In Grand Gulch, the 9th Grade class was treated to the best weather of all of this year’s Middle and Upper School Spring Trips, though the conditions brought their own challenges.  Notably, students had to be very careful to find and treat good water sources in the dry landscape.  The shade of a cottonwood tree was usually a dead giveaway!  

New discoveries on this year’s trips included “Big Man Panel” in a section of the canyon not previously explored by Riverstone students.  The group came back tanned and excited to have been in the heart of some of the most amazing country the desert southwest has to offer!

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All of last week’s Spring Trips were successful in many ways, but the 10th Grade trip to Sheep Creek was particularly noteworthy.  Previous trips that students have participated in have entailed getting to a trailhead, hitting the trail and following it into camp.  

Sheep Creek, the major tributary of the Bruneau River, is more challenging in that there are no trails!  Instead, students had to take bearings on distant landmarks and find their own way through the “sagebrush ocean” en route to streamside camps.  Whether or not students felt comfortable without a trail under their feet everyone got the feel for how challenging (and rewarding!) it is to travel where no trail exists.  If not for the occasional arrowhead, it would have been easy to be believe that no-one had been there before!

10th Graders should be commended for tackling such a demanding trip.  They have raised the bar and “paved the way” for next year’s 10th grade class and for others to come.

Here are some pics!

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The 9th grader’s (and a handful of upper class exchange students) are set to return to the Warm Springs Campus around 2:00 p.m. today, Sunday, May 16.  Can’t wait to see them!

The latest update from Josh and Christine:

Just passing Farewell Bend State Park.  Estimated return to Warm Springs Campus, 10:45 p.m.

Thanks for your patience!

The first of Middle and Upper School Spring Trips have returned, and reports from the last groups to arrive back at trailheads and takeouts are making their way back to Riverstone.  So far, all signs point to successful trips!  

Weather this year has apparently presented unique challenges, and rewards; wind, sleet, snow, and snow on some trips have tested students preparation and grit, while other trips have been treated to calm, sunny and warm skies.  In the past week, students in grades 6 -10 have spent a combined 560 days (!) in the field It is always great to welcome our students back from all corners of the west and it will be wonderful hearing stories in the coming week.