Baylor Blessing
Submitted Article
Hearing “spring break” can bring to mind images of college students partying at night and sleeping all day, and while this might be the standard for a lot of students across the country, it is not the choice I made.
This spring break, and three out of the last four, I joined the Outdoor Adventure Center (OAC) on a trip to Moab, Utah, to mountain bike and hike for a week.
At the pre-trip meeting, the group made some decisions about the trip, such as where to stay, when to depart and what we would do about meals when we were in Moab.
We chose to stay in town, where hot showers were close enough to walk to, and we divided into three groups that would make dinners for three nights. The rest of the nights we were on our own to forage for food.
Friday afternoon we loaded our bikes and gear onto the trailer, meaning all we had to do Saturday morning was roll out of bed and into the van to sleep our way to Moab (and that is exactly what we did).
Once in Moab, the adventure started and we had all the fun we could handle.
The first few days we mainly mountain biked. Some in the group elected to hike or go on road rides, and Moab had plenty to offer for everybody.
Our legs soon realized that we hadn’t ridden a bike in a few months, and we needed a rest day. Some chose to take advantage of this day by shopping in town and just hanging out, while others and myself decided to go into Arches National Park and take in some sights.
The rest of the week followed suit, with the majority of participants riding each day, while a few others chose to go on hikes or relax in camp. When Friday showed up, we packed up and headed back to Pocatello, with time enough to get some homework and laundry done.
Now that I’ve told you what we did, let me tell you what I think about it all.
Like other trips through the OAC, this was a cooperative adventure trip, meaning all of us had a say in decisions being made. We got to take a vote on when to leave, what nights to cook, and what to cook for meals. We sat around a fire at night and talked about what we wanted to do the next morning. We weren’t babysat the whole time; if we wandered off for the whole day that was fine with the leaders. We were treated as adults.
Also, I really like the fact that I didn’t sit around for spring break, but, rather, I was outside, getting exercise.
I understand that it’s your choice on how you want to spend your free time, and I choose to get outside, get scraped up and get sunburned.
For those of us that want a little adventure with our downtime, I think the trips through the OAC are a perfect gateway for those opportunities.
