When Emily Tutton, branch manager for the Electrical and Electronic Energy Resource Branch at NSWC Carderock Division's Norfolk detachment, caught wind that some of her fellow coworkers had also recently embarked on a Philmont Scout Ranch trek she had to hear about their experiences. Philmont Scout Ranch, a 140,000-acre wilderness base in Cimarron, New Mexico, is known for its high-adventure backpacking treks. The conversation highlighted the common bond through Scouting, leadership, family and camaraderie among Carderock employees, who each participated in the program during different stages of their lives and careers.
Michael J. Hughes, an engineer with the hydrodynamics and maneuvering simulation branch at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, reflected on his return to Philmont after nearly four decades.
"I went there as a Scout in 1980, and I just went back this summer with my son," said Hughes. "It was an amazing experience, going back as a parent and leader to relive those moments with him."
For Hughes, the connection to Philmont runs deep.
"My dad was my scoutmaster when I went to Philmont," he said. "To be able to go back 45 years later with my son was a full-circle moment. It’s amazing how much of it felt the same, and how much of it still had that impact."
Hughes, who began his involvement in Scouting as a den leader (in Cub Scouts) in first grade and later as an assistant scoutmaster, explained the significance of Philmont to many in the scouting community. "Philmont is sort of the pinnacle of high-adventure scouting," he said. "It’s an experience that a lot of scouts want to have, and I wanted my son to have that same opportunity."
Hughes's trek to Philmont this past summer involved a nine-day backpacking adventure, where he and his son navigated rugged trails, culminating in a climb up Mount Baldy, Philmont’s highest peak.
Dean M. Schleicher, a technical warrant holder with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)’s Naval Systems Engineering and Logistics Directorate, shared about his own trip to Philmont in June 2023, along with his family's deep Scouting roots.
“My wife was a Girl Scout, my oldest son is an Eagle Scout and a Navy lieutenant now, and my daughter earned her Gold Award as a Girl Scout,” he said.
Schleicher’s youngest son, John, shared his love for backpacking and made Schleicher’s lifelong dream of hiking Philmont possible. “It was on my bucket list,” he said. “We did four workup hikes to prepare—some harder than the actual trek.”
The conversation, which also included David A. Drazen, Carderock’s deputy technical director, was lighthearted as the group exchanged details about their treks, which included navigating similar but distinct routes. While Hughes and Schleicher’s paths converged near Baldy, their routes and experiences differed, each trek leaving a mark on the participants.
Drazen, whose career has also spanned several decades, elaborated on the historical significance of Philmont, noting that the land was gifted to the Scouts in the 1930s by Waite Phillips.
"It's 140,000 acres, and the ranch has been serving Scouts ever since," Drazen said. "Millions of kids have passed through it."
Drazen said he was struck by the scale of operations that keep thousands of trekkers fed and supplied each summer.
“When I was younger, I went to a two-week summer camp—everyone arrived and left on the same day,” Drazen said. “At Philmont, people are coming and going every single day all summer. We talked to some folks in logistics, and it’s incredible—they distribute shelf-stable meals across 220 square miles, resupplying crews every few days.”
Each crew, he said, picks up pre-packed food bags for the next stretch of the journey.
“They plan out ten unique meals for each trek so you might only repeat one over twelve days,” Drazen said. “When you think about 2,000 crews, each with ten people eating three meals a day—it’s an enormous logistical feat.”
Beyond the logistics, Drazen emphasized the mental and emotional challenges.
“I was worried about the physical part, carrying a backpack that long,” he said. “But that turned out to be the easy part. The hard part was the mental strain—being on the trail for 12 days wears on you. Around day eight or nine, everyone hits a low point. My son saw pictures of his brother at the beach and said, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ But I told him, ‘We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.’”
That perseverance, he said, was the heart of the experience. “It built real mental toughness. We call it ‘Type 2 fun’—the kind that’s miserable while you’re doing it but great when you look back.”
Drazen’s crew didn’t climb Mount Baldy like Hughes and Schleicher, but they took a different iconic route.
“We went down the Tooth of Time,” he said. “We camped up on a ridge overlooking base camp the night before we hiked in—about 7,000 feet—and made the long hike down into camp. It was a beautiful way to finish.”
Tutton joined the conversation to share how her crew faced its own challenges during mid-July’s monsoon season.
Emily Tutton and her son, Teak, along with their Philmont trek crew.
“We got rain every day, like clockwork, around 1 p.m.—cold rain, sometimes hail,” she said. “By day three, the boys were exhausted, cold, and ready to go home.”
Her crew adapted and pushed through. “We got tents up, changed into dry clothes, built a fire, and finally had a warm meal,” Tutton said. “The next morning, those same boys woke up with this realization of what they were capable of. That’s the magic of Philmont—watching them find their strength.”
The Scouts’ experiences also revealed leadership and teamwork in action.
“We had a range of Scouts from 15 to 17,” Drazen said. “I was amazed to hear them say, ‘Let’s get up at 4:30 and hit the trail by first light.’ They chose to do that—multiple days in a row.”
Schleicher reflected on what he called “doing hard better,” quoting a viral speech from a North Carolina basketball coach.
“We started with 12 people and finished with 12,” he said. “No breakdowns. The difference between the start and the end was attitude. Scouting makes you comfortable being uncomfortable—and that’s something everyone needs to learn.”
Hughes added that strong leadership within his troop made a difference.
“Our crew leader had been through all the advanced youth leadership training,” he said. “He kept everyone motivated and together.”
Hughes’s troop even found a musical outlet on the trail.
“One of the Scouts brought a ukulele and wrote songs during the trek—including one about the TSA confiscating his flint and steel at the airport,” he said, laughing. “When his older brother, who’s a Philmont Ranger and now in the Air Force, joined us at Mount Baldy, he brought his own ukulele. One night we had two ukuleles going around the campfire—it was perfect.”
As Hughes prepares for next year’s scouting trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a nature preserve in Minnesota, he reflected on the larger impact of these high-adventure experiences on youth development.
"It's more than just the trek," he said. "It’s about creating leaders and giving kids the skills and confidence they need to face challenges head-on. That’s something that will stay with them for life."
The experience at Philmont remains a cherished memory for these Navy professionals, highlighting the lasting values of teamwork, leadership, and self-reliance that are central to both Scouting and the Navy. For all of them, Philmont was more than just a trek—it was a test of resilience and leadership that mirrored the Navy’s own values.
“It’s about growth,” Tutton said. “They came back different—more confident, more capable. Watching that transformation was incredible.”