Wednesday #15 - 7 Days: Sans Music

Hey Dreamers! I almost fell asleep before realizing I hadn't posted ANYTHING today... oops.

7 Days: Sans Music

            Philmont Scout Ranch, located in Cimarron New Mexico, contains 214 square miles of backcountry, according to their website, and has felt the boot prints of 950,000 Boy Scouts and Venturers since its opening in 1939. It lives in the hearts of Scouts as the ultimate adventure in Scouting, a trial of skills and determination. When I stepped onto the dusty ground of Philmont’s base camp, I was more than ready for 10 days of backpacking in the New Mexican backcountry. With worn-in boots and a 60 lbs. pack, I was set for adventure, my eyes on the horizon, my thoughts already miles down the trail. I wasn’t prepared, however, for the lack of music.

            The next three days had beautiful views, happy faces, sunny skies, but no music. We shot shotguns, told stories, climbed rock walls, made jokes, but heard no music. We bled, we fell, we fought, with no music. It wasn’t until the fourth day when this streak was stopped. We were all sitting around a flameless fire pit –dry season in Philmont means no fires- asking each other what we missed while we were out in the wild. Some of the guys said showers, others said indoor plumbing, but I said music. That’s when I started reacquiring it.

            We had a layover on the fourth, giving us two nights in the same campsite and an opportunity to go out and explore the nearby mesa, Window Rock. The climb was some 550 feet, and a mile or so down the trail from our campsite, winding us just a little when we got to the base of the mesa, but this time with music. It that I started singing, and the first song the came to my mind was “The 12 Days of Christmas.” I couldn’t keep singing the

            I’ll never forget how that felt, climbing that height. It was different from all the others, maybe because I was there to kill time, maybe because I didn’t have the weight of a rock on my shoulders, but maybe because there was music. We finished singing “12 Days of Philmont”, laughing at our joke,  

            There are, according to musicgenreslist.com, 273 different genres of music. And these genres of music have been fully integrated into our lives, on our phones, on our computers, on our televisions. Music can be heard playing in elevators, waiting rooms, stores. It’s sitting in our pockets, cars, and homes. We have music everywhere.

            But what if it all disappeared?

My Hero's

My hero's aren't in comics
My hero's don't wear capes
My hero's don't battle mythical
Monsters
My hero's don't have a special call
My hero's aren't talked about daily

No,
My hero's are real
My hero's wear green
My hero's risk their lives
For the ones they love
My hero's risk so much
For so little in return
My hero's aren't invincible
My hero's are normal people
With big hearts
My hero's aren't perfect
My hero's make mistakes
But my hero's are
Courageous
Brave
And honorable
My hero's fight for the red white and blue
My hero's fight for me and you

Kelsey Martinson

"Never give up, never surrender." -Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest