Mountain Classroom's students embark on one of the program's most defining experiences: the solo. After preparing gear in Cascabel, each student headed into the desert alone with nothing but a tent, food and water, and thoughts for company. Bella '27 recounts the Solo experience, from encounters with coyotes to quiet evenings of reading and reflection, and shares the gratitude and perspective that came from days spent alone. Read more below!
Bella '27
My chapter on Mountain Classroom 2025-2026 begins the day before our solo adventure awaits. We arrived at Cascabel, Arizona and rain, as always, just decided to pour down on us a lot. When we arrived, we started packing our gear. Back to the rain – all is good since we were at the community house, which was open for us to use to prepare for our Solo adventures. We had lunch before doing our packing, as we were so hungry and love to eat everything on site. After devouring our meal, we list the items we need for the group – one example is the kitchen – and the personal side of the packing list, like everything for our Solos over the next few days. The rain sadly did not spare us again as it decided to pour on us, but mostly we laid all of the gear outside to be ready to go.
As we packed, Joe and Maddie appeared with their trucks to welcome us. They are so sweet and kind and they drove our stuff to the campsite where we all stayed for the night, which is on the “wash” of where we will do our Solo’s. A wash is what looks like a river but is dried up and looks like it was smoothed down from a flood. Once we all finished packing, we brought out our bags outside to await the trucks to bring our stuff to the campsite. I have heard many of us just wanted to tan on our Solos, which means we needed sunscreen so we would not burn…hopefully. After they came to pick up our stuff, we said goodbye to Benny (the minibus!), as we would not see him for the next couple of days. We walked down the road where we saw horses and so many other animals. I know many of us want to pet them especially…ahem, Lilah.
As we passed through a gate, we saw the wash. Then we went down to the place where we will sleep and where our Solo will begin the next day. It felt like hours walking to the place, but really was a mile or a bit more, something that would be simple compared to the hikes we did before, like the Carter Notch hut the first two weeks of Mountain Classroom. Other than it feeling like it was hours long, it was beautiful due to the many saguaro cacti around us and the different types of grass alongside the wash.
Once we got there, we saw Maddie ready to tour us around this wonderful area we will be staying tonight. It was above my expectations of what I had imagined. As all the students slept in tents in the rain, while Emi and Ted stayed in a mini house, we were just a bit jealous but grateful for Maddie and Joe letting them, and us, stay here. Once we ended the tour, we all helped clean out the kitchen as we also set it up so the chefs could start “cheffing” it up. Then everyone else set up the tents while the chefs cooked dinner. Once we all finished, we chatted until dinner was ready to be devoured. As the chefs finished, we had our five-minute handwashing warning as our dinner was… BLT! So Yum! Through our time there, Emi and Ted met up with each person in their “advisories” individually. We talked about how we were feeling about our Solos and tent/sleeping situations, and how everyone will have the same or what they prefer for their Solo adventure. I felt mostly excited, but that I will be paranoid when the nights come. Then, once the evening meeting came, we learned what tent or tarp we will have for our Solos. When I was talking to Ted, I thought there was only a choice of Emi’s and Ted’s tents, with backcountry tents and rain tarps. I didn’t know we were including the tents we all use every day, which is pretty sweet. I got the chance to pick through one of those tents and also our instructors' tents.
The next day is when my side of the adventure begins. As I wake up early in the morning to the smell of oatmeal being made for the group, our last meal all together before being scattered into the wash. Once we all finish eating the oatmeal, we prepare to go on our walk to find where we will sleep for the next couple of nights. I decided to take the blue tent, which is not exactly a popular favorite in the group. But for my Solo, it would be the best tent due to the pockets on each corner of the tent “A’s.” I can put things in those pockets, and the rain tarp set up over the door is big and nice. Then we put all of our belongings on as we all walk the wash. Each one of us being dropped off to our possible death? We will see. Once I notice Emily being dropped off at her new place, I then realize.. I am next right?
“I felt a surge of excitement and then thought…can I do this challenge? In the blink of a second, I’m dropped off in a place I have never been before with just a circle of rocks to be called my mailbox, as I will put a rock for them so they will know I'm alive each day. I just have my food bag, dromedaries, a tent, and my big backpack. Will I be bored? Will I somehow get hurt due to my luck, or just overthink to the point where ideas just appear in my head like an animal getting me in the night? But one thing stands out – I’m strong and don’t easily give up, as I have heard from many of the people I’ve come to know over my life.”
~ Bella ‘27
I cleared everything that kept coming to my mind and said what’s the first thing you do at a campsite? Explore the surroundings to find a good tent spot, where the food and water will stay away from my tent due to animals, and of course, where I will go to the bathroom somewhat peacefully. I found a perfect spot where it faces a huge mountain, where it appears to have snow on the top, or I could be really missing snow and already imagining things? I set up my tent as it’s my first time doing it alone, which is embarrassing, but I had no problem getting my tent up. I just forgot two stakes because I didn't realize the blue tent needs more than the green ones. But I wasn’t worried, since the rocks were doing a better job than the stakes, since the soil wasn’t the best for stakes. It took me about 30 minutes to hear Emi and Ted calling my name. As that means everyone is at their site after me and all set – which means this is my final time for help and seeing a person. Then I said my farewells to them, and my Solo fully began.
I just set up everything in my tent like everyone does, like moving into their dorm room. Just two hours after that, I went to go to the bathroom, but right in front of me, a coyote appears. Yay..? Instead, I stayed in my tent or like five feet away from my tent max. I got pretty paranoid for the rest of the day and the night. Around five in the afternoon, I packed my food and put it in the place I had scouted hours ago, and I also finally went to the bathroom, but was still paranoid. I ate my peanut butter and fluff sandwich for dinner as I did English reading and a poem. Around 7 pm, I lay in bed and did some word searches as the winds picked up, to where I heard rain hit my tent. Good thing I have this tent and put a trash bag around my food bag so me and my food will not get wet. I was still very paranoid, but went to bed at 7:45 pm. The next few days, I felt less paranoid as I explored, read my book, drew, wrote letters, and many more. I truly learned that I don’t let anything hold me down, especially my thoughts. As I watch many birds fly over my head and chirp, I saw Emi walk the wash to check our mailboxes to see if I was alive and also Levi slamming rocks or something around him and wandering close to our border. I didn’t mind – it was kind of funny at times. Each night, I have slept peacefully and woke up around 6 or 7 am.
When I noticed the 3rd night arriving, I realized I would have to be fully packed at 7 am to leave my Solo. I cleaned up everything to be ready to pack at 6 am. When I did my last walk outside, I was hit with a feeling. I’m not sure what word can describe it. Maybe in simple terms, I can say I was just reflecting. I reflected on how grateful I am to be able to do Mountain Classroom or even to go to Proctor. Without my parents working hard and directing me to find my best self, I wouldn't be where I am in life. I am also grateful to be able to enjoy the nature around me. I’m grateful to see the coyote on the first day, as it helped me become stronger mentally and physically each day of my Solo. I am also grateful to have a family I have right now, and how just one friend changed my life, as I meet so many amazing people from them. I just walked in the sunset, doing so while taking photos and videos at the end to try to show what I saw through my eyes to the people want to show when I get home or to anyone I meet in the future. Then I go into my tent one last time, read, and do word searches until I fall asleep around 7:30pm.
The next day, I woke up and started packing everything in my tent. At around 6:20 am I peeked outside as it was still dark out. I notice I have so much time as I sit back in my tent, reading till 6:45 am. As the sunrise was appearing as I took down my tent and packed everything away.
At around 7:07 am, I go to grab my food and my trowel. Then I suddenly hear coyotes howling right by me when I walk to the other side of the wash. My heart jumped a bit, but thenI realized that they don’t think of me as food, and I will be fine if I don’t do anything immature. Then I get to my food as I grab it and see two coyotes in the distance. I just watch them till they disappeared. Crazy luck to see coyotes on the first and last day of my Solo. Interesting way to start and end my Solo. Once I grabbed everything, put it in my mailbox, and waited there to get picked up, but everyone who is farther out got picked up first.
Around 7:40 am, I hear them giggling and chatting. A smile forms on my face as minutes later, they see me as I get up and say “what’s up” as I put everything on and walk out with them. We get everyone else, as they did with me, and then we see Emi, Ted, Joe, and Maddie to greet us and show we survived our Solos. We got all of our stuff packed up to go back to the community house. As we walked back, we saw cows and rabbits. Then we arrived and were greeted with a wonderful breakfast made from the community, as we all met lovely people. I’m grateful to them for allowing us to be on their lands and share this adventure. I talked with two lovely ladies named Karen and Annie, and our chats will be close to my heart. After we unpacked and cleaned up to get everything back to how we had our stuff from the days before, our Solos come to an end.
As that chapter comes to a close, I will share another chapter that I’ll call “Adjunct Weekend.” We drive to Tucson, Arizona, as we buy our meals for the next couple of days. Next, we go to our campsite, which is huge and very pretty. In the next couple days, we go back to having classes and having fun. The day Amanda and Annie come to help out, Emi and Ted go for their so called “vacation,” but really to do a 50K or something like that. I don’t understand how that’s a vacation, but hopefully it will be fun. We do, a bus and trailer blow out as it’s already so dirty. Once finished with that, later in the day, they arrive! Many of us scream with joy to see them, but are sad that Emi and Ted will be gone for a couple of days. The next day, Emi and Ted leave for their race as we start our adventure for the next couple of days. We had showers, laundry, town time, the desert museum, dinner at a restaurant, and so much more.
It went by so quickly, and we had to say goodbye on the last day of Adjunct Weekend to Annie and Amanda. On town day, I got a shark costume for $19 and decided to wear it while cooking on the day I’m chef, which is when Adjunct Weekend ends. Everyone woke up to seeing me in a shark costume with a chef's hat, and Emi and Ted came back to see us or me being dressed up at 8 am in the morning. Once the Adjuncts left, we cleaned the place up to go to get our groceries for the next few days, got an oil change for Benny the bus, and relaxed for the rest of the day. Also, the job wheel be changed to include new partners as we got ready to leave the wonderful place we stayed at for the past couple of days. I’m very grateful to be sharing with all who are reading these wonderful adventures of Solos and Adjunct Weekend! Peace!
Read More Mountain Classroom Reflections
- Mountain Classroom
- Off-Campus Program