Submitted by Troop 1776
Earlier this summer, the boy scouts from Troop 1776 got to explore one of the seven natural wonders of the world – The Grand Canyon.
After more than two years of planning, fundraising and some sweat and tears, ten scouts and seven adults from the troop set out on Sat., July 23 to the national park in Arizona. It was a 15-day venture trip that turned out for many to be a trip of a lifetime.
Their first stop in Pheonix, Az. greeted the troop with dry 115-degree temperatures and beautiful scenery.
“When I thought of this trip in October, 2013, my mentor told me that pictures would not do it justice, and I did not believe him, but now I understand exactly what he meant,” Venture Patrol Leader Jacob Ford said.
During their trip, the Venture Crew explored three National Parks and two landmarks on their journey from Phoenix to Flagstaff, Ariz.
On the first day, the crew drove on Historic Route 66 and stopped at “The Corner of Winslow, Arizona,” popularized by the Eagles song, “Take It Easy,” on their way to the Petrified Forest and spent the night in a Kampgrounds Of America Campsite in Holbrook, Ariz.
This was followed by a drive through 14 viewpoints, monuments and information centers and views of everything from ancient ruins to petroglyphs.
The group then drove to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where they spent four days site-seeing on the shuttles, biking, hiking and cooking some solid camp meals.
A week into the trip the troop drove to Flagstaff and went to Sunset Crater National Park. Once there, they had a rafting orientation for the 8 day, 225-mile rafting trip they would be attending the next day.
That Friday morning, they were greeted by 55-degree water and seven days of traveling along ten-foot rapids, canyoneering through slot canyons and spectacular views of where they were just days before.
They exited the river and entered civilization on August 5, but not before mailing letters from the only post office that delivers mail by mule, Phantom Ranch.
They then visited the Hoover Dam and had a celebratory dinner in the Luxor Hotel before getting on the plane to come home.
Life Scouts Thomas Cavagnaro and Raymond McAleer and Eagle Scout Jacob Romano described the trip as a “life changing experience that we were glad to share with our friends.”
Mr. Ford said he and his fellow scouts would like to thank the adult leaders, who played a crucial role in making their trip a success. Their time and effort were astounding, and without their commitment, none of it would have been possible.
