Spring Break
A group of 7 students, Christina, and Belsky set off the morning after Parents' Weekend to Utah, just north of where we went on the first expedition. We met the instructors from Deer Hill and started rafting the San Juan River the next day. We took two rafts: a paddle raft to carry us, and an oar-rig to carry all our gear. We all took turns rowing the ore rig and captaining the paddle raft. Because we weren't carrying all of our belongings on our backs we were able to take fresh food like fruits and veggies. It was very luxurious! For the most part, the river was calm and therefore very relaxing, but there were two sections of fun rapids! Once we set up camp, we played beach volleyball, and som
e of us decided to swim in the frigid water of the San Juan.
After two and half days on the river, we switched gears and went to do community service on the Navajo Reservation. A Navajo family was nice enough to host us and we had the option to stay in their backyard or in their Hogan. A Hogan is a traditio
nal Navajo building that is an octagonal shape and is used for ceremonies, family gatherings, parties, and other meaningful events. The first day of community service, we went on what was supposed to be a 45-minute drive, but ended up being an adventure through mud and tumbleweed. After our exhilarating drive, we arrived at our destination, the home of a Code-talker from WWII. We helped him and his neighbors with household chores, such as building shelves, hanging up clothes, dusting, sweepi
ng and getting water. While we helped them clean up their houses, they told us stories from their childhood and of their experiences from WWII. We learned tons about their culture and how generations have adapted traditions. After service, we stopped at a museum to learn more about traditional Navajo Culture. We ended up talking to the security guards to get yet another perspective of life on the reservation. The next day, we went to BA BAAD WOOL COOP, an organization started a couple years ago to help local sheep farmers and to uphold traditional Navajo wool production. We painted the old preschool out of which the co-op is based and carded wool. We even got to do a fun felting project after we finished service!
We then went to the Deer Hill base camp outside of Durango, Colorado. After cleaning all our gear, we participated in a sweat lodge, a traditional Native American ceremony. We all sat in a circle in a dome shaped hut, with a pile of lava rocks that had been heating in a fire all morning. We did a "wet" sweat, which meant that water was poured over the rocks periodically. It was a really neat new experience. We then headed home after a week of fun, sun and service!
By: Ellen Smith & Mariah Foley