Our latest adventure as recounted by a client journalist:
Hey friends and families!
Client T here for another weekly update for all of y’all, as always, reporting from the now seasonably cold and snowy Flagstaff AZ! Our weekend was pretty humorous, as mother nature was doing everything in her power to dampen our spirits (its funny because it was raining), but the inclement weather brought us all closer together, but more on that in a minute. Other than that, two of our clients have a family weekend coming up, and they are super excited to see some of y’all, and I think that’s about all the updates I have. So now, onto the trip…
Sunday started beautifully for us. Everyone was up early, packed and ready to crush the weekend adventures. It was a super smooth and fantastic start to the weekend. We hit the gym around 9ish to pick up heavy objects and set them back down again repeatedly for a couple hours, in addition to playing some racquetball and walleyball (kind of like volleyball, but on a racquetball court, and you can use the walls) so everyone was already nice and sweaty even before we got to our destination. Our drive was only a short 45 minutes, to the beautiful Sedona, AZ. Before heading to our campsite, we first made our way to a popular trail in Sedona. It was a combination mountain bike/hiking trail (double black diamond) and if I didn’t see people doing it with my own eyes, I would not think it would be possible to ride bikes on that trail. Steep cliffs, sharp turns, and slippery rocks made me simultaneously question the sanity of anyone who wanted to ride a bike there, and applaud the technical skill of those who did. It was gorgeous weather all throughout the day, around 70, and it made the 8.5 mile hike seem much shorter. We had our daily AA meeting on the trail, and I think everyone got quite a bit out of it. Afterwards, we drove to our campsite, a wilderness area where our only neighbors were 4 cows who enjoyed grazing somewhat close to us. We unpacked and settled in, aware that the forecast called for a chance of rain, but not quite ready for what was to come. We were somehow tricked into not bringing any meat on the trip (Guides Nick and Zach, I’m looking at you -.-) but we were still able to make a surprisingly delicious meal of quesadillas, stuffed full of cheese, veggies, and *shiver* veggie sausage. We then played a few rounds of Mafia by the campfire, and no one could get away with anything, as all the mafia members were caught within 2 rounds every game. Finally, we drifted off to sleep, ready to take on the challenge of the next day.
Monday came around and we awoke to gray skies and the smell of rain in the distance. My morning started with a nice shot of adrenaline when I sleepily wandered over a near berm to use the bathroom, promptly scared the 4 cows grazing there, who in turn promptly caused me to jump when they scared me. The rain set in as breakfast was being cooked, which led to a mad scramble to secure our gear and put up a tarp between the vans. Remember how I said we got closer? We did. Not just emotionally. Imagine 10 fully grown men standing beneath a single person tarp suspended beneath a van. We got really close. After that our group split up into two. Guide Zach took Intern M, and clients D, M, and myself to climb Bear Mountain. The other group, led by Guide Nick, comprised of clients A1, A2, other client T, and other client D. They headed up Mt. Wilson. The weather got worse as the day went on, as both groups encountered heavy rain, wind, and sleet/hail throughout the hikes. However…only one group summited their respective peak. The A-Team, led by Guide Zach, and we have photo proof too! But regardless, spirits were high all around, and after meeting up at a park to discuss our journaling, we drove into Sedona to attend an AA meeting. It was a great meeting, a study on the Big Book Chapter about spouses of alcoholics and their words to us, and for some of us, who have had serious relationships or engagements, this hit home. I know it certainly did for me. Still raining, we headed back to camp to find the nice dry, dusty campsite was now turned into a giant mud pit. After going legitimately sideways in the van (drift skills), we all made it safely back to the campsite, and clients A1 and other T cooked up some grilled cheese and tomato soup, which absolutely lifted spirits, warmed us up, and filled our hungry stomachs. After the hikes, everyone was pretty tired, so it was an early night. After some shenanigans and some people having to share tents due to wet gear, everyone finally made it to sleep.
This morning rolled up on us too quickly it seemed, and seemed exactly like the start to Monday, except we had a slight break in the rain, so we took full advantage, wrapping up camp quickly and whipping up some delectable mandatory oats and coffee (crossfade blend). We slipped and slid through the mud, some of us hilariously growing a few inches from the platform shoes of mud we added onto the bottom of our boots, and soon we were on our way back to Flagstaff. When we got back it was snowing, so we hit the gym to warm up before derig. we made it back to Hunter House around noon and started the long process of cleaning out two vans caked with pounds of mud but we succeeded, and no amount of rain or snow could stop us! We ate some grilled cheese for lunch, and ended our night with an AA meeting and TV. So here I am now, finishing this up and about to go to bed. So until next week families,
Farewell and Take Care,
Client T, Over and Out.
