Philmont provides a series of pre-planned backcountry itineraries, 35 in recent years. Each has its own combination of challenges and available programs, such as rock climbing, horse rides, etc. All offer an outstanding high adventure experience – veterans of several Philmont treks will tell you "there are no bad treks."

In March, the youth of each crew will select and rank the five itineraries that most interest them and suit their abilities. Most crews receive either their first or second choice if they respond to Philmont in a timely manner.

The "Selecting a Great Trek," presentation during the January Advisor Briefing describes the resources available about the prior year's treks and has suggestions that crews in the past have used to determine which treks match their interests and abilities. At the March Advisor Briefing the procedures for informing Philmont of the crew's five trek choices will be discussed.

A wealth of data for crews to use during their trek selection process is available on the Watchu Experience Web site. The current version of the Preperation Resources listed on the next page will be provided to each crew during the coming months; prior versions are available online in the Philmont Document Archives. As much of the information does not change year-to-year, crews are encouraged to review the prior documents and to become familiar with them before the current ones are available.

Selecting a great trek is an important team-building exercise. The crew members learn each other’s interests as they participate in the give-and-take of narrowing all the available choices down to a final five, ranked in order of preference.