Day 6- The Grand Canyon

Day 6: Grand Canyon

 

Happy Hike Day, everyone! 

Once again, the Dopeys are here to give you an exciting day in the life of the Grand Canyon.

After falling asleep watching shooting stars, TWB woke up early to the sound of howling coyotes. Thanks to the alphas, we were able to start our day by seeing the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. After this, we fueled up for our 2-mile hike over to the Bright Angel Trail. 

All participants had the option to choose among a 1-mile, 3-mile, or 6-mile total hike in the canyon. During this hike, they were able to see landscapes that couldn't even be described in words, plus chubby squirrels. It is clear to everyone that no picture or video can do justice to how much aura it has. For the 1-mile group that went out, they started out and went into the canyon and went to a tunnel and then got a ton of pictures and hiked back out. For the 3-mile hike, we went all of the way down to the 1 1/2 mile turn-around point with the bathrooms, but the two 3-mile groups saw a great spot 2 switchbacks down. For the 6-mile hike, Kendra had to get a tampon shoved up her nostril due to a nosebleed from the intense dry heat. The 6-mile group got an amazing workout and great views while a squirrel stole Reid's granola bar.

A perfect day to have a birthday! Caroline got some extra fiber in her stew :)

For lunch, after hiking in the heat-bowl of a canyon, we had the one-of-a-kind Deaton Stew, which consisted of vegetables, apples, meat, potatoes, and softened pretzels with a slice or two of bread. Grant decided to get some golfing practice in before using the club to mix our very hydrating, electrolyte-filled drink.

After enjoying a delicious meal made by Grant, we all split into groups of 6 or more and decided to lounge around and do some fun activities. These consisted of sightseeing, doing laundry, taking glorious showers, and spending money on many souvenirs. Everybody got the chance to call their family and shed lots of tears while telling them about all the fun adventures we have had. Our surprise after a yummy lunch (gulp) was some very, very boujee long-sleeved, dry-fit, red TWB Grand Canyon shirts. On the back, it said "down is optional, up is mandatory," which is something we learned the hard way. After 7 hours of free time and enjoying our time together, we met up at 7 for a sing-along. 

As we gathered around after our glorious free time to sing some bomb songs yes their were a few (or many) voice cracks and maybe some out of tune lines we got to give a big birthday shoutout to Caroline and sang her happy birthday and of course "Sweet Caroline" we finished with out favorite ending song "Today" and found out the wonderful news that we get to sleep in a glorious 8 hours until  8:45pm. 

Grant announced the wonderful news that we will head to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon, and we will get to explore the strip! Within reason, no worries Mom and Dad :). Then we will gather for a friendly bowling comp, the Dope Squad will def win. We will then have our overnight bus ride to Santa Monica, where we can't wait to catch waves and soak up the sun!

The Dopeys have blessed you with yet another piece of information that we know you can't live without! So we cannot wait for one last blog, which you will see after we enjoy our day in Vegas! 

#staycoolandshakaon 🤙🏼

-Dopeys; 

Day 5- Painted Desert

Day 5: Painted Desert and Petrified Forrest 

Ayeeeee, back at it again with the shacka gang, we know y'all missed us!!!

We woke up at a crisp 5 this morning and packed up to head out of NMMI. We got on the bus and headed across open plains towards Arizona.

During this long drive, we saw millions of bushes, all the same species. As we passed through Albuquerque, New Mexico, it looked straight out of Star Wars with exquisite architecture. For breakfast, we had bagels with cream cheese and very refreshing crunchy grapes, which were absolutely amazing.

After driving through the desert for what felt like an eternity. The Grumpys blessed us with REAL bacon bits, chicken, ham, and cheese. We devoured it and left no crumbs. 

As we pulled up to Arizona, we were petrified at the sight of the forest! After our group photo, we made our way to the top of the mountain to see the beautiful view of the Painted Desert. We learned that the trees turned into stone after millions of years of being in Arizona! We took many photos! (too many maybe) Afterwards, we were informed about our recent locations! We gained Einstein-level knowledge from our research presentations today. We learned that Ozzy Osborn got arrested for public urination at the Alamo in Texas. We also found out that the Carlsbad Cavern can fit 12 football fields in the Big Room! "If you think waiting for your food to heat up in the microwave takes forever, imagine waiting 225 million years to turn into a rock." - our very own Leah.

After driving through the petrified heat, we were hungry and got served chicken salad sandwiches with chips and grapes. This delicious meal fueled us as we approached the Grand Canyon.

We arrived at the beautiful Grand Canyon lookout and embraced the amazing views of the eye-catching canyon. We split into many groups and took pictures and looked over the edge to see just how deep the canyon was. The breathtaking views cannot be captured by pictures alone, but by experiencing and appreciating the gorgeous view.

We walked back to the park to get our things and set up camp, and then we walked a mile and a half as we made our way to the beautiful scenery of the canyon to watch the sunset. Many photos were taken, and many jaws dropped enjoying the views. On our walk back, we saw a big family of elk with four fawns and two mamas.

Eventually, we made it back to the campsite, and we began to pack our bags for the morning. The Grumpys provided us with breakfast, lunch, and snacks for our treacherous hike in the morning.

Even in the cold, we are all very, very excited to wake up before the butt crack of dawn to gather our hiking materials and head out for the once-in-a-lifetime hike in the Grand Canyon. Goodnight and peace out from the Dopest group, the Dopeys. 

— LOVE: Reid Reagan Bynum Karleigh Owen Quinn AC Leah Taylen Amanda Emma Patrick Ella G and Emory