Dear families,
This week we had quite the adventure! On the first leg of our journey we made landfall in Tucson, Arizona. We set up camp and then toured the Colossal cave system. Once inside the cave we bore witness to majestic stalagmite and stalactite formations. Our tour guide was very informative and had a propensity for humor. We cooked raviolis for dinner that night and got to bed early for the start of the backpacking portion of the trip the next day. We got up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the big hike ahead. When we got about two miles up and into the park, our gallant trip leader had to return to the van to retrieve our permits. The rest of the group carried on the seven miles to the campsite in just under four hours.
Meanwhile Aaron and the trip leader were following in the others footsteps through the steep rolling hills. That evening we set up camp and after a lengthy discussion decided to go extra miles the next day so we could have a layover on Wednesday. It was a difficult hike, filled with more elevation than we expected. Each one of us excelled through the hike, however. When we finally made it to Manning camp, we noticed a stark difference in the terrain. What was once an arid desert landscape was now a juniper forest peppered with fresh snow. We got there just in time to witness the sunset over the mountains in one of nature’s more wonderous displays. The next day we did some exploring around the campsite which included a polar dip. Boy it sure was cold! Finally, we hiked for two days out of Saguaro National Park back to the vans. We celebrated our successful ascension with In N Out burgers.
Until next time,
B2B boys
