Canyons, Conference Rooms and San Diego

Another great hitch in the canyon, for the first time with volunteers, foreign and domestic. Four PDM members and I headed down with 5 volunteers and two staffers to get back to work on rip-rapping the South Kaibab and improving the tread with crushed limestone. We battled wild weather swings from hail, to freezing rain to sunshine and beautiful rainbows arcing across the canyon walls.

(stormy weather in the canyon, taken at skeleton point)

(hail and freezing rain made sunshine and rainbows that much sweeter, taken from skeleton point)

The volunteers were unfazed, hiking 3.5 miles up to work every single day, something it took me a couple of weeks to get used to. NPS was awesome as always, providing great leadership and comradery. A stomach bug terrorized a few of our workers towards the end of the hitch, but our supervisor and others really stepped up to care for them and make sure they had the strength to get out of the Canyon come Wednesday. Inclement weather and these unfortunate events provided the rest of us the opportunity to take a day hike up to Ribbon Falls; an experience that I don't think any of us will ever forget.

(behind ribbon falls, the falling water is forming some huge stalagmite that is all covered in moss)

(wait for it...)

(...bam! What a beautiful place)

I had to leave 1 day early to attend a leadership training in Prescott, and while I was looking forward to it, I felt strange leaving my friends behind while they battled this virus. The hike out was my hardest yet, as the recent rain had turned long sections of the trail into a mud pit. Plus, I had decided to work a half day in addition to hiking out. The section up to skeleton point felt great since the ground was hard and frozen in the morning, but after collecting rocks for 2.5 hours and eating lunch, the sun was out and the trail was a soggy mess. For each step I took up the trail I slid backwards, until I put on my crampons to gain purchase in the goo.

(I wish the trail looked this good when I was hiking out, taken on the way back from Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab trail)

Tired but happy up at the top I took part in my ritual food binge at the Grand Canyon Market and caught a shuttle back to Flag after a nap. Arriving late, I had the good fortune to see my other roommates for a couple hours before they headed out on their next hitch in the San Pablo Mountains (southern Arizona). Collapsing into bed around 11:30pm, it was time to get up and go to Prescott way too soon.

The leadership training was a great experience. I got to meet 15 people from across Arizona that are dedicated to service in a wide variety of different ways. Some work with people with disabilities, others with children or the environment, and everybody's making a difference in people's lives. We spent 3 intense days and 2 crazy nights planning conferences and events that will promote awareness of service opportunities in Arizona for people of all ages. Sitting in a conference room for 12 hours a day when you're used to living in the Grand Canyon and moving rocks for a living was a trying experience, but we got a ton done and formed an amazing bond through this intense "work hard, play hard" experience. I feel blessed to have met all these great people and to have the opportunity to work with them over the next 5 months.

Back in Flag Friday at 7pm, it was time for recovery, but I couldn't escape one more great night out on the town. My roommate's mom was visiting so we all took her out to the Wine Loft and played Balderdash for a couple hours before cutting it up at Mia's. Finally, I got my rest in as I bummed around the apartment and Flag for a couple days, being more productive than I thought I'd be and sleeping less than I intended. Somehow it was still relaxing. Tomorrow, it's back in the Canyon for 8 days, and after that we're piling into my friend's car for a 5 day trip to San Diego (March 11-15). Beaches, bars, camping, music and Mexican food are on the hit list...we're going to keep it classy.