February 13

We spent a majority of our days hiking through the canyons. After wolfing down a batch of pancakes and rushing to purify our water, we gathered each morning as an expedition group at 9:00 to preview the day. There, we divided into 3 hiking groups, each led by a student LOD (leader of the day), who would oversee navigation and run a debrief at the end of the day. We then put our packs on and embarked for the day.   

Traveling through the canyons was a surreal experience - surrounded on either side by hundred foot rock faces we really got a new perspective on the magnitude and age of  the earth. One day in particular was especially magical because we found petroglyphs and ancient remains of a pueblo dwelling. The scenery was so inspiring, and we can't wait to return in the spring!

If you asked any one of us about our trip, guaranteed one of the first ten words mentioned would be cold. As in really cold. As in waking-up-in-the-morning-in-our-frost-covered-tarps-and-having-to-check-to-make-sure-our-toes-were-still-connected-to-our-feet cold. And that doesn’t even include the blizzards, snow storms, and winds (especially during the night when we were trying to sleep) that we encountered. Despite the weather, we did manage to persevere, as well as learn some valuable lessons. For example: the sun IS our best friend. We might have been known to do a sun dance every morning when the sun would finally reach the bottom of the canyon where we were camping (the dancing was for two purposes: one - general celebration of the sun; two – it kept our feet warm).

In addition to keeping warm, we did spend quite a bit of time looking up at the canyons around us and saying something along the lines of, “Oh my gosh…am I really looking at this?” Let’s just saying the stunning view of the dips and turns of canyon walls accented by a brilliant blue sky and golden sunlight was astounding. True, we might have been in a desert environment, but the landscape was far from barren. Cryptobiotic soil, juniper trees, prickly pear cacti, forests of sage, and other (usually very spiny/prickly pants) were our constant companions.

Another constant was food. Food. Food. Food. There is no such thing as an empty stomach in the backcountry. We started off into the canyons with heavy packs, weighed down by the pounds of ingredients on our backs. At first, everyone was playing it safe with the cooking; only making sure-fire dishes that could not go wrong. But, after a pizza-making tutorial and many cooking tips, we all began to venture out of our comfort zones in the kitchen. It is amazing what can be made with a portable stove, a fry-bake (a special backpacking frying pan), and a pot.  We all began eating more and more as our metabolisms sped up. After a hard day of hiking, a good meal was our only need.  Our packs began to lighten up after each meal, slowly making it easier to hike. About halfway through the expedition, we arrived back at the vans for our re-rations, all the food we needed for the second week. Once again, our packs were stuffed. This time however, we knew much more about cooking and we all set out to create new dishes with our new supply of ingredients. Everything in the backcountry tastes amazing!  Every dish tastes five times better than its front-country equivalent. We all learned so much about cooking and we return to campus ready to cook for the entire community using normal stoves, ovens, and running water!

Our classes in the field gave us an impression of the expectations for the rest of the semester. We learned the LNT (Leave No Trace) principles, as well as skills such as campsite selection. We also took academic classes. We discussed the essay Walking by Thoreau in English class, bias in History class, and the value of Wilderness in P&P (Practices and Principles.) We also had leadership classes out in the field. One of the best classes was baking class. We learned how to make pizza and cinnamon rolls without an oven! Our classes on expedition were varied and interesting, and our instructors were engaging and conveyed the points very well.

As if we weren't busy enough with gazing at the canyon walls or the mesa vistas, taking classes, and cooking meals, we also played lots of games while on expedition. Not only were they tons of fun, they provided an easy way to stay warm during the coldest days. Favorites included miniature tanks (a game requiring robot voices and plowing into people), Yee-Haw (which brought out our inner cowboys) and Ninja (a game of balance, speed and skill). In addition to organized games, it was easy to turn anything into a fun competition. HMI Cribs made a game of keeping tarp areas "bombproof". One expedition group had a pack packing challenge to ensure we were all capable of packing packs efficiently. With two pints of Ben and Jerry's on the line one for the fastest and one for the "sveltest" (best-looking) packing job the competition was intense. The outcome was close with the winner only winning the speed challenge by a second. And everyone finished packing well under 8 minutes, the group goal. The sveltest pack challenge was won by Haley, and that competition was another close one. Games were a definite highlight of hiking through the canyons!

Now that we're back from our amazing expedition we're off to our first week of classes.

By: Annie Preston, Marisa Thompson, Mariah Thompson, Sarah McGowan, & Jill Gardiner