As we put another week in the books we like to look back and share the highlights with the families to let them know the great experiences we are having and the ways that these experiences help us bond and grow individually and as a whole. This week we spent our time working on our Alcoholics Anonymous 12 step programs and our therapeutic treatment assignments. Our real fun began when we drove six hours through Sedona, Phoenix, and then Tucson, AZ Setting up for a 3 day basecamp at Chiva Falls and Tanque Verde Falls.
We arrived in Tucson later at night and began unloading the vans containing an assortment of camp food, this time with a whopping 72 tamales for just 13 of us and enough burgers and hotdogs to send us home readjusting our belts one hole. As we unloaded the vans we started to feel at peace as we admired the view of a lit-up Tucson. The following morning we split up into two groups and embarked on our adventure for the day; some of us went to Chiva falls, which was about an 8.5 mile hike, and a smaller group went to Tanque Verde falls, which totaled to about 2.5 miles with time to swim and cliff jump. As our first group stepped onto the Chiva Falls trail, there was a party of 50 people riding on dirt bikes, ATVs, and other motorized vehicles, and enjoying the sun. We focused on our hike and didn’t pay them too much attention. Our other group that was headed to Tanque Verde Falls had a more leisure hike followed by a scramble through a former river, ending at a 30 foot waterfall and a swimming hole. The water was cold, as we expected, but it didn’t stop us from jumping off some of the ledges into the water. We stayed there for a couple hours and walked back to camp. However, on our way back we stopped to journal for Sharing is Caring, and one of us found a foot long giant desert centipede. Both groups returned to camp and we spent the rest of the night preparing one of the best meals we have had on our outdoor trip, pesto chicken pasta.
The next morning we woke up and one of us spotted a rattlesnake nearby. The snake was non aggressive and we respected its space for long enough to watch it devour a mouse whole. This lifted our spirits, One of our brethren told us that it is rare to see a snake eat in the wild because they don’t eat often. only managing to crush 45 tamales. We loaded up the vans and hit the road for 6 more hours. When we returned we went to the NAU sand volleyball courts and let out our remaining steam, and we had a blast.
Thank you,
B2B Families
