Semester 51: Second Expedition
Written By: Lizzie Madden, Luke Balint, Leo Barta, & Max Chaplin
From October 3rd-13th, Semester 51 students and instructors spent time in the canyons of Utah for their Second Expedition.
Group A
Written by Lizzie Madden
I woke up in a cave on the last full day of exped; the sun hadn’t even started to rise. We packed our bags for the last time and discussed breakfast, which ended up being granola bars because we had no more breakfast food. I was the leader of the day (LOD), so after we had all eaten breakfast I gave the plan and route for the day, and my group scrambled down into a canyon for the last time.
Over the course of our Utah exped, one of the most difficult things we did was getting in and out of the canyons because we were never on a trail, so we just had to find our own way down. We often had to take off our backpacks and pass them using a rope, and then climb up or down using the same rope. After eight days of living in the desert, we were much better at navigating the canyon walls and made it down pretty quickly. The energy in my group was so exciting, and even though it was our last hiking day, everyone was so present and happy to be in the canyon. We tracked where we were in the canyon by counting the bends and drainages, and to pass the time while we walked we talked and looked for cool rocks and petrified wood. Our trail conversations ranged from movie plot summaries to deep meaningful conversations (DMCs). Since this was towards the end of exped, we had all learned how to work and hike and live with each other and the group was so efficient. We moved quickly, knew where we were, and had good communication the whole time.
Throughout exped, we saw many desert animals such as birds, chipmunks, lizards, jackrabbits, and some of us even saw a bighorn sheep! The coolest animal we saw was probably the tarantulas that are native to the desert there. We nicknamed the first tarantula we saw “dula peep,” after the singer Dua Lipa, and the name stuck for the rest of exped. On this last hiking day, my group saw three dula peeps in a matter of hours. The last dula peep that we saw was next to an arch in the side of the canyon. At the beginning of exped, we were all assigned a natural part of the ecosystem to do what we call a “Nature Nugget” presentation on. My nature nugget was on rock formations, so we stopped and I presented about rock formations and their influence on the ecosystem. Pretty soon after we moved on from the arch, we came across a dirt road that we were going to use to get to the parking lot where the bus was. Seeing the bus was exciting, but my stomach dropped because I was not ready to leave the backcountry yet. I really enjoy both how exciting and difficult exped is, and also how simple life is in the backcountry, taking one thing at a time.
That night, everybody was singing and dancing and laughing while we were making dinner for the last time in the parking lot. Some of us choreographed a dance while the sun was setting, and then we all helped each other sort our group gear and load it onto the bus. We played games before circle, and then we settled down into reflecting on our day, exped, and what we learned that we want to take with us back to campus. After circle, we had our last toothbrushing party and set up our sleeping bags in a huge group for the last time. Since it rarely rains in the canyons, the sky is always clear and the stargazing is amazing. That night I watched the stars for the last time from my sleeping bag. I could see so many constellations and shooting stars, the milky way, and satellites, and even a meteor.
Even though this was a day of lasts, it was probably one of the best days I had on exped. Between the stunning views, amazing people, unexpected wildlife, interesting conversations, fun hiking, a million laughs, and much more, I could not have been happier.
Group B
Written by Luke Balint
Stars, so many stars. These were all I could think about while lying in my sleeping bag, underneath said stars. I fell asleep in a flash despite Roy and Jack doing their best to try and keep me awake with Joe Swanson impressions and playing inane games of “Would You Rather.” The day prior was long, 13 miles, but that wasn’t the tough part. The toughest part was water. We all quickly learned to appreciate even the grimiest of water in the desert, as it was hard to come by. So, by the time we reached camp, it was safe to say that anything that could hold water was bone-dry. Maddie, Ram, our expedition leader Dave and I journeyed down into the canyon as the sun was beginning to set over the distant mesas. A couple of slips and shimmies later, we had made it down the canyon. I wasn’t worried about finding water, it had been marked that there was some down here from previous groups. When we got to this place on the map: nothing. The only life we encountered was a close call with a baby rattlesnake that Dave nearly stepped on. Headlamps on and cautious stepping was the theme of the night. A quarter mile into the bottom of the canyon and there was no water to be found. Only bats, animal bones, and spiders, lots and lots of spiders. Another half mile passed before we reached a drop in the canyon. At that point, we needed water, and there was only one way forward: down. A literal hop, skip, and a jump down we went, where we were met with chocolate milk. At least that’s what it looked like. It was 9pm and this was the only water we had encountered in 14 hours, it could’ve been straight lemon juice for all I cared. But alas, it was water, and that’s what we needed. After plugging our noses and filling up everyone’s water bottles, we departed. Climbing up the walls of both the mini canyon and the original larger one. We reached back to camp at 9:30, after a full 2 ½ hour water scavenging trip. I sat down with my cook group and told them the whole story and received a quesadilla as a thank you along with some lemonade powder to put in my water. And to think, If I was at home, this would’ve been just another Tuesday.
Group C
Written by Leo Barta
At 9:41am we embarked on our roughly 8-hour car ride to Gravel Canyon in Utah. All 15 of us, 11 students and 4 instructors, were crammed into one of the nicer buses HMI has. We talked and slept through the long car ride and began to create an everlasting bond that would only be strengthened throughout the next 10 days. On the way we stopped at a gas station and I loaded up on protein bars, despite carrying a 10-day ration, because last expedition I was a very hungry hippo. Oliver, Ryan, and I debated whether or not to buy a very greasy pizza from the infamous Little Caesars; but, in the end, we didn’t get it because we couldn’t decide who would pay for it. Probably a good decision, as it definitely prevented a few extra restroom stops for the rest of our drive. Once arriving in Utah we made dinner for the first time in our new cook crews, which was a good test run to see what the rest of the expedition would look like food wise. Gemma spilled the pasta. Despite that little oopsie, I ended up having a bussin’ dinner because the pasta still slapped and I had pesto tortellini and a turkey sandwich from school. That night we had a great view of Jacob’s Chair as the sun was setting, and we slept under the stars all together in a dream circle.
Throughout the next 9 days in the canyons, including 2 layover days and 7 hiking days, we covered a little more than 30 miles and crossed many canyons. Some top highlights for me were…
Uly did the “Kevin Gates jump” over many rocks and puddles of water. He also led us through our nordic night.
Ryan survived exped while having a cast on his left hand and did every physical action that most people would need two hands for without help. He also took many amazing flicks.
Quinton made a genius variation of the song, “I Am Woman.” He also got MUCH better at packing his pack (with the help of Uly and I.
Siena took a peaceful snooze on top of her homework and never failed to laugh at a joke.
Ola had a conversation with everybody on the exped about their personal meaning of love. She also provided lots of information about Mormon tea.
Oliver was the creator of the Ferda joke and made a concerning amount of noise while sleeping.
Eli took a few stumbles but was such a warrior and kept pushing on.
Calvin did the greatest and most full-hearted impression of Ms. Sally Walker that I have ever seen.
Gemma fit 11 water bottles on the one tactical carabiner.
On our last day we slept at the campground that every exped ground was meeting at before the long ride home. We woke up later than we were supposed to that day, so some of us did not have enough time to eat breakfast. Once other buses started pulling in around 7:25am, the emotions and excitement of everyone being together after 11 days apart was really insane. It was definitely a bit crazy. There was a lot of hugging and storytelling in a very short 10-minute period of time. We then got on our respective buses, we had the short bus this time, which is the least comfy bus. Somehow the drive went by pretty quick for 7 hours and 43 minutes (I remembered to time it this time). We stopped at a gas station on the way and got some snacks to fuel us for cleaning up all of our gear back on campus. Overall a very solid experience and memories that I probably won’t forget.
Group D
Written by Max Chaplin
For our second expedition, we ventured far further from campus than last time, finding ourselves on an 8 hour drive to Utah. I was shocked by how different this was than the first expedition; from the scenery, to the group, and the length of the trip. I never thought I would find 10 days without a shower short, but it went by in a flash.
My first surprise was how much more adventurous the canyons felt. Each day we had to figure out a way for our whole group to scale into the vast canyons with 50-pound packs on, and more importantly, find a way out. We got the freedom and opportunity to scout out our own routes, and figure out methods to help each other through. From frequent passing of packs, and the occasional setting up of a rope as a handline, we made our way through as a group in one piece. I even got the honorable opportunity to be a ‘meet anchor,’ which is when I anchor the rope that others use to climb up.
My second surprise was how I got to reflect my learning of macroinvertebrates in science class, by counting them in my water. The canyons did not have an abundance of water. We collected water that lived in potholes from the last rain. These sometimes had funny little bugs which I named, Gerald, Greg, Frederick, etc.… We had the occasional evening mission where a few people would go back down into the canyons to track down water for our group.
Our biggest day was our last hiking day, where we nailed 13 miles, whilst also descending in and out of a canyon. It was a long day, and far from easy, but we came out of it laughing and joking around with each other. We used our paper map to locate our final campsite, and set up tarps.
We cooked meals over WhisperLite stoves, my favorite being pizza from scratch. Every night we would meet and reflect about the day. We would give each other praises and feedback, and share our highs and lows of the day. We rarely slept in our tarps, and spent most nights under the stars. There were some of the most insane stars I have seen in my whole life. They stretched out across the entire sky, all the constellations actually clear. I made a wish on every shooting star I saw, and now I have about 68 wishes in the works. I expected to be so excited to get back on the bus and be reintroduced to warm showers and non-dehydrated meals, and yet, I was sad to leave our time in the canyons behind.
Trek: Solar Eclipses and Rock Climbing
Gap Rock in Rifle & Indian Creek