Sunshine!!

I wasn't planning on posting again until after ROCS, but I hiked the Tooth of Time this morning for my last day off and took some spectacular photos, enjoy!

This Is What We've Been Waiting For

Since I last wrote I've been counting down to our ROCS trek!
We've been frantically planning and preparing for our participants to arrive and for them to have the most awesome 3 week experience here at Philmont! I've also spent some time in the backcountry doing other STEM things.

Playing Loggerball at Pueblano 

 That being said, starting on July 1st, we will be in the backcountry for 3 weeks. Our participants will start arriving on June 30th. We will have 3 weeks and 130 miles to explore the wonders of Philmont! We will teach lessons on all the -ologies. Ecology, Hydrology, Fire Ecology, Meteorology, etc. It's going to be so great.

The first men's trek went out 2 days ago. They seemed to have a great group. It's wild to think that considering our schedules, we won't get to see them for 5 weeks! And by that point, the summer is almost over :(

Campfire at Metcalf Station 

I will only be able to receive snail mail from June 30 to July 20. I would love to hear from you!
Rebecca Wiebke
Conservation Dept.
47 Caballo Rd.
Cimarron, NM
87714

I can't wait to get back and share all about our experience! Signing off for now!

I wouldn't hate that

Greetings from New Mexico where the sun is strong and the scouts are taking over!

When my partner and I are not leading ROCS what are we doing? Well for those 2/3rds of the summer we are mostly in the backcountry. We get to visit different camps and check on their STEM activities. If they have questions we answer them. If they need more canvas or glue or game pieces or any other material we get it to them. We check these activities periodically throughout the summer to make sure that they are being used to their full potential and that the scouts are learning about the area that they are exploring.

It really is the best gig at the ranch. We get to spend lots of time in the backcountry. We get to meet backcountry staff, scouts, and advisors. We love it.

We finished our first STEM run set yesterday so today and tomorrow are days off. Without a car I'm sort of trapped "on campus" so to speak. But I really don't mind. I'm going to spend today taking care of some housekeeping things and getting myself organized. Tomorrow I might hike the Tooth of Time or go into town with someone. Who knows. Things move so fast here that it's sort of nice to just take a day or two to slow down, read a book, and knit.
Yeah, we have a knitting club and it's awesome. The only problem is that I'm not very good at knitting. I knitted for two hours and then had to undo the whole thing, that happened TWICE. But I'm determined, I'm going to make a hat. Stay tuned.

Also, how it is possible that I've been gone for a MONTH. How is it possible that the summer is 1/3rd over??

"Incredible"

Last night I returned from 10 days of field training. The first 4 were spent with the whole conservation department building trail. It's incredible how much we were able to build in just a few short days. I say short because there were only 4 of them, not because the days in and of themselves were not long. We got up at 5:30 every morning and worked until 5pm. It was long and hard but also so great. We transformed a line staked through the woods into a trail with the right tread width and slope and all the other correct dimensions that would be impossible to spot if you had not spent time trail building.

Directly after those 4 days we went straight to 6 days of Environmental Education specific training. We hiked a fair amount but that was not our main objective. Our objective was to practice teaching lessons and learn from each other. We discussed readings about education, talked about crew dynamics, and everything else you could possibly think of. It was not only great to learn from my peers and see their leadership techniques but it also gave me a chance to brush up on my backcountry skills and I feel a lot more ready now than I was before. We shared many many laughs and really got to know each other. It's bittersweet because from now and into the summer, we may never all be together again.

Right before we came back we were given the skeleton itinerary for our ROCS trek. Sarah and I still have lots of planning to do but it's going to be "incredible."

Today is out first day off since we got here on May 20th. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my fellow EEs and I'm stoked to get the summer started. It was so weird to come back into base yesterday and see that crews had already arrived. Today was the first day that crews went out, summer is really here.

Always be Training

[The following was written on May 27]

Time is weird here. It does this thing that causes me to lose track of the days completely. I would have no chance of telling you the day of the week and it simultaneously feels like I’ve been here for two months and two days.

So the bulk of what I’ve been spending my time doing is classroom training. The rest of the conservation staff arrived and things are in full swing. Our department numbers a little less than 100 staff members during the summer. We’ve spent the last two days in 8-5 classroom training with them and in the upcoming days we will be doing field training with them as well. For field training we are mixed up between the different concentrations in the department. So I for example, who am in the Environmental Education part of conservation is in a training division with people who fill entirely different jobs within the same department. This is a great way to get to know people who you might not get to spend a lot of time with for the rest of the summer. It can also be a bit weird to be thrust into this group. For four days we will be in these training divisions in the field doing trail building work. Directly after this all-encompassing conservation field training, we will move directly into EE specific field training.

Training is great for getting our feet on the ground. We get to meet others from all over the department and try out some of our lessons. It’s definitely a lot, but I’m certain that the rewards will be reaped at the end of the summer when Sarah Cobb and I led the most epic ROCS trek ever (shout out to Sarah Cobb, I know you’re reading this). 

Just Figuring It Out

I have survived my first backcountry round of training. This trip was short, only 2 days, 2 nights. To those of you who are familiar with Philmont, we started at Cito Turnaround, spent our first night at Aspen Springs and our second night at Window Rock before returning to the same turnaround this morning. To those of you who are not familiar, this is a very cool place on the ranch and getting to camp at Window Rock is pretty unique. We spent a lot of time teaching all seven LNT principles with a partner and refreshing our memories on all other sorts of backpacking rules/etiquette. The hiking in and of itself was not too hard and it was a nice reintroduction to the backcounty.

Almost all of the other Environmental Educators have been on Philmont staff before and I am the youngest in the group. There is so much backcountry knowledge and just an overall abundance of environmental knowledge. I know that I can hold my own and that I have been selected for this position for a reason but it can be a bit intimidating. I am trying my best to absorb as much knowledge as possible so that I am able to full my position to the best of my ability. 

The person who I will be co-leading ROCS with is a third year returning staff member and has hiked every trail at Philmont. How epic is that? Not even remotely can I match her backpacking and Philmont knowledge, but I do my best to present a view of what ROCS has looked like and what we want it to look like. I'm sure our trek will be a hit because we both love coffee, both HATE spicy food (as discovered by the consumption of jambalaya last night and our mutual avoidance of Chalula), and we both love layering because we get cold easily. It's going to be a hoot.

I know that what lies ahead are crazy days at base camp, when the rest of the summer staff arrives and the quiet ambiance that surrounds me right now, will be disturbed with more staff members and eventually thousands of scouts. It will really be transformed. We also have more Conservation and Environmental Educator field training that I'm sure will be intense, as well as more training in base all without stop until June 9, our first day off. After that scouts will begin arriving and I will put into action what all this training taught us. Womens ROCS, which I assume will undoubtedly be the highlight of my summer, begins on June 30 and I am stoked.

I'm going to say this again, because the more the merrier; if any female aged 16-20 with any remote outdoor inclination, should really consider coming on ROCS this summer. It truly is an unforgettable experience. Email me for more information, rebecca.wiebke@gmail.com

Attn:

I have now been on the ranch for a bit more than 36 hours but in some ways it seems like an eternity.

Once arriving in Raton and eating lunch at the infamous St. James hotel in Cimarron, my entourage that had accompanied me dropped me off. I was sent on an busying scavenger hunt throughout base to get my uniform, picture taken, med recheck, and tent assignment among other things. I had thought that all of staff would be arriving that day but I was mistaken. The staff arrivals are scheduled all throughout the next few weeks so it really wasn't that busy. Once I got my things done there was really nothing structured for me to do. It was eerie.

But the lull didn't last long. This morning we were up early for breakfast followed by a full and I mean FULL day of training. I think that's how the next few weeks are going to be, chock full of information. We talked about everything from packing our packs to educational techniques and Leave No Trace principals. It was quite overwhelming. We got to spend the whole day with the other Environmental Educators so it was great to get a sense of who I'll be working with all summer.

Tomorrow we head out on our first training hike. It's a nice starter, only 2 days, 2 nights. We will be partner teaching our first lessons and practicing our Leave No Trace techniques. Everything is happening very quickly.

Let me end with a quick plea to any 16 to not yet 21 year old girl who doesn't have anything planned from June 30 to July 21 this summer. PLEASE consider coming to Philmont and participating in the ROCS trek. This is a 21 day experience that I'm co-leading with another super awesome and experienced Philmont employee.  You will learn basic backpacking skills as well as get to experience exciting lessons ranging from dendrology to fire ecology to range management. There are still spots as well as scholarships available! Please spread the word and email me at rebecca.wiebke@gmail.com if you or anyone you know is interested!
http://www.philmontscoutranch.org/rocs.aspx