After

Seniors Zach Lind and Matt Judd may not have gone skydiving or rode 2.7 seconds on a bull named Blue Manchu, like in Tim McGraw’s hit song “Live Like You Were Dying,” but they did get to go Rocky Mountain climbing.

The two Albert Lea High School seniors, along with members of their boy scout troop, took an unforgettable trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico this past summer.

This year celebrated the Philmont Scout Ranch’s 75th anniversary. Troop 7, of Albert Lea, sent nine youth and four adults to Philmont. Youth who went included Judd, Lind, Zach Rice (senior), Scot Kabrud (junior), Eli Harveaux (junior), Jay Skaar (sophomore), Ethan Peek (freshman), Aaron Fitzlaff (sophomore) and Eric Ronnenburg (sophomore). Adults accompanying them were Doug Lind, Chris Harveaux, Nick Ronnenberg and Joe Kabrud, all fathers of troop members.

The 12-day trek began at Philmont’s base camp, where the scouts met with a ranger who taught them safety and first-aid skills they may need to know while backpacking the Rocky Mountains. Judd said they also received supplies and gear and learned about the wilderness they were about to journey into.

“I got a lot of survival skills I wouldn’t get to learn anywhere else,” Judd said.

Over the 12-day period, the troop put around 83 miles of hiking under their belts. The shortest day of hiking was four miles, and the longest a 13-mile venture (final day). The troop stopped at various landmarks throughout their trip, such as Mount Phillips and the Tooth of Time.

Mount Phillips was Lind’s favorite stop on the trip. It peaks at 11,736 feet. At the top, Lind proposed everyone took five minutes of silence to take in the sight.

“It was absolutely gorgeous,” Lind said.

Judd’s favorite stop came on the last day when the troop climbed the Tooth of Time, one of Philmont’s key landmarks. Judd overcame his fear of heights that day when he climbed the 9,003-foot peak.

Each scout member got something different out of the trip, whether it be survival skills, overcoming fears or spending time with other members and the fathers who chaperoned.

“Going out and being in the wilderness is something everyone should get to do,” Lind said. “You get to know who you really are. … I can’t wait to go back.”