TROY – For one Troy University senior, an experience during a summer internship may turn into a life-long hobby.

Jennifer Peters, a senior journalism major from Troy, found a unique opportunity to experience the outdoors while honing her journalism skills at Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, N.M. She’s spent six weeks interning with the ranch’s newsletter “The Philnews.”

Philmont, nestled in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, is the Boy Scouts of America’s premier high-adventure base boasting more than 200 square miles of New Mexico wilderness. Backpacking treks, horseback cavalcades and training programs have offered more than 820,000 Scouts and leaders training and service programs since its first year in 1939.

“My goals for the near future are to finish my internship, graduate from college and develop a love for the outdoors that I can take anywhere,” she said.

During her internship, Peters, 22, was responsible for staff writing and photographing stories for the weekly newsletter, including covering assignments in the backcountry. It was her first experience in a wilderness setting, she said.

“I’ve never been away from my family for more than a few days before this, and never been camping more than 20 feet away from the car,” she said, “and I have just started by ‘boy scouting’ career.”

Peters credits her father, Stanley, who has been involved and Scouting for several years, credits him for her inspiration to intern at Philmont. Stanley Peters has led several expeditions of Scouts from the Alabama-Florida Council that covers most of the Wiregrass.

“I think he realized that knowledge was the one thing he could not give me when I asked the question, ‘If I get lost, do I just walk north?’,” she said.

Peters is the daughter of Stanley and Carol Peters of Troy, and the granddaughter of Horace and the late Carolyn Peters of Ozark, and Francis and the late Frank Marshall of Ozark.

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EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: BELOW FOLLOWS A COLUMN PETERS WROTE FOR THE PHILNEWS THIS SUMMER.

A girly-girl takes a hike

By Jennifer Peters

“The Philnews”

So here is the deal, I am a 22-year old self-proclaimed girly-girl who has never been away from her family for more than a few days, never been camping more than 20 feet away from the car and I just started my boy scouting career. I am an educated person and soon-to-be college graduate, but when it comes to the outdoors and being self-sufficient, I have no idea what to expect.

My father, who has been involved with Scouting for as along as I can remember, was the inspiration for my internship at Philmont. He bought me a compass and the other important things that a Scout should have. But I think he realized that knowledge was the one thing he could not give me when I asked the question, “If I get lost, do I just walk north?”

Now I have never used a compass nor have I been instructed on proper compass usage, but looking back I see where that is an unintelligent question. Needless to say, he has called me almost every day I have been out here and anytime I tell him I am planning on hiking he makes sure I am going with someone who knows what they are doing.

When I went hiking for the first time at Philmont, one of my bosses went through my backpack and took out about 50 percent of the contents and made me leave them in the office. He told me that having a comb and a hairbrush just to hike on the Tooth of Time was really not necessary. Now I think I understand the difference between bringing the essentials and leaving the luxuries at base camp. My return from that hike and the aching of every muscle in my body taught me the importance of packing lightly.

I just recently got the opportunity to go into the backcountry for an over-night assignment and believe me it was a learning experience all around.

My backpack was at least 100 pounds. No, I am just kidding. It felt like it though. It was actually about 35 pounds and, no, I did not bring a comb or a hairbrush or anything else of a useless nature. Hiking with my pack was really not as bad as I thought it would be; being able to hike with a group of photographers afforded me the opportunity to stop frequently without having to ask for breaks.

Reaching the top, however, brought to light a very intimidating realization: there is no “little ladies room” in the woods! There are several questions that must be posed when learning to use the outdoor restroom, otherwise known as some random rock. How far away do I need to be from camp? How do I keep from making a mess, short of bringing the whole toilet seat with me? Furthermore, the most important questions is: what do do with the toilet paper? The best way to explain what one of my female hiking buddies told me to do would be the “shake and bake.” It basically describes not using toilet paper.

After successfully completing the “shake and bake,” a feeling of liberation fell over me and the rest of the group. I used the bathroom in the woods and lived to tell about it – nothing can stop me now. My goals for the near future are to finish my internship, graduate from college and develop a love of the outdoors that I can take anywhere.

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Jennifer Peters, of Troy, is a senior journalism major at Troy University and recently completed an internship at Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, N.M. Philmont is the Boy Scouts of America’s premier high-adventure base on some 200,000 square-miles of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. This article is republished from the June 22, 2007 edition of  “The Philnews,” Philmont’s weekly newsletter, for which she interned.