On Sunday afternoon, the scouts of Expedition 617-R intensified their preparation for the upcoming Philmont trek. With just a month left to go before our arrival at the scout ranch, most of the members of the contingent came out for a short hike around Chewacla to test out their backpack loads. Setting a pretty good pace, the group circled around to the far side of the lake before taking a break at the waterfall. After returning to the trail, the crew even uncovered a geocache near the upper parking lot before heading back towards the starting point. According to the GPS, the hike covered 4.04 miles with an average speed of 2.7 miles per hour. The hike proved to be a good measure of our fitness for the upcoming adventure. More photos are available in the online photo gallery.