scouts. I would have LOVED working there.

I have a panoramic photo from the top of Baldy Mountain on the wall behind my desk at home:

http://www.ircgeeks.us/~mattg/lj/ikea/office_after_02.jpg

[Kevin]

I have one of those too, but mine is a panorama from the Tooth of Time, I believe. Or maybe it's the same one. Time to frame that sucker.

[Sabrina_C]

dude, the headgear is rediculous, but you make a hot mountain man.

[Safiyyah]

Wow. As I child, I'd read about the coonskin cap, but for some reason I never visualized it looking as gruesome as it does there!