2013 ARIZONA HIGH ADVENTURE
Posted by Dillon E.
We left about noon Friday morning and cracked jokes all the way down to Salt Lake City. We even passed the same porta-potty semi-truck four times! We ate lunch at Costco in Missoula, MT.
After a late dinner at In-n-Out Burger, we
crashed at one of Mr. Grimm’s old scout’s apartment. After a restless
night on the floor of the apartment, we piled in the van and napped all
the way to Zion National Park. Shortly after arriving we took a short
hike to the Emerald Pools and did a little climbing. Everywhere we could, we took our courageous friend Flat Riley with us.
On
the bus ride back to our van, a few specific Scouts made friends with a
Canadian girl. After leaving our Canadian friend we continued on our
journey south to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. We arrived there at
sunset and strolled down to the nearest viewpoint where we
watched the sunset. While watching the sun disappear over the canyon,
we encountered a proud American who exclaimed “Do what you want, do what
you need, it’s a free country”, to which our fearless leader replied,
“Thanks”.
When
dark came upon us, we took refuge within our van where we “camped” for
the night. We arose before the sun and took a quick hike down to
Bright Angel Point where we watched the sun light up the canyon walls.
On
the road again, we voted to take a drive through Las Vegas where we saw
many interesting things and took many pictures. From there, we
travelled a short time to the impeccable concrete structure called the
Hoover Dam. We took time to explore the dam, which many of us had only
seen pictures of. We took many pictures to show our families back home.
On
the road again, we drove the historic Route 66 to the world renowned
Cavern Inn. After a refreshing shower, a filling dinner, and a quick
pack check, we went to bed in preparation for an early start.
In
the morning, we started early around four and drove to the Hualapai
hilltop. While waiting for the adults to collaborate, we were
entertained by a tubby Indian who made fun of Daniel and his “Mom-packed
front pack”, as stated by the Indian. We pushed through our strenuous 11 plus mile hike, making it to our beautiful destination just in time
for lunch. We played in the river and explored some nearby caves. We
met some nice college girls and our SPL took time to show them the
caves.
The next morning, we got up and hiked down to Havasu Falls where
we played in the crystal clear water until lunch time. We went back to
camp and devoured a nutritious lunch. Feeling refueled, we took the
adventurous hike down to the Mooney Falls. We adventurously swam into
the powerful waterfall.
Back
in camp, a few courageous Scouts decided to journey back to the village
with our fearless leader, Wolfgang Grimm, to retrieve his hat which he
had foolishly left at the check-in area. After having some refreshing
snacks, we walked back to camp and checked in for the night.
The
next morning, we woke with the sun and prepared for a long hike to
Beaver Falls. Quickly after we left on the hike, we passed Mooney Falls
and continued down the river. Nearing the end of a rigorous hike we
thought we had arrived at Beaver Falls, but we quickly realized it was
not Beaver Falls. Either way, it was time to turn around. We hiked
back to Mooney Falls where we took a quick dip and cooled off.
While swimming, a squirrel, for the second time, got into our charming Senior Patrol Leader’s backpack hunting for his trail mix. The second half of the day was spent jumping into the crystal clear water of Havasu Falls.
Arriving
back in camp, we swiftly prepared for the hike we would embark upon
early the next morning. A powerful thunderstorm brewing up the canyon
made it a restless night. We woke up at three the next morning and
broke camp quickly to escape the impending heat of the desert sun. With
the challenge of the impending heat and the long uphill hike, we used
the motivation of a real shower to help us make our hiking time goal.
Arriving
at the van, we headed back to the motel where we previously stayed in
order to tour the underground caverns there. After discussing it over
lunch as a group, we decided to stay another night in the motel. After
the Cavern tour we headed to our rooms. Upon cleaning the van and
getting our things packed away, we realized there was a pool. We
proceeded to have fun in the swimming pool and lounge, resting from the
long hike. While lounging, we had an intriguing conversation with a long
time employee of the Cavern’s owners.
Upon learning the location of a Laundromat, a few scouts volunteered to go do all of our laundries so
we would smell fresh for the long car ride home. When we completed the
laundry, we headed back to the motel for, once again, a short nights’
sleep.
We
woke up and piled in the van to make the drive to Monument Valley,
which was very impressive. We set up camp and immediately turned to the
mountains to explore. While returning to camp, a few scouts and Mr.
Grimm sparked up a conversation with a family from France. We helped
them plan the rest of their trip within the U. S. We also compared our
cultures and a lot of other things. It was a great experience for both
of us. Our friendly Senior Patrol Leader quickly became friends with
the youngest daughter of the family and seized the opportunity to
exchange contact information with her.
After talking for hours- well into the next morning- we decided to get to bed. By the time we were zipping up the
tents, the lingering storm decided to dump on us. Despite the intense
storm, we slept well and rose early to get on the road.
We
talked further with the Magnus family, took showers, and then hit the
road once again. We made a few stops to rest and stopped at a Native
American vendor so a few Scouts could purchase some handmade Navajo
jewelry for the missed loved ones. It was a day full of driving and
many jokes.
