Kanik is the winter camping program of Philmont Scout Ranch

Philmont Scout Ranch

Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...

, the best known of the three National High Adventure Bases operated by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

 (BSA). This cold weather camping program is based on a similar program called Okpik

Okpik

Okpik, pronounced as is the cold-weather adventure program offered by the Boy Scouts of America's Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases at the Charles L...

 at Charles L. Sommers in Ely, Minnesota, part of the BSA's Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases

Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases

The Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases are a collection of high adventure bases run by the Boy Scouts of America in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota, Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park, Manitoba's Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park and points beyond...

. The main goal of the program is to teach participating crews how to camp comfortably in the cold winter months. Philmont has had a winter camping program since 1982, but it wasn't until 1990 that the more expanded Kanik program began. Kanik is considered as one of Philmont's two second season program; the other being Autumn Adventure

Autumn Adventure

Autumn Adventure is the autumn camping program of Philmont Scout Ranch, the best known of the three National High Adventure Bases operated by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America...

.

Attending Kanik

Sessions for the Kanik program are available from December 28 to March 31. Between Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 and New Years Day a special discounted holiday trek is offered. Weather conditions vary; if there is in adequate snow for cross-country skiiing, then crews are given the opportunity hike in the Philmont backcountry. The program allows for weekend treks, however, Philmont recommends that crews plan to attend for 3 to 4 days to become fully trained and fully participate in winter activities. Crew sizes range from 6-10 with 2 adult advisors required to participate. Generally, the maximum number of total participants for each session is limited to 40 participants or 4 crews; unlike the several thousand participants during Philmont's summer season. This is done in part to insure safe evacuation out of the backcountry in the event of a blizzard.

Program options

On the first night crews arrive, they are housed indoors in heated dorm rooms at Philmont's Base Camp. Subsequent nights are spent in the Philmont backcountry in tents (or in snow shelters if conditions permit) often at Miranda or sometimes the Hunting Lodge. After an initial period of training led by trained Kanik guides, several program options are available to each crew depending upon its interest and the weather and snow conditions. Some program options include: cross-country skiing, snow camping, winter ecology, hiking, and the use of winter tools and equipment. In 2004, a down hill ski package was added to the program options. For an extra fee crews can add a day of down hill skiing to their trek at Angel Fire Ski Resort that includes all meals, housing, a 2-hour ski lesson, lift ticket, and ski equipment rental. This added ski package is not available to crews on the holiday trek.

Awards

Each participant who completes training is awarded a distinctive patch as a remembrance of Philmont Kanik. Much like the famous Philmont arrowhead patch awarded after the completion of a Philmont summer trek and service project, the Kanik patch can only be earned.

External links

• Venturing Crew 778- 2001 Philmont Kanik Adventure