Our Philmont Scouting Adventure -- Day Six

Atop Lovers Leap

Lots of pictures today too!

Today began super early. I wanted to do this earlier in the week, but because of scheduling issues I didn't think I could do it any day but today. It may end up killing me in the end. Every day they offered a chance to hike to Lovers Leap outcropping and view the sunrise. Because it was an early morning hike I had the opportunity to hike with Herman since it wouldn't conflict with any of his classes. I'm not totally sure that Herman really wanted to do this, but he loves me lots, so he agreed to wake up before the crack of dawn to make this hike with me.

The hike began at 4:15, so we set our alarm for a little before 4 am, woke up and got dressed quickly, and headed to the spot where we would meet the other insane people who wanted to make this hike. There were about six or seven other couples ready to go. We had to drive to the trailhead, which was a little ways from our camp. We drove with a couple from Idaho Falls. They were super nice, and it was interesting to see how different their experiences are living in an area where the Church is so prevalent. Some things seemed easier and some things seemed harder. I think I'm okay living where we do.

Once we got to our trail beginning we began our hike. It was still pretty dark outside, so we were having to trust our guide a lot to make sure we stayed on the path. It was a pretty easy hike, only a little less than a mile to get to our spot, but it was rocky, and I was constantly tripping over my feet and twisting my ankles. Added to that was the altitude issues that kept me breathing a lot heavier than I would have if I had done the exact same hike in Missouri. But overall it was a nice and easy hike.

We got to Lovers Leap and found that it was an outcropping overlooking a gorgeous valley. It was beginning to lighten up by the time we reached the top. I was glad for that because the precipice was not for the faint of heart. Herman chuckled at me because there was a point when the path diverged into two options. The guide let us know that one way would be better for those who are afraid of heights, but everyone headed down the path that looked a little more treacherous. I stopped for a second, but decided to just follow the crowd and take the more scary route. If you want to see what this reveals about my personality, just reference my discovery about myself during the COPE challenge yesterday by clicking HERE. I'm a follower. But as we headed further on the path the guy in front of me starting sliding a lot on the rocks. That's when I called it good. I planted myself on a sweet rock with a great view. It wasn't all the way to the edge, but it was good enough for me.

These are the brave hikers who went all the way to the edge.

Lovers Leap. There is a group of scouters
who are sitting right on the edge. Scary.

The view was absolutely spectacular. It was well worth the early morning wake up in order to see it. Pictures just don't do it justice. We were able to have a little trail meal as we watched the beautiful sunrise, and then we headed back, arriving in time to take our kids to breakfast. I didn't have any problem at all with the hike, so I felt confident that I could go ahead and go on the more challenging Cathedral Rock hike later in the morning.

In front of the Tooth of Time on our way back to camp.

We got home in time to take the four kids to breakfast. While we were eating we decided that JoJo should get an opportunity to do the flag ceremony like Hyrum did yesterday. Today they said that any boys who did not have the opportunity to participate in one of the earlier ceremonies could do the ceremony today. JoJo was not so sure that he wanted to do it. After all, he won't become a Cub Scout until December. He's never participated in a flag ceremony before. This seemed like a pretty public thing to have to do for your first time. But Herman said that he would go with him and stand by as they practiced. This made JoJo feel better, so he agreed to try. We took the badges holder off of Hyrum's uniform and let JoJo wear it. It was so cute.

There were not a lot of boys this morning, so JoJo had to play an even bigger role than Hyrum, but he did a great job. There was always someone to help along the way. So sweet to watch!

Practicing 'at ease.'

He used the wrong hand, but it was sweet to see him
show his respect by saluting the flag.

After the flag ceremony my new adventure for the day began. I wanted to do the Cathedral Rock hike on Monday, but it ended up needing to be today if I was going to go. It wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that I had already done the sunrise hike. I wasn't sure if I could do two hikes in one day, but after the ease of the morning hike I felt like I was up to it.

The Cathedral Rock hike was labeled as something with moderate difficulty. I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but when I arrived at the meeting spot it looked like there were a lot of older ladies there. None of them looked particularly athletic, so I was sure that I could keep up at least. I know. That totally makes me judgmental, doesn't it? I guess it's a weakness in me when it comes to athletic events. 

We took a bus to the hike trailhead and quickly got on our way. We had to complete the 3.5 mile hike in two hours so that we could get back in time to pick our kids up from their activities. But it was just 3.5 miles. Surely we could do 3.5 miles in less than an hour, right? It seemed like it wouldn't be that big of a deal. And then we began. Oh man! It was harder than it seemed. It wasn't a killer hike. Really, it wasn't. But it was harder than it looked. First of all, I wasn't totally acclimated to the altitude, so it taxed my body a bit more than I was used to. The trail itself was cleared, but it was rocky, so the steps were uneven. I had to spend a lot of time balancing my body so that I didn't wipe out or twist my ankle. Even with the extra care I took, I felt like my ankles were twisting all over the place. I was feeling muscles in my legs I never knew existed before. It was a pretty intense workout for my legs. Then to top things off, our guide was power walking the entire time. At times it was like he forgot that there were a bunch of old ladies with him. But we powered on at a brisk pace. If one thing was true it was this ... We were not a bunch of complainers. We just kept walking with smiles on our faces.

The view when we arrived at Cathedral Rock was absolutely gorgeous. I've used that description before in this post, haven't I? But it was true. Very beautiful scenery. 

In front of Cathedral Rock.

The beautiful view.

I wished that I was able to be with my family while I was there. It was nice to be with all the other ladies, but I they were all basically strangers to me, and this seemed like a moment that needed to be shared with a friend or family member. Or alone. I really, really would have liked the chance to walk the trail and then to sit on my own and think for awhile. As it was, it was still really nice. I'm glad I came. I wasn't too worn out, and I knew I would be able to make the hike back to the trailhead. Somehow at the end of the hike I became the hike guide and leader. How did that happen? I had no idea where I was going. Our guide ran ahead to make sure that the bus was there for us. I guess he assumed that we could figure things out. There were a couple of tricky spots, but we eventually got where we needed to be. Thank goodness! My biggest fear was that I would wimp out halfway through the hike. I made it. Hooray!

We had one more activity to finish our Philmont experience. After dropping the kids off for their last activity Herman and I headed to one of the classroom buildings for a testimony. Obviously a testimony meeting with a group as large as ours would have taken forever, so they divided us into smaller mini groups. We were divided according to the name of our stake, so we were with a few couples from St. Louis and Spokane, Washington, and  ... somewhere else with an S name. I forget. There were about twenty of us in the group, and we were headed by Sister Stevens and her husband. They just had us go around the circle and share our thoughts. In situations like this I ALWAYS want to be at the beginning. I don't have to be first, but I want to be in the first half. When I am at the end I spend too much time fretting about what I want to say, and I worry that I won't have anything more original to say after everyone else in the room says what they want to say. Where was I in the order? Third to last!!! Ugh! I was followed by Sister Stevens's daughter and Sister Stevens. I was pretty nervous by the time it was my turn, but I survived. I feel way more comfortable sharing my thoughts with those I am more familiar with, but I did okay. I feel like I have had so many amazing experiences this week, but they are pretty close to my heart, and I just couldn't share them in a setting like this. Still, it was nice to hear how others experienced Philmont. There were even a few who seemed to have situations similar to mine.

Following the testimony meeting there was a final adult meeting with President Beck. It was a little graduation ceremony for the men who had received their training for the week. There was a little recap of the week's topics and then each man was called to the front to shake hands, receive a certificate, and then (BONUS!) a sweet little carved bolo from Bro. Doller. Very sweet! I should have taken a picture of this ceremony, but I left my camera in the tent. Oh well!

Once the graduation ceremony was complete, we gathered up the kids and headed to the pavilion so that we could make a Welcome Home banner for Laney, Savannah, and Spencer. They finally return to camp today. Hooray! We just grabbed a  huge sheet of paper and started drawing. I have to admit, at these moments when we have to create great big banners I can totally see my lack of great cheerleading skills. Cheerleaders -- at least the ones from my high school -- can create such amazing banners for game day. Their lettering always seemed super cute and super straight. There actually is a lot of talent to that ... talent that I do not possess. But I gave it my best shot. After all, it wasn't going to be something that lasted long. Our plan was to have the kids run through it when they arrived. Still, I admit that I had a little bit of banner lettering envy as we created this thing.

Working on the banner.

Minsy's contribution. So cute!

The finished product.

After a little bit of free time it was time to welcome the wilderness hikers back to camp. There were about fifty youth, and they came marching up the main road into camp. It was super exciting to see them after their difficult week coming from the distance. We stayed toward the end of the line, so we weren't able to see our kids for a long time. Finally we saw Laney and Savannah walking with their team.

These gif files are kind of freaky, but I think they are fun to watch.

Eventually we saw Spencer. He stayed a lot more stoic than the girls, but I could tell that he was happy to be home with us.

Really. He's happy.

Spencer and his RM guide Ian. Herman tried to set him
up with Laney, but Laney said that he was WAY too old.
24 -- yikes! So old.

There was a lot of chaos as kids found their families. Then there was lots of hugs and congratulations as team members said a temporary goodbye to their guides. Finally we were able to get back to the tents to debrief the kids and see how their week had gone. I won't spend any time here recounting what they did during the week. Laney actually wrote a great blog post about it on her blog. You can read it by clicking HERE. Very awesome! Unfortunately Spencer doesn't keep a blog, so we don't have a good account of what his group went through, but he did have a great experience that I will share in my next post. Overall it sounded as if it was an extremely challenging week for the kids, but it was also a week full of choice experiences that strengthened them. Hooray for that!

My three brave hikers! I am so proud of what they accomplished this week!

Poor Savannah go horrific blisters on her feet. Savannah! She was the one kid who spent the past month wearing her hiking boots everywhere so that they would be worn in and comfortable for the hike. Laney picked up her shoes the weekend before we left, and Spencer barely wore his. Yet it was Savannah who suffered the worst blisters. 

Savannah removing all of her foot bandages.

It looks like she has the plague.

After a week without showers they reeked. So, so bad. It was awful. I'm not sure if that odor can even be removed from clothing. Have you ever gotten close enough to smell a racoon? It was kind of like that. Maybe worse. So they headed off to take showers as the rest of us headed to dinner. 

After we had eaten and the older kids had showered we headed to the outdoor amphitheater for the closing extravaganza. Each group did a little skit, from the little Small Fry group that Minsy was in to the priesthood leaders and the ladies. Everything was pretty cute, and even better ... the skits were short. Yea for that! I really liked seeing Spencer singing with Herman in the priesthood group. That was pretty powerful.

This was only the corner of the group, but I wanted to make sure and show
Herman and Spencer a little closer.

After the ceremony the youth had a dance. Before Philmont began, Laney and Savannah seemed to feel like they would have no desire to go to a dance after a fifty mile hike. Even though they were dog tired tonight, magically their reluctance to dance went away. My three youth headed to the assembly hall for the dance, and the rest of us began the crazy task of packing for our trip home. I actually enjoy packing, so I didn't mind so much, but Herman and I took a break after an hour so that we could head to the dance and see how everyone was doing.

When we got there I was absolutely floored by what I saw. My three children with their super sore feet, along with what looked like a hundred other youth were dancing like crazy. You would have never guessed that half of these kids had just arrived back from a fifty mile hike in the mountains. They had an incredible amount of energy. It was amazing to watch.

I love to watch my kids dance. We have one rule for our kids at youth dances: The Blau kids always dance. Always. They have always participated fully in these dances. No hanging out on the sidelines for these kids. And they always have so much fun as they dance. It is mesmerizing to see them. They make me smile. 

This dance was unusual for most dances because there were almost twice as many guys as girls. It was different than what normally happens. It was nice to see every girl get to dance for once.

Lots of boys.

Laney did something in this dance that really impressed/scared me. When they got back from the hike she explained that there was one young man on the hike who she thought was super nice, super righteous, super resilient, and super cute. He is getting ready to head for a mission in Mexico in a month. I asked her if she got his contact information, and she explained that she was waiting until the dance to swoop in.

And she did!

It was crazy to watch, but she got this sweet young man to dance with her or near her for a good portion of the dance. How does she do that? I was never quite so confident at her age. But she was able to look at a group, choose which young man met her standards, and then get him to want to spend the dance in her area. Watch out BYU-Idaho. That seems like a dangerous/impressive ability in a young woman. It was no big deal. It isn't like they ended the day as a couple or with any lifelong plans for each other. But Laney was able to have a great time for the night.

Savannah always manages to find
partners who are a lot taller than her.

Not to leave Spencer and Savannah out ... they also had a great time dancing. Savannah gets extra kudos for jumping all around while her feet were covered in blisters. And Spencer should also get a few props for managing to dance every dance at a dance where girl partners were scarce. He explained that the key was to jump in and ask girls to dance quickly. You hesitate, you lose.

We left our sweet dancers to their fun and headed back to prepare for one last night in our little tents. It has been such a great week. It's hard to believe it is time to leave already.

One little bit of craziness to relate -- When I took off my capris tonight in order to get into my sleep pants, I noticed that my lower legs were totally swollen. They were so swollen that my legs seemed normal to where my capri hems had been, then the leg puffed up like a balloon. It totally freaked me out, but I figured that I would keep them elevated tonight and hopefully not have problems tomorrow. More on that for tomorrow's post. It isn't going to be pretty.