Married couple Matt Hubbard and Emily Bergman join the show.  With lots of laughs and answering questions in tandem, Emily and Matt share how their experience at Philmont, “laid the foundation for the rest of their lives.”  The couple jokes that Matt imported his Phil-fling, as Emily followed him to Philmont after the couple had met in college.  With a hodgepodge assortment of borrowed gear from friends and family, Emily’s first summer as a Ranger sparked something completely new within her.  As a Mountain Trek Rayado Ranger her second summer, she continued her passion for teaching youth to lead and truly experience the outdoors with empowerment and confidence.

Matt discusses his seven summer tenure through various lenses including his role as BCM and his intention to lead by injecting his authentic self into the role in order to make it better.  He did so via the Philmont adopted FISH philosophy of  "choose your attitude", "play", "make their day" and "be there".  Philmont was a stepping off point for Matt - teaching him how to go out into the world and do big things.  Big things that the couple have accomplished together, include hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and serving in the Peace Corps.

Emily shares how she developed a sense of community at Philmont that she had not expired prior.  She carried that notion of community with her in the Peace Corps, and helped facilitate and run an outdoor camp for teen girls in rural Jamaica. Matt shares a poetic description of savoring the little rituals of backcountry life such as prepping advisors coffee as the sun sets and a hard day's work is done. 

Today, Matt’s thirst for direct service and servant leadership has led him to his current role as a student in PA school.  Emily works for a non-profit called Project V.E.T.S  - healing the planet one animal at a time, while also pursuing her own entrepreneurial endeavors.  From pancakes and classic rock denim vest Phil-fiestas and getting lost while hiking Baldy to backcountry disc golf and hiking with honey to pep people up - Emily and Matt are admittedly not always prepared but they always approach bumps in the road with humility and humor. 

Lastly - as we are mid-way through the 2022 Philmont summer season, I thought it would be fun to note that one year ago today, Peter Bingen’s episode aired on the podcast.  For those of you who don’t know, Peter wrote the beloved song titled “I Don’t Mind.”  So if you’re feeling the ache and missing those magnetic pile of rocks, grab your headphones, tune out the rest of the world, step outside, and “find some ground lace up your boots start walkin'

Philmont Experience:
Matt Hubbard
2009 - PC Dan Beard
2010 - PC Miners Park
2011 - PC Miranda
2012 - CD Seally Canyon
2013 - CD Head of Dean
2014 - Backcountry Manager (BCM)
2015 - BCM

Emily Bergman
2013 - Ranger
2015 - Mountain Trek Rayado Ranger

Notable Mentions:
Karl and Melissa Hubbard
Lela Puckett
Helen Jent
Chris Sawyer
Dollie O'Neill
Ranger Blane
Tyler Livermore
Uncle - Bruce Wagner
Bryan Delany
Stephen Alexander
Jesse Coffman

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