July 6th, Day Sixteen – Departing Home

Chris Roach living life up to the fullest on the summit of Baldy Mountain.

We woke up early: 4:45am early to catch our shuttle to the airport. We took our belongings and went to the dining hall to have a continental breakfast. Coffee was a must. We saw our foremen one last time and said our good-byes. It was sad to leave Philmont, but all good things must come to an end and it was time. I was to see my foremen again in Iowa in a few weeks for the National Order of the Arrow Conference. Once we boarded on the shuttle, we traveled to the airport on a five hour ride and eventually went our separate ways.

On the way back to the airport, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened in the last few days. While I was on the summit of Baldy, my foreman Chris Roach asked me to take a photo of him. He spread his arms out wide with the beauty of Philmont behind him. He was on top of the world. He was free. He was, like us, a brother with a purpose to accomplish a set goal. I will never forget seeing him up there. What the picture didn't capture was the hail, wind and cold temperatures on top of that summit. But what it did capture, however, was Chris' excitement, fulfillment, and peace of mind. We were all like Chris that day when we climbed the summit of Baldy. We were all free.

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Revised 6/02/2006