Enough about titles, let's go back adventuring with the youth. Youth Conference only happens every few years. I think during the last one, June was not old enough to go. I remember Tyler going south and repelling with the young men and women. This time around, both June and Robyn were going to go and I decided that I needed to get on this train somehow. I didn't know if I could bear the three of them coming back and telling me all their stories. I needed to go and experience it myself.
So, I sent out a message saying I was an available leader in case they needed any. Fortuitously, several of the young women leaders could not be there and they did need a few extra hands. In the same breath, they also decided that I couldn't possibly have volunteered, because we have small kids at home that can't watch themselves should Tyler and I leave at the same time.
We had already planned for that contingency. Granny V was ready and willing to watch kids in ID. So I stuck my foot back in the door and made sure everyone knew that I was coming. (Possibly with or without an invitation. I think they were still glad to have me on board.)
This is why I took kids up to ID for the fourth of July. And why I left them there. I got back just in time to pack for the trip. (I should warn you that this is a personal journal for me, so it is quite lengthy. But I didn't want to forget these experiences I worked so hard to get in the first place.)
Thursday morning dawned, but the kids were up before the sun. They went early to do baptisms at the temple. I slept in. Well, I actually finished some last minute packing. Tyler went with them.
Everyone returned from the temple to grab gear and bring it to the church to have breakfast and pack the vans. Happy faces are always good to see. I'm thinking they will be a bit dirtier by the end of the trip.
We ended up with an interesting problem. We had a count of how many kids were coming, and somehow more kids showed up than we planned for. I'm not sure if people changed their minds or the pull of Moab drew out some of the stragglers, but we were more than the number of seats we had available.
This van is full to the brim, and that goes for the two other vans. (Don't worry, there were boys on the trip. They were just in the other vans.)
When you have no more room in rented vans, you petition a tag-along leader to drive. I was more than happy to drive my own vehicle. I knew the air conditioning would reach me and I could be in charge of my music. What could be better? Sis. Cobb was in my car, along with Phebe, Devin, and Radi. I believe June joined halfway along the trip. But we had a chill car. It was perfect.
Our destination was Moab. It was the beginning of July, so weather could be anything really, but for us, it ended up being HOT, HOT, HOT! It was 110 degrees in the shade. Luckily, we camped right on the river. We unpacked the trailers, but it wasn't long before everyone headed for the water.
Look, one brave soul got their tent up first. Actually, I think that was the girls so they had somewhere to change.
This is the last picture I took at camp. My phone died later that day and I left it off the rest of the time. It is okay to unplug. But it does mean waiting for other people to send you pictures. (That is not my favorite.)
The water was very refreshing. There was plenty of mud to go around. We had a slew of mud warriors. This crew is looking good.
Here is the view from down at the water's edge. Because the water was low, the jump off the cliff was a little higher. And you touched the bottom easily. It was soft and silty, so no one was hurt, but it still took a good amount of courage to talk yourself off the cliff. (Well, at least it took me a few tries to get going.) I think almost everyone jumped off at one point or another. (I had to stop eventually. It did something weird to my ears. My ears have never been right after scuba diving.)
This is a great picture from Bro. Holman.
Here's everyone just playing around. The river wasn't fast, but there was a persistent current in the middle. At one point, June and I ended up past that rock that juts out. It took us a good 20 minutes to work our way back to where we wanted to be. Even when I could touch the bottom, I couldn't seem to propel myself very fast in the opposite direction than the current. It wasn't impossible. Just time consuming and exhausting.
The paddle boards were a hit. My girls are pretty good at them now. They had a great time.
Most of Thursday was hanging out and enjoying the water. Some people chatted in camp. We borrowed some cards and started a game of Mau. It drove some people crazy to not know the rules. Kevin was the best. He enforced the 'No talking' rule better than anyone else. (Even when we weren't playing the game.)
We still had plenty of tents to set up, and little did we know that they would be our saving grace in the evening. This very tent was where June, Robyn, Eva, Phebe and I hid from the attack.
The hammocks looked mighty comfortable and this sky tent was a new one I hadn't seen. That is camping luxury. No rocks under their backs.
The evening called for a hike to Corona Arch. The trail head was right across from our camp site. Tyler took this picture of our area as he began the hike.
There are several things that I like about Corona Arch. First, the hike isn't too bad. There are some steep places, but they don't last long. There are some sections that go straight up and have steel lines and stair steps in the rock and even a ladder in one place. What I like most is that the arch hides. Some of the kids had been to this spot before, a few years back. They were leading the way and I was right up front with them. We get to this section and one of the kids said, "There's the arch." I look and look, but I'm just not seeing it.
As you travel around the basin, the arch comes into view and it is fantastic.
It really is huge. I'm sorry I didn't take any of my own pictures. We were the first group there, so we waited for the others. The girls wrote their names. Can you find them?
I totally stole some pictures from Tyler's last trip. Check out these other views.
Man, I wish Terrie had actually been there when I went.
Bro. Hillman gave a great devotional under Corona Arch. He talked about his dog Brutus. Brutus was fairly stubborn and would often run off. Keith thought he had him trained until one day on a hike, Brutus saw a squirrel. He shot off after the animal and Keith tried calling him back. Brutus turned for a moment and gave him the look of, "Don't worry. I've got this," and off he went. He came back all too quickly with a face full of porcupine quills. Bro. Hillman gave this analogy to show how we often think we know better and ignore counsel from our leaders or Savior. We give an assured face and say, "I've got this." It was a great lesson and little did I know how soon we would be able to share our own example of stubbornness and pride.
As we wrapped up, Hillman suggested we hike down separately to enjoy the experience and have some alone time. June and I opted to hike down together quietly. I'm actually really glad we did. It was starting to get dark. We didn't quite need flashlights, but dusk was rapidly reeling in the fading light. We talked quietly as we walked, but I was interrupted by a shrill whining in my ear. I batted at my head and the sound faded only to be immediately replaced by the same insistent mewling in my ear.
The mosquitoes were out. It was like someone had flipped a switch. One moment no bugs, the next hoards of mosquitoes. We hadn't brought repellent. Instead we picked up the pace and flailed our arms incessantly around us trying to keep the pests from landing on us. It was a good thing we went faster, because we came upon Abby and Shannon who had stopped to douse themselves in bugspray. We pleaded to use some and they happily handed over the can, but didn't even stay to see it safely returned. They were hiking at top speed. June and I coated ourselves as best we could and I turned and started walking back up the trail. June noted that I was going the wrong way. I told her that was true, but chances were, the people behind us needed bugspray as much as we just did.
Sure enough, Ben Hardman was minutes behind us. As I sprayed around his head a cloud of mosquitoes rose from his hair. It was like a convention had already set up. June and I dutifully handed off the spray can and continued our rapid descent toward camp.
There was no respite down at camp. If anything, they were probably worse since we were closer to the water. Everyone was spraying their neighbor and sharing what supplies we had. I grabbed a can and went back up the trail to look for Robyn. She had stayed back with Eva, who twisted her ankle, and I knew they would be moving slower which made them an easy target.
Upon returning to camp, I found Tyler trying to set up extra tents. Although many people brought hammocks, we knew it would be dangerous to sleep outside. Some people were fine trying, but we wanted kids in zipped up edifices. I brought a light over to Tyler and almost gasped as I startled dozens of mosquitoes off Tyler's back where they had settled and were trying to feast. I really have never seen anything quite like it. (And I've been on trek where there were a LOT of mosquitoes.)
Our little two man tent that Tyler was planning on using went to a couple of boys. I ended up crawling in with my afore mentioned crew and we didn't fare too poorly. Naturally, there were several beasties trapped in the tent with us, so we got extra bites in the night, but it was nothing compared to Tyler's experience.
He opted for the hammock, then the car, then running through the night to try and avoid the mosquitoes. There was no reprieve. You have to know that mosquitoes like Tyler more than others. They find him sweet. He is usually the first one bitten and also the last. In this case, with no tent for Tyler, he drew them by the hundreds. I don't think he slept a wink that night.
We didn't get around to treating his bites with Caladryl until the next afternoon, but see for yourself the carnage.
He estimated around 300 bites.
Friday dawned early as well. For those who wanted to do the repel, they needed to get going early to beat the heat. No one wanted to be hiking when the sun was at its zenith.
Tyler was avoiding the repel because of his ankle, so I went with the first group, including June and Robyn. When we arrived, they separated us into smaller groups of about seven. June and Robyn ended up in the first batch that left. I watched them walk away and decided it was good that they were with the experienced repelers. They would be the first ones to go through.
Hillman pointed at me and told me to take the next crew. I know I qualify as a leader, but sometimes I just feel like a big kid. But I was up to the challenge. I grabbed Jenna, Maycee, Devin, Radi, Eli, and Gage. Hillman said we should just follow the other group. But there wasn't a trail and they had just disappeared over the horizon. I was already worried this was a bad idea. (I cheated and stole this picture from the last time Tyler went. But this is exactly how it was. Just walk out into the wilderness. No worries.)
Luckily, there were enough signs and a basic trail that we were able to find our way. We encountered things right from the beginning that made us work as a team. The girls were great and we all scaled walls and jumped from heights into pits that looked treacherous, with little difficulty. The twins and Gage always led the way. They would try things first and make sure we could do it right. It wasn't too long before we caught up to the original group at the first repel. They were slower because they had to set up all the ropes.
We were told this would be a wet repel. Before the drop, there were several holes that you had to go through in order to continue the hike. In past years, they were filled with water. We were lucky that because of the later season, only one was filled with water. But there was no getting around for the novice. It was into the water and then out the other side. We could see all the dripping people waiting for their turn on the rope. Here I am ready to take the plunge.
I was happy with how I jumped in. I did not submerge my head. I found the bottom easily, and I'd like to think I did it as gracefully as possible. I found a friend in there. A little frog was swimming around. Not sure where he was going to go eventually. Megan got a video. It took me a while to get in, but I was trying to get farther down the wall. No need to jump from a greater height than necessary.
One of the funniest moments of Youth Conference happened at this spot. Because of the water, people didn't want to get their devices wet. So people were throwing their backpacks across to people on the other side. The Densley's (the people who took the video) put all their devices in one backpack. Then Sabrina scooted as close as she could and Radi stood on the other side to catch. Sabrina got a good swing going, but instead of throwing forward, she threw the backpack up. It sailed nice and high and then landed smack dab in the center of the pool. She couldn't have hit the middle better if she had been aiming. It was so funny. (To be clear, I don't think the electronics were damaged, but I probably would have laughed either way.) Abby's turn was next. She was nervous since Sabrina had missed. Like a true sister, she threw it the exact same way. This time Radi was ready for it. He literally dived into the pool and caught the bag saving it from the same fate. Then Megan said, "I was going to have one of you girls throw my bag, but after watching, I'll just throw it myself." And actually, she did a great job throwing her bag across.
The first repel was good. It was only about 80 feet. I haven't repelled in quite a while. It came back quickly, but I'm sure I was using my left hand too much. The rope was very hot when I reached the bottom, along with my hand. My whole group made it through the repel and we hiked farther into the canyon towards the second repel.
We were in a place called Dragonfly. There are two repels that are a part of the trail. I'm not sure what you would do if you hiked in without the right equipment. Luckily, Bro. Hillman is an expert. He has been all over Moab, and he brought employees with him to run the repels. That said, it was still a slow process with so many newbs on the ropes. We reached a crevice in the canyon that turned into a 120 foot repel. But we sat there waiting for a good hour. We were the middle group. The group in front took their time. Finally, we starting getting our people on the ropes. The group behind us had some anxious people. (Sometimes waiting is the hardest part.) We finally let Daniel go ahead so he could get it over with. At that time, they were running two ropes. Daniel started and Radi came behind him. Radi finished and it was my turn before Daniel was off his rope.
I started down trying to keep my feet free of his rope. Unfortunately, my sandal strap had come loose and I was trying to keep my feet up so I didn't lose a shoe. At the same time, my rope crossed a little of Daniel's causing my rope to pop over. My belay, down below, was startled and grabbed the rope thinking I might be falling. This only caused my rope to jerk, slamming me into the rock wall. I got a nice gash on my elbow for that one. I figured it would be better to be off the rope sooner than later so I let myself down the repel rather quickly. In fact, I almost caught up to Daniel. (He was going so slowly.) I might have gone too quickly as I blistered and popped the blister on one hand by the time I reached the bottom. I wasn't the only one. Maycee had two on her hands. They oozed for the rest of the day.
Safely on the bottom, we regrouped. I was the last one from our team. Devin had hiked out with the first group, so we just had three girls and three boys. Everyone was hot and tired, but more importantly, we had some boys who needed to use the restroom and bushes weren't going to cut it. So I figured we should hike out of the canyon. Thor called from up above, "If you don't know the way out, just stay there." There was only one trail, so I turned and called back in so many words, "Don't worry, we got this." (Sound familiar??) If I knew how much I sounded like Brutus, I would probably have repented on the spot and sat down patiently waiting for the last group, but we had an urgency. So off we started.
The trail was fairly easy to follow at the beginning. The only problem was that it was deep and sandy. Every step took a little extra effort. I was wearing my Keen sandals and they quickly filled with sand making each step heavier. Jenna's shoes turned brown. It looked like that was their original color. The boys, who had more desire to get out quickly, hiked faster and soon we lost sight of them. Maycee, Jenna, and I dutifully trudged through the sand. And please do not forget the sun. Much of the hike was sheltered from the sun by trees and brush, but the sun was rising higher and the trail would often be blazing. Hot sand would pour in and out of my sandals. It was rigorous. And then the trail came to a T. A large rock wall rose in front of us and we could go right or left.
Perhaps this is why they said to wait.
Honestly, I went with my gut on this one. We looked for footprints because supposedly the boys had come this way moments earlier. Plus, another group had gone before us. We chose the right. (Always a good choice.) We walked for a few yards and immediately hit an obstacle. There was a large swampy pond in front of us filling the path. Jenna tried walking into the soggy mud and was rewarded with dozens of frogs jumping away squeaking. We decided that there was no way they went through there. But off to the side we spied a haphazard path that went off the trail and around the pond. It looked like our best option.
Thus began one of the strangest hikes I have been on. Our wide, obvious trail slowly became anything but. The trail narrowed to deer size with jungle growing up on the sides. Sometimes we had to push fronds and branches away to be able to see where the trail was beneath us. On top of that, the trail ended several times. We would run into water, much like the first swamp marsh. We would stand and think the trail had gone cold, only to spy a weird side trail every time. Sometimes they were very difficult to spot, but we always found one. The most encouraging part was that all along we could see footprints here and there. It seemed that someone had used this makeshift trail recently.
We hiked and hiked. It never seemed to end and of course there was always the nagging suspicion that we had taken the wrong trail. Plus, we were still missing the boys. I started to assess our water supply. Should I start rationing? People get lost in Moab all the time. And people die. Without water, we wouldn't last long. It wasn't an emergency yet, but I've read too many books not to have things flash through my mind.
We had just jumped over a creek, wondering yet again if we should turn around when we heard voices. We started yelling trying to decide if the noise was coming from ahead or behind. Seconds later, three heads bobbed into view. It was the boys, and they were coming from BEHIND us. There was a bit of a happy reunion and then some questioning. Turns out the boys had gone left. They hiked for a while until they decided that definitely was not the right direction. (Made me feel better about our choice so far.) They had come back and taken the right fork and luckily had made it as far as we had. Now that we were united, I did take a moment to chide the boys. They had left not only their leader, but all the girls alone. As priesthood holders, I encouraged them to never abandon their group.
Our number now extended to six, we let the boys lead and once again, we pushed through the underbrush on our 'trail'. It wasn't long after that, that we head a sound that I never knew could bring such joy to my heart. We heard traffic. It was still a ways off, but we could make out cars traveling on the road. That meant we wouldn't be lost in the wilderness forever.
After hurdling one more very wide creek, we found a ridge and hiked to the top to spy the road. We had been told that when we came out of the canyon, one of the vans would be waiting for us. I didn't see any vans, but then again, I had no idea where we were supposed to come out. Our group wasn't stranded but we weren't out of the proverbial woods yet. We hiked up to the highway, and now the sun was brutal. With no shade and the sun bouncing off the pavement, I started to slow down. A couple of the boys were dozens of yards away. I think they were trying to head to the original trailhead, but that didn't seem to be the right choice. I decided that I wasn't above hailing a ride. Hitchhiking is only dangerous by yourself right??
Providence brought us a vehicle with flashing yellow lights atop it. It wasn't a park ranger, but it was a government vehicle and that was enough for me. I waved my arms and sure enough, that is still a universal sign for help. This kind gentleman stopped and backed up to see what we needed.
I will never forget you Grant. He apologized for the state of his car, but I promise that all of us were dirtier than anything in that car. We piled in and put Radi in the back. Blessed air conditioning. And then Grant drove us all the way back to camp, stopping by the visitor's center so we could leave a message there. (And let the boys go to the bathroom, although they had forgotten that they still needed to go. Classic.) We managed to make a call to Tyler as well, so he could pass along the info that we were out and headed back to camp.
Turns out that we came out almost exactly where we were supposed to, but the vans were in between runs. Everyone was amazed that we had gotten out. Both the other groups had guides. I'm thinking that we were blessed by Heavenly Father. That scenario could have ended up so much worse. Yet, all of us despite being tired and having some blisters and scrapes, were just fine. My kids were such troopers. I'm so proud of them all. Gage was such a great leader. The boys made sure that all the girls made it over the jumps. The girls kept going despite the possibility that we could be lost. All things considered, we ended up with very few porcupine quills in our face, but I will definitely rethink counsel before thinking that, "I got this."
The rest of the afternoon was rather uneventful for us. Hillman on the other hand ended up with another repel group that went out later. This time instead of being shaded by the canyon (that hour that we waited was at least in the shade) they were in the direct sun. All the repels were harder due to heat and exhaustion. Hillman came back almost severely dehydrated. He spent the rest of the afternoon drinking and still wasn't peeing by bedtime. (Perhaps that is too much info, but your body lets you know when you aren't getting enough liquid.)
Tyler went with a group that did a hike. In the afternoon, he set up another tent someone found and he went to sleep. I think he got up briefly to eat dinner, but then back to bed until morning. I guess that is what happens when you don't sleep all night. The rest of us spent some nice time in the water again. And in the evening, there was not the onslaught like the night before. There were still mosquitoes, but not in the sheer numbers of the previous battle. It was actually quite pleasant. The Bishop, and his wife, visited but there was no devotional. The kids just played and spent time together. It had been a crazy, but great day. Here are some pictures the Bishop took while visiting.
Saturday we were up early again to do one more hike before leaving. We went to hike Delicate Arch. This is the famous arch Utah is known for. You see it on license plates and on many billboards advertising the wonders of Utah. It was nice for me to finally get to some of these places. Although I didn't grow up in Utah, I have been here long enough that I should have been to some iconic landmarks. The hike was rather steep. Robyn and I made up a story and entertained each other as we scaled the rocks. It was nice to have her company. There was much more traffic, even for so early in the morning. When we reached the top, the view was amazing. Sabrina took this picture while we sat and rested. Stunning huh?
We sat in the shade and caught our breath. Megan was kind enough to get more pictures. (My phone was still nice and dead.)
Love this picture of Sariah and Alvin.
Then we got a group shot. It really looks like we are the only ones there, but I promise there were at least a hundred or more people milling around. Everyone was nice to let people have turns taking pictures.
There was potential for some people to stay longer on Saturday, but considering the heat, we decided to pack it in. I got to get back in my vehicle with my crew and we happily sang our way home and played lots of games of Fortunately/Unfortunately. Oh, and Radi braided June's hair. This is one of his better braids.
I came home and had the best shower in ages. Ironically, I jumped right back in the car and drove to ID. It was the only time to get the littles, so it had to be done. It was still a nice drive. I don't mind driving, especially if I have tunes. I'm a girl who loves to sing.
Youth Conference was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. We have such amazing youth in our ward. We have great leaders and dedicated people. Like our cooks...the trip wouldn't have been half as good without all the amazing food. Thanks Waughs! You guys rocked.
I wonder how I can get myself invited again in a few years?
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