I don't have a bad Philmont experience to report ... just the opposite.
My one trip to Philmont was in 1967 and it was the high point of my
Scouting experience.
My 'Expedition' group was '709I3' and we were comprised of a bunch of kids
from towns in the central Texas (Austin) area. The only mountains that I'd
ever seen were when my mother and I were taken to Carlsbad Caverns by her
aunt & uncle and then around Fort Davis in west Texas - so Philmont was
quite an eye-opener to me. I remember that I asked one of our Advisors
(before going) if we'd be able to go swimming