Day 18 - Tuesday, 8/15/67

Head of Dean Camp to Miranda Camp

From the Philmont Trail Guide:

Miranda Camp, a lush sloping park in the Baldy area, was named after Guadalupe Miranda, one of the holders of a huge New Mexican land grant of which Philmont is less than one-tenth. Groups routed from Miranda to New Dean face a long and arduous hike. Miranda boasts a huge mountain meadow, ringed with aspen and a lake suitable for fishing. You may see elk in this area, as well as beaver and wild turkey. Before Philmont acquired this land, Miranda was a Four-H Camp.
Route for the day

Route for the day

From my journal of 1967:

Left Head of Dean early. Tom Gavin & I went ahead of the rest. Had a long but gradual climb. Saw a whole family of deer. Had a terrible rain & hailstorm. Waited for Bob Barker who got hurt by a hailstone. Took shelter in an old building at Miranda. Set up camp during rain, which stopped in afternoon. Had a survival lecture. In night saw 1st bear in woods. Did conservation work.

While I can't remember much about the day before this one, for some reason I can remember this day quite well. There was some beautiful scenery, and it was very quiet and wonderful out on the trail. Happily, as we were going from New Dean to Miranda, it was downhill most of the way, and thus it was easier than it sounded in the trail guide.

I remember the rain and hail this day on the trail. The old building we stopped in was either a barn or livestock feeding station, as there was hay on the floor. It was a great spot to stop and rest our tired feet, with the rain and hail pounding down on the roof. Unfortunately, the storm didn't stop in time, so we had to head back outside to get our campsite put together for the night.

Most of Crew #3 with Baldy in the background

Most of Crew #3 with Baldy in the background

Everyone looks well rested in this shot. I hope they were, as this was a longer hike than we had done in the past few days.

View on the road to Miranda

View on the road to Miranda

I've always liked this picture. The starkness of the dead tree really stands out against the distant hills. Many of those hills still bear the scars of old logging and mining operations, as seen in the bare spots.

Tom Gavin with Baldy in the background

Tom Gavin with Baldy in the background

As my old notes indicate, Tom Gavin and I went on ahead of the rest of the crew for most of the day. Both of us enjoyed this, as we tended to hike somewhat faster than the rest of the group. It was also easier to spot animals this way, as the two of us were quieter than the larger group behind us.

It's hard to believe that two days later we would all be standing on the top of Baldy Mountain.

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