For some, spring break begins with moving into a posh hotel room in Florida and settling in for a week of tanning- but for the SCA spring break group, it began with a late-night arrival at our campground, fumbling around in the dark introducing themselves to people they couldn’t even see. The first-night dinner, sesame noodles with tofu or chicken, was amazing. But the freezing toes, hand washing in ice-cold water, and late-night serenade by wild coyotes, doubtlessly made some wonder why they hadn’t chosen the beach.
But the next day, after team-building games that thawed their toes, they made the trek to the grand canyon- and it became evident why they were all there. Thoughts ranged from “this ain’t real” to “it’s too big to comprehend.” All agreed that it looked like a picture. The group got introduced to the rim’s ecology through a plant walk, reveling in learning the names of mutton grass and ponderosa pine like the environmental geeks they are. A trip to the greenhouse introduced them to the work they’ll be doing for the week. All feel humbled and grateful to be part of this project, getting to know this magnificent place, and are looking forward to getting to work tomorrow.
Stay tuned for photos as soon as the internet connection gods smile on us.