Pi Day with a View

Today was Wednesday, our free day! Some of us started the day early by going to watch the sunrise at Desert View, and it was gorgeous! When we came back to the cabin and met everyone else, we got ready to start our day with some information sessions. Our first activity was meeting with Brian Drapeaux, the deputy superintendent of the park. He talked to us and Suffolk University, the other school volunteering this week. He explained his heritage as a Native American and explained how that has impacted his position at the park. We learned that his views don’t exactly line up with that of the National Park Service, and he agreed with a lot of our viewpoints on the parking issues at the park. He was honest with us, and it was nice to have someone be that candid. 

Next, we went to the Kolb studio for a tour. When we got there, we explored the museum and then got a private tour around the Kolb house. We were all surprised to see that the house had such nice furniture and features. We got to learn about the relationship between the Kolb family and the National Park Service, and all of us were surprised to learn that they weren’t on the best of terms for many years. Only 4 years ago did the descendants of the Kolb brothers come back to the canyon to see their family’s great accomplishments.

After that, we were free to explore on our own! We split up and went down the two main trailheads. I went down South Kaibab with Aaron and Blake. A half hour in, we got to the first sop, Ooh Ahh Point. We stopped there for a bit, and then another half hour later we got to the second stop, Cedar Ridge. We decided to stop there for a nice lunch and then head back up. The way up took twice as long, so we were out for three and a half hours total! We took a bus back to the Village to meet the others, then headed back to the cabins.

After a short rest, most of us decided to go out to see the sunset and pick up two more of our group members. On the other trail, they decided to hike six miles round trip! They got back just before dark in time to watch the sunset. Everyone was very impressed with their stamina.  We came back to the cabin to make dinner for the night, build your own pizza! Since today was March 14, aka Pi Day, we decided to decorate some of the pizzas to look like the Pi symbol. Everyone loved their pizzas, and we spent the rest of the night filling out our Junior Ranger packets to prepare for our ceremony with Ranger Todd the next day. Overall, it was a great day!

-Alexis