I was on itinerary 12-23, and our sister crew went on 12-24. I was the second youngest, not even being a freshman yet. The youngest was my friend who is 8 days younger than me. We all made good time and got to our camps before noon.
The USDA measures precipitation based on "water years" which run from October 1 to September 30. Over the past year Philmont saw precipitation of around 75% of the 30 year average. The deficit mostly took place between mid-November and mid-May. Over the summer, rainfall was about normal, and the past six weeks have been above normal, but it was not enough to make up for lack of snowfall in the winter.
The NRCS operates several monitoring stations in the vicinity of Philmont. The Shuree station in the Valle recorded 67% of the 30 year average. Red River pass west of Baldy saw 72% or normal. Tolby, located just off Philmont near Clear Creek Camp was at 88%, and the Taos Canyon station located west of Philmont's south country recorded 76% of the average. In mid August, most stations were closer to 60% of the average.