Teen Moab Rock to River Course Recap

After meeting up at the American Mountaineering Center and taking care of some housekeeping, we hit the road to Moab! We spent the car ride getting to know each other and playing games. We stopped in Fruita for a delicious lunch at Qdoba. Here we picked up the last member of our group, whose infectious personality brought everyone out of their shells. From this moment forward, everyone in the group seemed to become great friends. We took the scenic route down Highway 128 and stopped at Big Bend for some bouldering. We made it back to camp and cooked ourselves a late dinner and scrambled up some nearby rocks to watch the sunset before heading to bed. To my surprise, all of the participants were very excited to sleep outside under the star rather than inside their tents!

Tuesday

Tuesday morning, we woke up bright and early to beat the heat! We had a quick breakfast at camp and made it into Arches National Park by 6:45am! We hiked the Devils Garden Loop Trail, a 7-mile loop that goes through the heart of the park. We took several side trails and did some exploring of our own, scrambling some rocks to find a pretty view. When all was said and done, we hiked about 10.5 miles and saw eight arches! By the time we were done hiking, the sun was high in the sky and the weather was hot. We took a quick 0.25-mile hike to Sand Dune Arch (our 9^th arch of the day), a beautiful arch hidden in a shady slot canyon. We relaxed in the soft sand under the shade of the arch for almost two hours, which provided us instructors a nice break while the kids enjoyed the opportunity to bond and spend time together. We headed back to camp where we cooked dinner and did some slacklining. We then continued the tradition of scrambling the rocks near our camp to watch the sunset.

 

Wednesday

Wednesday was another early start; we left our campsite by 6am and drove into Kane Creek Canyon for some rock climbing at “The Ice Cream Parlor”. The shade provided the perfect climbing conditions and we put up three routes for participants. A 5.8 crack climb, a 5.10 crack/face climb, and a 5.10 slab climb. Our experienced climbers shared their talents and helped the instructor’s belay in addition to climbing. I was so impressed with all our first-time climbers, they showed a willingness to learn, a desire to try hard even after failing, and a natural talent for climbing. Overall, everyone had a blast climbing. We had shade until about 1pm; at that point the sun came over the top of the canyon and we knew it was time to head out! We beat the heat by heading to the Moab Recreation Center pool. We enjoyed the water slide/lazy river, and students continued to face their fears on the diving boards! Once back at camp, we cooked dinner, enjoyed another sunset, and roasted marshmallows around the campfire.

 

Thursday

Thursday morning was our first chance to sleep in a little, we had a slower morning cooking breakfast and hanging out before heading out to raft! We rafted about 14 miles of the Colorado River -- high water levels offered big fun in the rapids, and plenty of opportunities to jump out of the boat and swim in the flat water. Our guides taught us the history of the land and pointed out a family of nesting bald eagle, some geological features, and even a movie set. Everyone enjoyed their time on the water and had a blast swimming and paddling. After rafting, we did a short hike down Moonflower Canyon to a beautiful, shaded pond. We spent about two hours enjoying the pond, napping, relaxing, and bonding before heading out. (We even got to see some petroglyphs!). Thursday night, we watched our last sunset together at camp. That night we had a beautiful debrief. We all sat in a big circle and took turns going into the middle, and we would all then say one nice thing about the person in the center before switching. The teens were so genuine, kind, thoughtful, and vulnerable. The moment was meaningful and is one I will never forget as an instructor.

Friday

Friday, we woke up early to break down camp. The night before was too windy for a campfire, so we had one Friday morning. Instructors cooked a pancake breakfast for the teens while they roasted some breakfast s'mores over the campfire! After enjoying our last moments in camp together, we loaded up the van and headed into town for a quick stop at the souvenir shop. We hit the road and soaked in the last of the Utah’s southeastern sandstone as we drove back down Highway 128. Participants exchanged information and enjoyed their last moments together as a group as we drove home. It brought me great joy to hear the laughter, and vibrant conversations happening in the back seats. A group who had only met five days prior had become the closest of friends and bonded over experiences they won’t soon forget.

We couldn’t have asked for a better trip to kick off the summer! I want to express to parents and guardians how impressed I am with each and every one of the participants on this trip. They are such an amazing group of kind, thoughtful, intelligent, and promising young adults! Thank you for sharing them for the week, and I hope to see them on future programs!