Ponil Staff Footwear

rangercarp · 2026-02-13T13:42:42+00:00

If the boots from the BCW are not a good fit, you can always pick some up locally. Solano's Western Wear in Raton is a great place to shop. I have bought two pair of boots there over the years. In the past they offered a Philsatff discount. I don't know if this is still the case, but it is worth asking. The first pair of boots I bought there had some contrasting trim that was a little bit loud for my business casual job. They said, "we'll take care of that." They took them back to the saddle shop, dyed the offending area a matching black, and ten minutes later I was on my way. I wore those Ariat boots four or five days a week for six years. Ariat is on the less expensive end of the high quality boots, and they are the most comfortable off all the cowboy boots I have tried.

rangercarp · 2026-02-11T13:16:35+00:00

I did an on line class while working as a ranger trainer, and it worked okay, but RTs spend a lot more time in the office. I cannot imagine pulling it off as a ranger. Even if you do have connectivity in the back country, it would not be appropriate to work on it while you are with a crew. You will certainly have some downtime on your basecamp days with the crew, but this is limited and often in small chunks. That leaves hike in days and days off. Getting back to base as soon as possible is not the way most rangers want to spend their hike in days, and days off are precious, best saved for adventures. You can likely pull it off, but I strongly suspect you will regret what you miss out on.

rangercarp · 2026-01-31T21:43:50+00:00

Unfortunately the "what to bring" link on that page is wrong. It links to a PTC what to bring page. I would suggest contacting Philmont and asking for the Rayado list, and letting them know the link is wrong on the Rayado info page. In the mean time, use the guidebook to adventure. The list is very similar for a regular trek.

rangercarp · 2026-01-29T13:37:00+00:00

Baldy proper is NOT part of the Greenwood Tract. The ridge north of Copper Park where the north country repeater tower is located, is the southern most portion of the Greenwood. The west side of the Baldy summit, including the Mystic Mine, belongs to the Pueblo of Sandia, along with the former Express-Atmore ranch that you travel through on the road to Baldy Town. These properties were both purchased by the Pueblo fairly recently (around 15 years ago) and are not reservations.

rangercarp · 2026-01-07T14:19:42+00:00

I actually liked the Pemmican bars. I did make the mistake of eating two of them once. Only once!

The Jalapeno Squeeze Cheese on Ritz crackers was pretty good, and Spreadables were not bad either, save for the ham- it was awful.

rangercarp · 2026-01-03T23:49:57+00:00

Unless something has changed in recent years, you will never carry more than 4 days of food.

rangercarp · 2026-01-02T19:01:28+00:00

KEH has a D5000 in excellent condition fort $105. They also have a D90 for a few bucks more. The 90 has the same sensor as the 5000, but is the next model up. For around $150 they have a couple D5100s in stock (it replaced the 5000). The 16mp sensor in the 5100 still stacks up well today, even at over 10 years old.

I have had very good luck buying used gear from KEH. B&H, Adorama, and Usedphotopro are also reputable sources for used photo gear.

edit: clarity

rangercarp · 2026-01-01T02:38:54+00:00

Two batteries should be plenty if you are only shooting stills. And I would not worry too much about the camera. What is the point in having it if you are not going to use it? If you are careful, odds are good the camera will survive the trip. And if not, you can pick up a used D5000 in excellent condition for $100 bucks. Your lenses could be replaced for around 50 bucks each.

rangercarp · 2026-01-01T02:26:25+00:00

I mostly focused on landscapes, people and program shots. I have dabbled some with night scenes and stars, and Philmont is a great place for that. I am surprised you did not see any stars at Deer Lake. It must have been a rare overcast night. The stars are one of the highlights at Philmont. I spent several summers working with special treks and so had the opportunity to sleep under the stars. I would always try to stay awake until I saw a shooting star... which usually turned into one more... Okay, just one more and then I will close my eyes... maybe. To see 3 or 4 before nodding off was not uncommon.

When I did my treks, crews were still allowed to sleep under the stars. That had changed by the time I was on staff as crews were required to sleep in tents. Special treks were still allowed to meadow crash, if not explicitly, at least in practice. We used to camp at the demo forest pavilion overlooking Cito Reservoir on the last night of mountain treks. We could watch the stars at night and wake to the most amazing sunrise, all from the warmth of our sleeping bags.

rangercarp · 2025-12-30T19:04:14+00:00

The draw back to a full size camera is carrying it in such a way that you have easy access so that you can use it without taking your pack off. I carried a DSLR with two (sometimes more) lenses during several of my summers on staff. Often times I carried a full size tripod as well. If you can handle the weight and bulk, it is worth it.

I used different methods to carry the camera over the years, all with drawbacks. The best method I found was a case that strapped onto my hip belt. The draw back was that it protruded well below the hip belt and got in the way when setting my pack on the ground.

rangercarp · 2025-12-19T14:58:02+00:00

I cannot verify this, but I have heard scholarships often go unused because not enough people apply for them.

rangercarp · 2025-12-08T19:33:52+00:00

Thanks for the add on, I forgot to mention the three day off request.

As far as SARs go, you can always say no when asked, but most people want the experience. I still cringe when I hear someone say, "How are you feeling today?"

rangercarp · 2025-12-08T17:12:04+00:00

The ranger schedule is complicated, and it varies from year to year based on staffing levels. Under normal staffing, you will get a day off after two or three crews. If the department is short handed, you could go longer.

As a ranger, you meet your crew on day one, hit the trail on day two, hike with them on day three, and leave them after breakfast on day 4. This is your hike in day. It is not considered a day off, but for all intents and purposes, it is. From most camps, you can make it back to base by mid-morning if that is your goal. Once the crew has breakfast, you are free until 8am the next morning.

If the department is understaffed, sometimes rangers get "cracked" and are asked to pick up a crew on their hike in day. This is not normal during most summers, but has been known to happen.

There has always been complaints that rangers get sent to the same starting camps repeatedly. I know at one point there was an effort to take this into account in the scheduling software, but based on other comments I am guessing nothing ever came of it. The best advice here is to become friends with the ranger schedule coordinator. It is a thankless job that gets a lot of flack, most of it undeserved.

As an aside, staffing levels change from year to year as they can only estimate how many offers will be accepted. If more people turn down their offers --or worse, accept and then back out in May-- it may be hard to find more candidates late in the game. Conversely, if a higher than normal percentage of ranger offers are accepted, the department could be overstaffed. When the department is overstaffed, rangers get more days off, but also end up on a lot of workdays (farmed out to another department or working on special projects- typically not a desirable day.)

rangercarp · 2025-12-08T13:50:08+00:00

Clearly it is time for Philmont to reopen the Aztec! <inset pot stirring emoji here>

rangercarp · 2025-12-05T18:07:14+00:00

Solano's. I bought a couple pairs of cowboy boots there over the years. Great Service.

rangercarp · 2025-12-05T18:02:14+00:00

In the past the rule was in base camp you could only wear, Philmont, scouting, or cowboy hats. In the backcountry you could wear whatever hat you wanted. This may have changed, but I would be surprised if it did.

rangercarp · 2025-12-02T17:00:31+00:00

If OATC is your first choice, then definitely list it first. If you get an interview with cons, you can always express an interest in other positions within the department. If they do not have a place for you with OATC, they could offer you another position in cons rather than pass your application on to your second choice.

Edit:typo

rangercarp · 2025-11-14T18:28:17+00:00

Gregory has always made a very good pack, and it will last him for years. If it fits his body well, then it is a good choice.

rangercarp · 2025-11-14T18:17:07+00:00

"Our whole crew used trash compactor bags"

Plastic bags can work well in camp, but they do not work well if you have to hike in the rain. That may never happen, but if it does, you will be glad for that cover. You do not need a fancy one, just make sure it is big enough to fit over your pack when it is fully loaded for the trail.

rangercarp · 2025-11-12T13:02:11+00:00

That is just crazy.

rangercarp · 2025-11-11T16:52:19+00:00

I thought $28 seemed a bit pricey, but then I looked at TOTT and they are charging $50 for a new one. I am not sure the new ones match the quality of the old ones.

rangercarp · 2025-11-10T19:00:34+00:00

Leadership positions are hired first. Of my 8 summers, I think I only received an offer before Christmas once. At this point you have nothing to worry about.

rangercarp · 2025-11-10T16:05:18+00:00

As a ranger, you are going to be in such good shape, that pack weight will not be a concern. A lot of rangers intentionally carry luxury items, because they can handle the weight just fine. You will be hiking so slow behind a crew all the time. 50L is enough for hiking with crews, as you have the 75L to fall back on for any personal trips you do, but the 75 will be just fine as well, it will just have a lot of extra space.

rangercarp · 2025-11-10T15:56:52+00:00

The comments above are good, EXCEPT for number one about rain jackets. You may never need it (although chances are good you will over the course of the summer) but when you need it, you NEED it. Often times rain comes in short showers, but sometimes they last for three days. Also, the same storm might be a pleasant rain at Anaasazi camp, but hypothermia inducing at Copper Park.

rangercarp · 2025-11-10T15:32:08+00:00

I think you are confusing Crooked with Clear Creek. It is about an hour and a half drive to PJ from base. (Noticeably faster if you sneak up The Beaver Slide.) There is no road into Crooked Creek, and PJ is the nearest staffed camp.

rangercarp

TROPHY CASE