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 spirit of the Philmont community. In 1980 as a Program Counselor at Beaubien, Tom learned great music from his peers and via the music scenes of Red River and Taos, NM. In this episode, Tom shares stories of gumption and spirituality, as he encounters momentary blindness and hustles to help a hypothermic participant off of Mt. Phillips. Today Tom is a professional musician, playing gigs, recording albums, and continuing to give back to the Philmont community in numerous ways.  Tom, thank you so much for sharing your stories and your insights, it was a pleasure. 

Join Tom on Saturday, March 13th at 7pm Mountain, 8pm Central for his Spring Philmont Songs Concert. You can listen and participate live on Facebook, or via Tom’s website: tommunch.com/online-concerts.

In this episode Tom mentions:

Solano’s Boot and Western Wear store in Raton, NM 

The song that Tom recites at the end is Mist Covered Mountains, by Mark Knopfler.

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