Dear Back2Basics Families,
This week’s outdoor trip, we went to Fossil Creek, outside of Strawberry, Arizona. The drive was about an hour and a half on Friday morning. Once there, we put our packs on and started to hike. The hike was 4.2 miles and 1,512 feet of elevation into a valley near a small river. We set up camp near the water. The spring water was very clear which we drank with water-treatment drops. Very tasty! That evening we hung out in our campsite along the trail. For dinner, we ate a variety of backpacking food such as ramen, tuna, mashed potatoes, canned food, and granola bars. When the temperature went down, we made a fire from flint and steel. We held an AA meeting reading a passage about the progression of addiction and the “four horsemen”, despair, bewilderment, terror, and frustration. At bedtime, one of the guys found a shovel head, connected it to a stick with rope and used it to put the fire out.
Saturday morning, we woke up around 8:30am. We had a very tasty breakfast. Our hike took us to a big waterfall and water-cave. Most of us had a refreshing swim in the river, which was warmer than the air. One of the guys, the same one who made the stick-shovel, created a fishing pole out of a stick, string, and a tuna can lid top as a hook. A few guys caught a fish. We spent all day at the river playing spades, a group favorite card game, hung out, and swam. As the sun began to set the air got a little bit colder. We hiked back to camp, gathered wood for a fire, and broke logs with rocks like cavemen. We started the fire with flint and steel. The fire warmed us up as the sun set. One of the guys shared his experience, strength and hope at our AA meeting before bed.
On Sunday morning, we woke up around 8:30am and packed up to get ready to hike. We visited the waterfall again. Some of us swam while others played spades or hung out. In the afternoon, we went back to camp where we hiked out enjoying the sunny day. The hike was all uphill for 4.2 miles. The hike was challenging yet peaceful. When we got to the top, we celebrated by hanging out and eating lunch. After lunch we drove about an hour to a camp site in a pine forest. The temperature was getting colder as the sun set so we made a fire and ate our tasty dinner. When it got dark we told stories around the campfire. We also shared our “end of the day review” which contains our high points of the day, low points, resentments, fears, and any dishonesties. Eventually we went to bed.
Early next morning, on Monday, we packed up and drove back to the house where we de-rigged (unload and clean the vans). Overall, we had a nice trip that included a great waterfall and tasty dinners.
With Love,
B2B Boys
