Philsongs: 2012-2015

Narrator: Tom Munch (tommunch.com/Tom_Munch/Home.html), Philmont staff 1978-1980


These are songs of Philmont. They’re real. They’re authentic. They were written, sung, and recorded by Philmont staff members, and not by professional artists in a studio. Some were performed in campfires; some were jam session favorites, and some were quietly played for friends in the privacy of a backcountry cabin.

These recordings could not have been made without the help of a great many people. A big thank-you is due to the artists who patiently recorded under primitive conditions and granted permission to use their songs, as well as those who donated their own recordings.

This is by no means a comprehensive collection of the songs written at or about Philmont. The songs included here represent the experiences of one backcountry staff member between the years 2012 and 2015, and were recorded by Ellyn Washburne, unless indicated otherwise in the accompanying notes. The album was directly inspired by the Philsongs: Remembered Days collection, recorded in 1981 by Todd Conklin and Jim Foster.


1. Baldy Mountain Road

• Josh Standard wrote “Baldy Mountain Road” at Pueblano. He was the camp director there in 2011. Now Josh sings his own song, accompanied by Art Woodard on mandolin. Here’s “Baldy Mountain Road.”

• Recorded off-Ranch in 2014 by Josh Standard and Art Woodard


2. Philmont On My Mind

• Warren Smith wrote “Philmont On My Mind” in 2006 during a weeklong staff reunion. Here Warren sings “Philmont on My Mind,” accompanied by his son Walker on cajon.


3. Come With Me

• Carly Casper wrote “Come With Me” in 2013, while a program counselor at Ponil. Now here’s Carly outside the St. James Hotel, singing “Come with Me.”


4. Playground

• Nick Kjorlie wrote “Playground” in 2014, when he was a program counselor at Rich Cabins. Here Nick sings his own “Playground,” on the Rich Cabins porch.


5. Close Your Eyes and Pray

• James Smith wrote “Close Your Eyes and Pray,” based on a chord progression given to him by a visitor while he was working as a program counselor at Clarks Fork in 2014. Here’s James singing “Close Your Eyes and Pray.”

• “What I remember is that a random kid who played the plectrum banjo walked up to me while I was branding, gave me the chord progression, and left. I figured it must have been a God inspired thing, so I wrote a God song with it about Philmont treks.” –James Smith


6. Grab Yo’ Cat

• Brian Ellis, a program counselor at Ponil, wrote “Grab Yo’ Cat” about the catastrophic flood of 2015. The Philmont staff members mentioned in the song are: David O’Neill, Associate Director of Program; Karl Hubbard, Ponil Camp Director; and Mark Lockridge, Ponil Ranger. Here Brian sings “Grab Yo’ Cat,” backed up by the rest of the 2015 Ponil staff.

• “I was on the bus ride back on our first set of days off after the flood, and was in my repeat-after-me song mode and it just kind of sprang up” –Brian Ellis

• Recorded by the 2015 Ponil staff at Ponil


7. Rich Cabins Memories

• Ellyn Washburne, a program counselor at Rich Cabins, wrote “Rich Cabins Memories” as a reflection on the summer of 2012. Here’s Ellyn with her song, “Rich Cabins Memories.”

• Recorded off-Ranch by Kyle Soyer


8. Lobo

• Sam Anderson was a program counselor at Rich Cabins in 2014. He wrote a song that year about the wolf called Lobo, killed by Ernest Thompson Seton in the 1890s. Now here’s Sam singing “Lobo.”


9. Mama Please

• Dan Edwards and Matt Groff wrote “Mama Please” when they were both program counselors at Crater Lake, in 2013. Here Dylan McDermott adds harmony and mandolin, Zach Brand plays the upright bass, and Dan sings lead on “Mama Please.”


10. Rich By Name

• Kyle Soyer was camp director of Rich Cabins in 2015, when he wrote this song about that camp. Here Kyle sings his own “Rich By Name.”

• Recorded off-Ranch by Kyle Soyer; edited by Ellyn Washburne


11. Cimarron

• Now a professional singer, R.W. Hampton worked as a Philmont wrangler from 1974 through 1976. The Beaubien staff of 2013 performed R.W.’s “Cimarron” as a campfire song. It was recorded during that year by program counselors Sam Anderson and Ellyn Washburne.


12. Manly’s Folly

• Kyle Soyer was a program counselor at Metcalf Station in 2014 when he wrote “Manly’s Folly” about Manly Chase, the founder of the historic Chase Ranch. With Nathan Ford providing harmony, mandolin, and kazoo; Weston Mate on percussion; Tucker Baker on guitar; and Travis Scherschel on harmonica; here’s Kyle playing banjo and singing “Manly’s Folly.”

• Recorded in 2014 at Metcalf Station by Kyle Soyer


13. Mississippi River

• Graham Sawyer wrote “Mississippi River” in the spring of 2014. He was a program counselor that summer at Crater Lake. Here’s Graham and the rest of the Crater Lake staff singing “Mississippi River” during campfire.

• Recorded in 2014 at Crater Lake by Graham Sawyer


14. The Tree Song

• Kyle Soyer wrote “The Tree Song” in 2012 while working at Rich Cabins as a program counselor. Now here’s Kyle with “The Tree Song.”

• “I worked out the melody on mandolin, and woke up one morning with most of the song in my head.” –Kyle Soyer

• Recorded off-Ranch by Kyle Soyer


15. Black-Eyed Susans in My Garden

• The music for “Black-Eyed Susans in My Garden” was written by Kristian Matsson, The Tallest Man on Earth. Ellyn Washburne set new words to Matsson’s tune in 2014 while working as the camp director of Rich Cabins. With Jenny Washburne playing harmonica, Ellyn sings “Black-Eyed Susans in My Garden.”


16. The Philmont Hymn

• The Philmont Hymn was written by John Westfall on a trek in 1945. He would return as a staff member at Vista Grande in 1947. Now here’s the Philmont Hymn, sung at the end of the 2015 Cyphers Mine campfire.