Serving At the Grand Canyon
This service trip to the Grand Canyon was definitely one to remember!
We had so much fun in everything we got to do!
When we first got to the park, we had a day where we got to explore the park and all it had to offer. This day is when we met Ranger Perri, who would be working with us all week. She was a really cool person and I really enjoyed being able to work with her.
After the first day, we got to work in the parking lots. We were there to help with the parking services since spring break is one of the park’s busiest weeks. So on the first day of working in the lots, I worked with Sydney and Gabby in the visitor center lot 4.
It was hectic, some people were upset, but we all got through it like a pro.
The other days we did service, we had a few people in the lots, lot 1 specifically, but most of us where located in areas around the visitor center plaza answering visitors’ questions about where to go, what to do, and how the bus routes work. I felt most needed while doing this service.
One of the days, it was super snowy and super cold, and it was a service day. So that day, I was standing out on the rim near Mather Point, helping people while shivering because I was so cold. But it was worth it because the Grand Canyon in the snow is a gorgeous sight to see!
When we were not volunteering, we went to several fun places and took part in different activities. We went to tour the historic Kolb Studio, Desert View Watchtower and we also got to browse around the Grand Canyon Village. Other places we got to see were the Museum Collection, where ancient artifacts of the canyon are preserved, the Fossil Beds, where prehistoric life is brought to life again, and we also got to watch the sunset at various places around the rim, which was beautiful.
On Wednesday, we also got to hike into the canyon itself! We went down the Bright Angel Trail and got to see the canyon in a different perspective. It was amazing!
After volunteering and having lots of fun, we would bond as a group back at the cabins we stayed in. We would do daily reflections on our service that day and we would make dinner together and eat it together at a table. I loved that aspect of the trip a lot.
Being able to go on this trip for the second year in a row was amazing and I’m glad I got to spend my last spring break at Texas Tech going on this trip to help a beautiful park.
I also made a video about our trip; so if you are interested in seeing what we did over the week, check it out here:Â Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTtjHN8yEks
-Lexi