After solos and weeks on the road together, Adjunct Weekend brought the chance for the Mountain Classroom group to reconnect with familiar faces from Proctor, spend time in Moab, and begin planning the long route home. Written as a daily journal, Will N. '27 reflects on the rhythm of several days spent with Mountain Classroom On-Campus Director Kayden Will and Associate Director of Admission Chris Allen '12. Read more from Will below!
Will N. '27
Adjunct weekend has been full of surprise and fun!
Thursday, April 23
Today was a slow day for many of us because we had just come off our solos the day before. Today’s "chaos card" was instructors cooking breakfast, so the chefs got a little sleep in; then it was time to hit the road for a two-hour drive to Moab, UT. As we got into Moab, it was time for groceries.
The road into camp was very bumpy because it was full of washboard and it was on a cliffside. We have to drive this road whenever we want to get to and from camp. It also has a lot of side-by-side and Jeep traffic, so it is a little scary when the road can only fit one car.
At around 6 pm, Chris Allen and Kayden Will came for Adjunct Weekend. This was very exciting because we had not seen anyone from Proctor or anyone we knew since we left for the term back in March. Ted and Emi left after our burrito bowl dinner. They made the decision to leave that night, which was sad, but we would see them again in a few days.
Friday, April 24
We went to the laundromat! As this was our second laundromat trip, we were a bit better at it, but there weren't enough washers for all of us to wash at the same time, so we rotated to make it work.
Kayden and Chris surprised us with lunch out at a really cool food truck spot right across from the laundromat. It had so many options like Mexican, Mediterranean, pizza, and a fried chicken place, and the food was so good.
After our food truck stop, we made our way to the Moab Recreation Center where we had about two hours, and everyone went to the gym to either stretch out or get a lift in. Then it was time to shower, which was our first shower after solo, and everyone was very happy.
We had a student-led meeting to figure out where we are going on the route back to Proctor. We have a lot of driving and not much time, but we decided to canoe the Buffalo River in Arkansas. We then started planning the states we would drive through on each day, which was fun to see the route evolve.
Saturday, April 25
This was a very early morning; breakfast was at 5:45, and the chefs, who were me and Elliot, had to wake up at 5. Then we had to be on the bus at 6:30 to make the drive to Arches National Park, and it was a weekend, so you know how early you have to get there to beat the crowds.
Our hike was very cool, and it was to Delicate Arch, which was super beautiful, but really busy even though we got there early. About halfway back to the parking lot, we stopped and did some drawing of the beautiful park we were in.
Our town time was one of the longest times we had out on the town; we had five hours to explore Moab and there was a car show going up and down Main Street, which was cool.
Chris and Kayden let us know that we were going out to dinner in Moab, and the place we went was Pasta Jay’s. We all split pizzas, and we told the waiter it was Chris’ birthday even though it wasn’t, but it was really fun.
Sunday, April 26
Chris and Kayden cooked us breakfast, which was super good. It was French toast, fruit, orange juice, mini sausages, and more. This breakfast was so good because we were able to sleep in until nine as well, which was nice.
After breakfast, we deep-cleaned the whole bus to make sure it was extra clean for when Emi and Ted came back.
Then it was time to make our way into town to have our phone calls. We each had 45 minutes to call home and talk to our parents. As the phone calls were taking place, we had some time to go back to the gym and get another workout in, which was really nice because sometimes we have to go a few days without a run. It was great to get moving again, and we had showers, which were just as good as last time.
While our phone calls were taking place, we had a crazy hail storm, which was our first real weather of the trip. It was crazy!
After all the phone calls, the sun came out and there was a cool playground next to the recreation center, so some of us used the swings and others played a big game of tag on the playground. This yard time was so needed.
Monday, April 27
Ted and Emi got back around 8:30 and everyone was so excited; we could not wait to tell them all about our weekend and the fun we had. They were very happy that the bus was clean as well.
Kayden and Chris left as breakfast was being cleaned up and we all said goodbye. Then it was just us with Emi and Ted again.
We went into town for student-led trip planning, where we booked campsites and settled on a route back to Proctor. Once everything was set, we started to make our way back to City Market to grocery shop again. As this is our second time in this City Market in Moab, we had a great system down and did a fast shop, getting our food for after the Green River as well. We then made our way back to camp for some down time.
I am really looking forward to our time on the Green River, and Cortland can’t wait to tell you all about it!
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