Backpacking the Paria Canyon in the sunny state of Arizona.  Roughly thirty-five miles of hiking; this was my first time to go backpacking.  Again I went on this trip with the Outdoor Adventure program and some of my friends.  I decided to go on this trip after I got the job as a junior guide and felt that I should expand my horizons in order to most effectively do my job.

On this trip we crossed the river that runs through the canyon exactly 499 times.  As there was not much we could do while we were hiking, we talked and one of the people on the trip spent some of her time taking count of the number of river crossings.  The nice thing about this trip was getting to know the other members.  There were lots of time once we got to camp to do our camp responsibilities, yet after that was done, we sat around in a circle and shared things that were personal to each and every one of us.

I like that on every single trip that I have gone on, I have learned something new that could be used to engage with others.  This knowledge is able to be applied indoors, outdoors, with friends and with coworkers.