Silver On the Sage

New Mexico native and passionate career Forster, Mary Stuever, joins us to discuss land management, forest fires, and conservation of Philmont’s precious and beautiful landscape.  Mary initially pursued a Philmont staff experience for two reasons: to summit Baldy and to prepare to hike the Continental Divide. Like many of us, Mary’s passion for Philmont grew, and she returned for many seasons, spe...

From a very young age, Bucko Cowden was free to roam at Philmont Scout Ranch. As a “Chaplain’s kid” Bucko shares stories of undercover excursions to Ponil, ping-pong tournaments, and numerous Rayado-like Mountain Treks. Returning in 2004 as a young adult on staff, Bucko became “Rock star adjacent” storytelling legend and an integral player in the birth of mountain ball (not to be confused with log...

Join in on this care-free episode as Zac “Moose” Tuggle discusses all things Logger Camps. From humble beginnings working in the Services department at base camp, to recruiting his buddies to form the ultimate logger staff in 2007 at Crater Lake, Zac embodied the backcountry interpretive energy and spirit of fun. Discussing backcountry traditions and larger than life legends, Zac reminds us of tho...

Devyn Hanselmann - Coming at ya from “the arm” of Massachusetts aka Provincetown!  Devyn, with her laughter that glows, discusses her initial apprehension about applying to work at “some Boy Scout camp” in the mountains of New Mexico. Of course, the magic of Philmont Scout Ranch crept in, and Devyn excelled for a total of three summers on staff. From the dust and wildflowers of Ponil, to the logis...

Todd’s passion to teach and pursue a career in education, was significantly influenced by his seasonal staff experience in the conservation department. Feeling restricted by the limitations of the formal classroom, Todd aspired to an education of higher purpose, hence he set out to become a Jewish Rabbi. Returning for four summers as a Jewish Chaplain at Philmont Scout Ranch, Todd discusses the Mi...

On a particularly fateful day - May 17, 2006 to be exact - Elizabeth “Slim” Uribe-Goertz was hired to work at the Villa, and the rest is history. Today (as I type this to be exact) she is driving to Cimarron, NM - where the Rockies meet the Plains - for good.  In this episode Slim shares the many impacts that Philmont had on her life, which ultimately lead her to pursue and accept a full-time HR p...

There is a good chance you know and admire Sarah Burgess, and if you don’t, this episode will catch you up to speed. Sarah Burgess, also known as “Sustaina-Burgess,” has improved and spearheaded several positive changes at Philmont - namely the STEM program and Sustainability efforts done via the Philmont Conservation Department. Sarah credits her brother (also a Philmont alumni) Paul Burgess, as...

Recounting the profound, yet tiny moments and details of everyday life in the backcountry, Justin joins us to discuss his time at Philmont Scout Ranch. As a participant and on staff, Justin spent a decade growing and giving in the High Country. Justin shares how he aspired to leadership positions in order to give back and share what he had learned in previous summers. On the tough days, Justin rem...

Tom Munch, who first summited Baldy at age six, (with the help of his grandfather's army surplus Willys Jeep) has familial ties to New Mexico. In 1977 at the age of sixteen, Tom was challenged and grew as a Rayado participant.  In 1978 and 1979 as a Ranger, Tom hiked with a guitar strapped to the back of his Kelty backpack, and immersed himself in the solitude of hike-in days and the can-do s...

Amidst the challenges of the Texas winter storm of February 2021, Tanner Shaw chats with us about his experiences working as a wrangler in the Ranch Department at Philmont Scout Ranch.  Texas native, Tanner shares his appreciation for fulfilling work, life-long learning, and the simple joys of riding horseback.  He speaks about the Ranch Department’s culture of respect for ranch leadership, “the b...

Buckle up for a wild ride with Kyle Knoll and Robyn (Knoll) Newton - brother and sister duo who have a combined 18+ years working in the ranger department at Philmont Scout Ranch. As a "leadership laboratory," Kyle and Robyn discuss the "scramble, be flexible" challenges and wide scope of projects that the ranger department embraces each season. They discuss their involvement i...

Kicking off a new type of interactive episode - Virtual I-Camp dedications!  I invited all listeners to send in virtual i-camp submissions, which I then read on air.  Submissions include dedications to friends, messages to our past selves, future children, Philmont lovers, and the like!  This episode was especially fun as it aired on Valentine's Day 2021, and also included a live video compon...

"To ensure that every person had the best program that they could possibly have." In this weeks episode, I'm excited to chat with Katy (Cox) McCallon about the innerworkings of the Philmont Training Center (PTC).  Katy's Philmont staff experience is rooted in family and Scouting.  As a youth, Katy enjoyed participating in Venturing, earning the Outdoor Bronze, Gold, Ranger, Sil...

“You get to experience nature better because you're in it, for every sunrise and sunset.” Philmont Years 2010 - Conservationist at Beaubien (promoted to lead) 2011 - Conservationist Saw Crew at Copper Park 2013 - Conservationist Saw Crew Forman - various locations  Matt Galchus, also known as, “Matty G!” gives a candid yet professional interview about his time working seasonally in the Philmo...

A quick introduction of the podcast and what listeners can expect to hear each week! Visit https://silveronthesagepod.wixsite.com/philmont for more information about Silver On the Sage Podcast. Thank you for listening! Your Host, Caitlin Lowe Support the show

Michael Stamat, North Carolina native, joins me for a witty chat, discussing his four years working security staff at Philmont. Hop in the car and journey with Stamat from coast to coast, as he picks up staffers along the way, and arrives at Philmont in time for summer staff training. Go behind-the-scenes with Stamat has he de-bunks myths of mischief and shares stories of the chance situations tha...

Kira comes alive in this episode sharing stories about her misfit adventure that led her to Philmont as a participant in 2004, and then again as a staff member in 2008.  She shares her love for Indian Writings, where with her staff she re-invented program utilizing innovative tactics, making the camp irresistible to all participants and visitors. Kira shares about her unique, and life-changing int...

In this episode, I get to chat with Lela Murphy, the great-granddaughter of Waite Phillips. We discuss the benefits of Lela's diverse positions on Philmont staff, and how it allowed her to better connect with and appreciate the Ranch as a whole. We touch on timely topics such as implications of being a female in the Ranger department, and the oddities of ranch-wide departmental rivalries. Lel...