Moab, Utah; one of the best weeks of my life

"First Descents offers young adult cancer fighters and survivors a free outdoor adventure experience designed to empower them to climb, paddle and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with others doing the same."

I was accepted into the Moab, Utah week long rock climbing trip for May 2015. I've been rock climbing indoors for about half a year but outdoor rock climbing is very different. I had an idea of what I thought I would get from this experience but I had no idea that it would meet and greatly exceed my expectations. I'm not quite sure how to put my experience into words in a way that will do it justice but I'll try anyway.

First, I'll say I'm going to tell MY story but I'll be careful not to include any personal information of anyone else. First Descents has a wonderful tradition of giving everyone nicknames on the first day of camp. It's a way to help people live in the moment. You don't have to think about who you were before camp or who you will be after. You are you for that week and the new nickname helps solidify that. I don't even know anyone's real name. They are always <insert nickname here> to me. They are even <insert nickname here> on my phone for their contact info. 

Packing was exciting like it usually is for any trip, especially one you've been looking forward to for several months. I put in ALL of my good work out clothes, some of which I had bought specifically for this trip and the Race for Hope 5k the previous weekend. I planned to check a bag so I didn't have to deal with the nonsense of 3 oz bottles and not being able to bring my sharp objects.

The view from our porch; best coffee spot ever.

There was a delay in my layover at Denver, severe weather in other parts of the country. It was actually nice to be in the airport longer as I got to meet 5 other campers who were also on the same delayed flight. Bullseye (F) was my first FD friend! She found me sitting at a nearby gate charging my phone that had completely died. Denver has very very few outlets for being such a major hub. After that, we met up with Ultra (F), Boots (F), Cilantro (F), and Rebel (F) to have some food in an airport restaurant. I sat outside the restaurant (at another outlet) to facetime home since it was mother's day. My family had a wonderful make-up mother's day trip to Great Falls park the day before but Grace especially wanted a call from me on Sunday. All the while, I'm getting group texts from other campers and the two staff members from FD.

After boarding the 4-seat-across plane, it was a short flight to Grand Junction. Our little group of 6 wandered into the little airport. We made our way down to the baggage claim and were greeted by the most energetic man I've ever met, Patch. He bounded up and gave everyone a hug ("I'm a hugger!"). Bandcamp and Truth (camp moms) were there ready to help with bags or showing the way to the bathroom. Mmmbop (or Ballsy? j/k) (F) had gotten there earlier in the day. We met up with one other camper, Piranha (F), and made our way to the vans. 3 other participants were late but would end up making it later that night. Woot Woot for Strawberry (F), Alcina (F), and Standby (F). Guess how Standby got her nickname ;)

We drove about 2.5 hours across the border of Colorado and Utah. We took the scenic route and it had red rock bluffs and snow capped mountains like I've never seen before! We took a picture of all of us jumping at the Welcome to Utah sign. We passed through the small town of Moab (which took about 10 minutes total). As we got closer to the Hidden Oaks Lodge, our private view of the La Sal mountain range came into view. The long dirt roads took us back to the house.

I heard tell this lodge used to be a drug rehab facility which makes sense, seeing as how it's a 15 minute drive to the town and there's no cell phone reception. Even the wifi was spotty. I liked it that way though. Everyone was forced to put down their devices and focus on the week at hand.

Our awesome guides from Colorado Mountain School;
Double, Lil' Bit, Author, and Hollywood

Our camp got to have 3 guides (all guys) from the Colorado Mountain School stay with us all week; Lil' Bit, Author, and Hollywood. Double (M) joined us on the last day to help with the graduation climb. We also had Rainer (F) from FD and a married couple, Mama Flub and Gus Gus, respectively camp mom and camp photographer. Never having any kids of their own, Mama Flub considers all of us her kids. I will never forget a moment I had with her at the bank of the Colorado River during a tradition that will not be named. Those of you who were there will know.

Our chefs for the week, Chamomile (F) and Antelope Jamboree (M), were fabulous! They provided us with hot and cold breakfast every morning (as well as tea and coffee), a buffet table of lunch foods to pack for the road, and a themed dinner every night. Every dinner was SO good that I and many others got seconds and thirds. The dishes were all vegan, vegetarian, or meat. All organic: no refined or processed foods. They gave us some real, wholesome, good nourishment for our strenuous days. We all sat at an extremely long dining room table and shared stories during meals. Dinner was one of my favorite times of the day there. I got to eat so many kinds of foods that my kids would never let me make at home!

Mmmbop and Steel selfie

In the evenings, we had "camp fire" which was sometimes outside or more often just sitting around the gas fireplace in the living room. There was always a popcorn-style question asked where people could chime in to add to the group conversation. After the first full day, they introduced 3 awards; on-rock, off-rock, and sunshine. On-rock is the award (2 toy swords) for someone who just crushed it on the climbs/hikes. Off-rock (purple feather boa) is someone who showed real compassion for people. Sunshine (rainbow sunglasses and cat covered rainbow case) is for someone who is happy and supportive. All the campers and some of the staff got to receive these awards. The best part is that the recipient was required to wear/carry the award for the whole next day. On the first climbing day, Rainier said we all crushed it; it was a group crush. That's part of how we got the camp name Deep Group Crush. #deepgroupcrush

Arches National Park, balancing rock

We went hiking in Arches National Park mid-week. The sandstone was carved into shapes by water and wind. We had 3 days of climbing, due to weather raining out one day.  

My favorite picture of the week;
Strawberry watching the storm across Dead Horse Point

However, the rain day was actually the best day of all. We went to Dead Horse State Park. It has this amazing bend in the Colorado River that carved out breath-taking canyons. There was a thunder storm across the canyon, probably the one that rained on our climbing parade. 

We were sitting there at the top of the precipice, watching the lightening, and hearing the low long rumbles of the thunder. This is the hardest moment to explain. It's humbling and awe inspiring. I will never forget sitting there in silence and connecting with the earth that way.

Meditating at Dead Horse Point State Park

Cowboy Colin with Boots, Piranha, Bandcamp, Steel, and Alcina

One evening, we got to have dinner at Red Cliffs Lodge. The owner, Colin (pronounced like semi-"colon"), is a good friend of the organization. He had the group to his restaurant and offered an open bar for everyone. He himself actually cooked the steaks for each of us. He's a good old cowboy and enjoyed the adoring attention we all laid on him. I got to have a deep conversation with Author over dinner. Shout out to Author. That meant a lot to me and I felt a real connection with him then.

Our view from dinner at Red Cliffs Lodge restaurant

The climbing was great too. Outdoor rock climbing is very different from indoor. There aren't color-coded routes. The hand and foot holds don't protrude from the wall. The sandstone is smooth, slippery, and sandy. The routes aren't always vertical. There are rather large cracks and crevices. In short, it's a lot harder than straight up indoor climbing. I did get to meet a little lizard on one of my climbs. He was a much better climber than me. Our group varied from experienced climbers to people who had never rock climbed ever. By the end, we were all experts!

The final day was graduation Friday. It was raining, hailing, and snowing in turns at the lodge. It threatened to cancel our best climb yet. Oh heck no. We got ourselves out the door by 7 am, actually 6:55 am. When we got to Looking Glass Rock, it was still spitting a little bit but still climbable weather. We all got our gear ready and started the climb.

The final climb was done in 4 teams, each led by a Colorado Mountain School guide. The climb was done in 3 legs. Once one team was at the first anchor, the next went and so on to the top. My team was the first to go. It was very windy on the first leg. The guide with us said it wouldn't be as windy on the next one. Uh, nope. Windier. Much windier. At one point, the rock gets narrower. They have a rope anchored between two vertical points there. I hung onto that rope for dear life, not to mention I had someone tied in front of me and another behind me that would have gone down too. And then the third leg of the climb, which was also supposed to be less windy, was even more windy. Over all, the wind factor was just nuts. I'm told it was 20 mph winds.

So we get up there first; Hollywood, Ultra, Patch, Mama Flub, myself, and Boots. I couldn't feel my toes. The tightness of the shoes and the cold air/wind had frozen my toes. Patch was amazing. While cuddling Ultra to keep her body temp up, he laid on the rock and put my socked feet under several layers of his shirts/coats to help them warm up. I was seriously scared about frost bite and his body language told me he was too. Once my toes started getting circulation back, the ends had feeling and the rest felt like they had bandaids around each one. As other teams got to the top, they joined the cuddle puddle in concentric rings.

Then we did a repel through a big hole in the top of the rock and down through the dome of the looking glass. It was 200 feet up. We tied in up top and lowered ourselves through about 15 ft of tight sandstone. Then it was all air to the bottom. Ultra and I went down first due to needing to be out of the wind/cold. I got to watch everyone else come through this hole with their various reactions. Bullseye was my favorite. "I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die." Others flew down. Some went slow to the enjoy the view. As everyone was making their way down, the sun came out! I got a great panoramic view of the rock on my phone. Yup, that's an iPhone picture! After the last person touched down and we got packed up, the staff led a ceremony called Baci. I'm still wearing my threads that Gus Gus tied onto my wrist. Then it turned into a big hug-fest. Deeeep group hug!

Graduation Day; Looking Glass Rock, 200 ft tall, those little spots in the middle are people in our group.

That night at camp fire (indoor gas fireplace) was the best evening yet. We all shared what the week had meant to us and what we were taking away from it. Many tears. What do you expect from 15 women?!? Then we had a very touching moment on the porch, while the rain fell all around us, and we got to remember those that we lost to cancer. I also said a prayer for my friend, Lori aka Nuni. This is another evening I'll never forget and will never be able to adequately describe.

I love my husband, our children, and the rest of my extended family. I'm thankful for all I have. I'm grateful for the clean bill of health I've been given (no evidence of disease for over a year). I am blessed to be given this opportunity in Moab with First Descents to make life-long friends and create forever memories. It's so much more than a vacation with rock climbing work-outs. I am taken aback by the profound connection and love I feel for all these people after knowing them for less than a week. It's so cliché to say you had to be there but you really did have to be there. I'm so glad I was. I can say for sure that it was one of the best weeks of my life.

Extra deep quotes:
"DeeeeEEP SHADE!" -Patch
"Drink more water." -Ama D
"I'm going in DJ Ultra's van!" -Everyone
"You ALL crushed it today. It was a group crush." -Rainier
"Dance party! Dance stretch!" -Everyone
"Rainer and Patch, you made dents in the van." -Steel
"I get knocked down, but I get up again. No, you're never gonna keep me down." -Ultra, Rainier, Standby, MmmBop, Cilantro, & Steel
"Meow or never, ladies!" -Patch
"Tampoons and coupins. Tampoons and coupins. Minnesota loves their tampoons and coupins." -Bullseye
"I GO FISHING TOO!!" -Bullseye


Peace, love, and DEEEEP group hugs to all my crushers.