Author: Stephen Deatherage
If you’ve spent time hiking in deep snow, you know that one of the challenges is trail breaking. The first people on a snow-covered trail make tracks that lead the way for others to follow; then, as more people hike the same trail, it becomes more defined and easier to navigate. Eventually, enough people have followed tracks made by their predecessors that what was once an indistinct path becomes a well-marked trail.
Trail breaking serves as a powerful metaphor for the persistence and courage required to lead the way for others—especially when the way is challenging and uncertain. And it is an especially apt metaphor for the journey of young females in the Boy Scouts of America (now Scouting America) since 1969, when a two-year coed pilot program was launched in Exploring. Just as the first people on a snow-covered trail make tracks that others can follow, early females in Scouting America made tracks that later generations have followed ever since.
In 1971, Exploring became a fully coed program. That summer, the first female trekkers hiked at Philmont Scout Ranch as part of a pilot coed Explorer crew at the end of summer (when most of the male crews had returned home). Then, in 1972, the first “official” coed Explorer crews hiked Philmont; but they were limited to the first and last weeks of summer. Over the next decades, Philmont’s policies changed and Philmont began to provide females many opportunities to be the “first” to do things that boys and men had been doing since 1938. Going back to the trail breaking metaphor, those young females made the first tracks in the snow; not only at Philmont, but in Scouting America too.
This story is about Kathy Leach. Her story highlights the challenges that came with being a pioneer at Philmont—and in Scouting America—as it began to invite (but not always welcome) young females.
In 1972, Kathy Leach and Nancy Wells made history when they were selected as the first two female Rangers at Philmont. It wasn’t easy; trail breaking never is. Kathy had to navigate the challenges of a predominantly male environment as she led treks, taught wilderness skills, and shared her passion for the outdoors with Scouts and Scouters from across the country. Her efforts made tracks in the snow and helped lead the way to greater acceptance of females in leadership roles at Philmont—and within the Scouting community. For more information about Kathy’s first year at Philmont, please see “Stories from the Trail: Philmont Women Rangers 1972-2022” and “Undaunted: Philmont Women Rangers 1972-2022.” (Available at https://store.philmontscoutranch.org/museum-gift-shop/books/women/.)
Kathy was among 10 females hired as Rangers in 1973, but the number sharply declined in 1974. Although Kathy was heart-broken by the barriers that female Rangers—and female participants—faced at Philmont in 1974, her efforts played a significant role in breaking down those barriers and helped establish a strong foundation for females at Philmont. By the early 1980s, the trail breaking that she and other young females began in 1972 had created a well-marked trail. And in January 2025, another “first” was reached when Andrea Watson became Philmont’s General Manager (radio call sign, “UNIT 1.”)
After 1973, Kathy left Philmont (and Scouting)—and she didn’t return to Philmont until 2013, when she experienced a trek for the first time as a participant. During that trek, Kathy realized that the contributions made by females at Philmont in the 1970s and 1980s were largely overlooked, prompting her to take action. In 2020, Kathy raised funds for the National Scouting Museum at Philmont with a “Women Rangers at Philmont” recognition stone (located at the Philmont Staff Association patio). She also discovered words that encapsulate her own journey and the resilience of other females at Philmont and in Scouting: “Undaunted and Undeterred.”
These words describe Kathy’s profound wish for young females entering Scouting today, encouraging them to push forward despite obstacles they may encounter. For Kathy, “Undaunted and Undeterred” captures the resilience and determination of female trail breakers and what it means to keep going even when the trail turns uphill or is deep in snow:
In the years since my first summer as a Ranger at Philmont, girls still face an “epidemic of living on the sidelines,” thinking we are not good
enough, not strong enough; wanting to marry a medic or firefighter instead of being a medic or firefighter ourselves. It is important for girls to
find a place that cultivates an independent spirit, that encourages them to follow any dream they may have. Scouting can be that kind of place for
us. We just need to be open and willing to take a chance as individuals and as supporters.
In 2022, Philmont celebrated 50 years of female Rangers. This milestone not only honored the accomplishments of female Rangers over the decades but also highlighted the importance of sharing their stories, which had long been largely overlooked. By recognizing these female trail breakers, Philmont inspired a new generation of females within Scouting.
In that spirit, Kathy launched a “Women and Girls in Scouting” blog in November 2023, where she spotlights the journey of female trail breakers. In one of her posts, Kathy urges females to be undaunted and undeterred:
Recognize that Scouting has now fully opened the doors for girls and women to strive forward. The way forward is not guaranteed to be a smooth
path, but the welcome mat is in front of the door for all to see. Take heart in this huge step that Scouting has made. And let’s send out the
message that girls don’t have to remain on the sidelines of life.
– https://womeninscoutingblog.wordpress.com/2024/06/13/undaunted/
In the past few years, Kathy has had no shortage of projects. She spent three months tracking down all 10 participants of a pilot all-female wilderness experience at Philmont in 1973, now known as the Rayado program. Despite the intervening fifty years and sparse contact, they all enthusiastically participated in a reunion at Philmont—where they reaffirmed their friendship and pondered the profound life lessons learned on the Philmont trails that long-ago summer.
These women also learned that current female Rangers at Philmont revere them as trail breakers and that they have been honored with a life-size photo of their 1973 crew, posted inside the Ranger Chapel. Reflecting on that 1973 pilot all-female wilderness experience, Kathy recalls three questions Philmont’s camping director asked before letting her proceed:
He said, “You know, are girls this age going to be interested in going?” That was number one. Number two was, “Are they really going to be able
to handle the physical and the mental challenges?” And number three was, “Are you gonna be able to find enough people [girls] for a trek?” And
it was yes, yes, and yes to all three of those questions. To me, that was the biggest accomplishment ever. After that summer, I never heard those
questions asked again.
– Rayado Women Celebrate Fifty Years of Life-Changing Adventures (Philmont Marketing and Photo Services, August 11, 2023).
Moved by the power of her Philmont experiences, Kathy organized a fundraiser for a new Rayado scholarship endowment in 2023, managed by the Philmont Staff Association. This endowment funds two Rayado scholarships each summer for young women interested in participating in the challenging, life-changing 21-day Rayado wilderness trek at Philmont. Since 1972, Kathy Leach has been a Scouting pioneer who left tracks that others have followed, collectively breaking a trail that led to the full inclusion of females in Scouting. And she has found the strength to be undaunted and undeterred. May it be so for all of us.
