Members of North Stonington Boy Scout Troop 71 got a chance to test all of the outdoor survival skills they’ve learned in a 12-day trek through the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico earlier this summer.

The troop members, Justin MacCormack, Sully Mrowka, Ian Spracklin, Ethan and Aidan Wiggins, Tom Adams, Calvin Vrabrel and Aiden Wiggins and Caleb Fauth, along with advisors Tom Adams, Steven MacCormack and Doug Spracklin, hiked over a hundred miles in the sprawling 400-square mile Boy Scout ranch in July.

“I was expecting a lot of desert which we didn’t get as much as I thought … we got a lot of sun,” Ethan Wiggins said, explaining what he saw then the group arrived in New Mexico and took up their spot at a base camp alongside other scout troops.

Treks through Philmont involved carrying 20-30 pounds of survival gear —including sleeping bags, food and water —through rugged forests and meadows. They were completely self-sufficient throughout the journey, said scout leader Doug Spracklin.

“It doesn’t feel very homey but once you get out on the trail you can’t wait to get back to base camp,” Ian Spracklin said. “Base camp feels like home.”

The scouts said the hikes were exhausting — especially for those who hadn’t done extensive hiking beforehand. They traveled to a series of themed camps where they applied the scouting skills they’d learned. They explored the natural resources of the camp, which included mountain biking, handling firearms and orienteering on their own during a six-mile journey.

The scouts minimized their impact on the terrain by taking out most of what they brought in and moving in continuous “packlines” along the trails.

Scouts also needed to take care to put all their food and flavored water, or “smellables,” in a bag suspended high above their tent to keep hungry bears away from their sites.

The camp had a number of sites of interest — including the only known fossilized T. Rex footprint; a railroad line built by boy scouts; and a cave that whistles as the wind blows over it.

Though they did everything from throw tomahawks to conduct archaeological digs, the highlight for most was the summit of Baldy Mountain, the 12,441-foot peak with views of most of the ranch. The scaled the peak in a single day trip.

“It was just honestly breathtaking because … ,” Spracklin said.

“There was so little oxygen,” Calvin Vrabel finished.

n.lynch@theday.com