Following breakfast, boys remarkably cleaned up their camp without being asked by an adult leader. They played a couple more games of capture the flag, loaded up and returned to Las Vegas by 10:00AM.
Participants: Trenton Roundy, Trenton Rose, Josh Jones, Daniel Buchanan, Cody Graham, Locke Edwards, David Karnafel, DJ Overson, Devar Overson, Kelly Graham and Quincy Edwards
DAY 1 - AUGUST 10, 2009
At 4:00AM on August 10, 2009, Troop 624 Scouts met at the Alexander Building to load and depart for Utah's Ashley National Forest. Shuttlers, Redge & Lyndee Hudson, Melinda and Daisy Bailey, Lee & Brice Rhinehart and Ryan Briggs met the troop in Orem then followed to the Grandview Trailhead.
22 Scouts and 8 leaders pulled packs from 5 vehicles and started up the trail toward Grandaddy Lake while shuttlers drove the vehicles to Moon Lake. With the vehicles gone, the only way home was to hoof 50 miles to Moon Lake.
The group packed their gear from about 9,800 feet at the trailhead up to 10,600 at Hades Pass where they caught their first glimpse of the dozens of lakes they would see throughout the week. Grandaddy was the largest seen on day 1. They also passed Betsy before they finally called it a day after driving 8 hours and hiking another 6 miles to Mohawk Lake.
An hour after they arrived and set up camp, exhausted boys found themselves huddled around a campfire with full stomachs where they sang "Praise to the Man" and listened to counsel from Brother Chris Rose. Afterwards, they played a few games of wink murder and then went to bed.
DAY 2 - AUGUST 11, 2009
Daybreak found Spencer Gunnerson reeling in the 1st fish caught on the trek. He cooked it on a hot rock next the fire while boys and leaders fished, pumped water, sparked up whisper lights and jetboils, cooked oatmeal and packed up camp. Thinking they only had a 7 mile jaunt to the next campsite, leaders let boys sleep in and take it easy on morning 2. To their chagrin, what appeared to be 7 miles on paper, turned out to be over 9 miles to Jean Lake in the Four Lakes Basin. While not the longest day on the trail, day 2 was certainly one of the most gruelling. A detour due to a closed trail (not shown on maps) took them to Governor Dern Lake where they rested before they spent the balance of the afternoon ascending a long steep grade to the Four Lakes Basin.
As they entered the camp, the group found Heath Bailey baking a cake in a makeshift campfire oven for those celebrating birthdays at camp (Payden Yates, Quincy Edwards, Derek Cowles & Heath Bailey). After dinner, all sang Happy Birthday, sampled the cake and fought over who would lick the tin. Heath provided a very thoughtful treat and an even more thoughtful campfire message about overcoming obstacles.
The author was too tired to pay attention to what the rest of the camp did after the closing prayer.
DAY 3 - AUGUST 12, 2009
Knowing they had 12 1/2 miles and Rocky Sea Pass (11,400 ft) in front of them, the group packed up and left Jean Lake early on day 3. All hiked like champs to the pass, where they rested, took pictures and skied down snowy slopes.
After a long descent past countless ponds, lakes and streams, the group stopped, filtered water, ate lunch and then began the gut-wrenching climb to Lightning Lake (the author's favorite lake).
At Lightning, with 7 1/2 miles behind them, the group snacked, filtered more water and skipped rocks before strapping up and contouring around the Rock Creek Basin at 11,000 feet for the final 5 1/2 miles to Ledge Lake.
The first sprinkles were felt on the afternoon of day 3. Sprinkles turned into a few minutes of light rain and then skies cleared as boys and leaders fished, swam and bathed in the snow-melt that filled Ledge.
After dinner, Spencer Gunnerson shared his thoughts on some of the heroes in his life and gave the boys a chance to do the same. Appreciation for dads, moms, grandpas, friends and bishop was expressed by thankful young men. Dry eyes were few and neither leader nor boy wasted time getting to their tent at the end of day 3.
DAY 4 - AUGUST 13, 2009
Day 4 found scouts and leaders on the trail early again. Seldomly travelled trails between the Rocky Sea and Tworoose passes presented problems as cairns and tree blazes were, at times, few and far between.
Several hikers lost track of beaten paths in the thickly wooded, marshy basin. However, adherence to the buddy system and radios kept the group intact on Thursday. Noon found the group pumping cold water from Rock Creek, resting and watching dark clouds gather over head. By the time bladders and bottles were filled, silver dollar rain drops and hail were pounding Troop 624. For the 1st time at camp, the dreadfully anticipated, fun-spoiling, morale-stealing rain came - and came in grand fashion. Scouts and leaders stubbornly resisted the downpour for 20 minutes - procrastinating the inconvenient search through wet gear for ponchos. With clouds growing purpler by the moment, the group yielded to mother nature. Minutes later, Troop 624 was a rainbow of red, yellow and green rain gear. Rain held for most of the long, steep ascent from Rock Creek to Tworoose Pass. By the time all finished another 12 1/2 - mile day and reached camp at Tworoose Lake, the rain had stopped.
While waiting for their gear to dry, the troop pumped water, ate breakfast, bandaged blistered feet and cleaned up camp. At 10:00AM, camp was clean and all were back on the trail. By 1:00, the group had passed Kidney, Island and Brown Duck Lakes and found themselves 6 1/2 miles from Tworoose on the wilderness boundary. With no sign of a site that would accomodate 20 tents, leaders huddled to discuss where to go for the night. Moon Lake campgrounds were expensive and full. It was unclear whether or not they were on private property. All appeared to still be fresh and in good spirits, so leaders felt they could finish the hike, load up and make it back to Las Vegas without setting up camp on Friday night. When the the proposal was presented, boys disappeared in a cloud of dust sprinting to the trailend.
Less than 2 hours later the last hiker rolled into the parking lot where shuttlers had left vehicles the previous Monday. Blisters, tears and sore shoulders were forgotten as boys pounded their chests and stood a few inches taller.
Packs were loaded in haste as dark clouds began to dump and batter cars and gear. Once loaded, a caravan loaded with boys longing for good fast food, soft beds and moms headed for Heber City. Arby's bore the burden of hosting 30 men & boys who had eaten nothing but dehydrated food for close to a week. Serving trays stacked high with roast beef sandwiches and french fries could be found on every table. Horsey sauce was never so fulfilling. Cars and trucks were loaded one more time with gamey, roast beef-filled boys. All vehicles rolled safely into the Alexander Building parking lot around 2:30AM on August 15th.
PARTICIPANTS
Jacob Harper, Payden Yates, Dallin Layton, Derek Cowles, Easton Fogg, Jared Harper, Cameron Rose, Michael Rosenkrantz, Josh Curtis, Austin Brasier, Brody Burley, Preston Hadfield, Dexter Edwards, Luke Bailey, Tanner Jensen, Porter Rosenkrantz, Trenton Rose, Trenton Roundy, Daniel Buchanan, Josh Jones, Locke Edwards, David Karnafel, Brice Rhinehart, David Curtis, Paul Roundy, Lee Rhinehart, Heath Bailey, Chris Rose, Quincy Edwards, Cliff Brown, Spencer Gunnerson and Gene Wright.
For the 2nd year in a row, a few Grand Canyon Ward scouts, together with their dads, hiked 16 miles from Chamberlain's Ranch through the Zion Narrows to the Temple of Sinewava. 4:00PM on day one found the group trudging into campsite #10 after 11 miles on the river. Camp was only a couple hundred yards north and across the river from #12 where they camped the year previous. After dropping packs, setting up camp, rigging Roundy's and Curtis' hammocks, filtering water and throwing back some Mountain House, the boys began a game of hide and seek with no boundaries. After a few falls on the mossy rocks in the river, the boys returned to the campground where all read together from "For the Strength of Youth" and Mosiah 18. Scriptures were followed by several games of "Wink Murder" and bedtime. All but Paul Roundy were up by 5:00 the following morning eating oatmeal and packing. Brother Curtis and Cameron Rose, who slept under the stars, were the 1st back on the trail. Day 2 found the group floating down the river on their packs, swimming in the fountain of youth, mesmerized by Wall Street and passing the masses of tourists hiking up from the Temple of Sinewava. All but Cameron Rose and Luke Bailey took painful diggers on the slippery river rocks. Dexter won the prize for the best Fred Flintstone imitation when he fell so fast he had no time to break his fall with anything but his forehead. A lump the size of a baseball with a little heartbeat on the end of it emerged immediately. With the exception of a bump on the head and typical scrapes, scratches and very sore muscles, all went well and most are looking forward to next year. - GQE
On saturday April 24, 2009 Grand Canyon Ward deacons and teachers hiked to Ringbolt Rapids. The leaders were Brother Overson, Brother Edwards, Brother Gunnerson, and Brother Roundy. We left the church at about 7:00 for the trailhead. It took about and hour to get there. When we got there, my dad (Brother Edwards) gave us some great counseling and advice. It was "Stay behind Brother Gunnerson or you will be injured by rattle snakes." What that meant to us scouts is that if we don't stay behind Brother Gunnerson, we will suffer the cosequences and be eaten and over-devoured in the great snake's insides. While I was pondering on that advice, I was thinking, "What could be worse?" We had to hike at 8:00 P.M. and watch out for the snakes. We arrived at the river at about 9:00 PM. We set up camp, ate Mountain House dinners and then bolted for the hot springs. We stayed in the hot springs until midnight throwing pebbles and quoting Nacho Libre and Monte Python. Trenton Roundy took his soaking wet stretchy shirt and towel-whipped each scout as they were coming down the ladder. We went back to camp and all fell asleep within 20 min. In the morning we woke and sat up in our sleeping bags. My dad started to toss pebbles from the wash we slept in at the scouts. It wasn't long before all were throwing back at him. My dad got Trenton Rose really good in the stomach and as soon as my dad looked back, one the size of a golf ball drilled my dad in the teeth. My dad cried, "That was much harder!" I picked one up and tried to get Easton in the back but hit him in the head. It was great. At 6:30 we went and did the polar bear swim where you jump off a twenty five foot cliff into 54 degree Colorado River water before the sun comes up. Brother Edwards, Dallen Layton, Easton Fogg and Trenton Rose participated. We ate oatmeal for breakfast then went back to the hot springs at 8:00AM. Everyone had fun. We all jumped off the cliff a few more times then departed from camp at 11:00. It took a good two hours before everyone arrived at the cars. We had a great time. - Locke Edwards (Troop Historian)
Lone Mountain Stake leadership has approved our proposal for a 50-mile backpack trek through the High Uintas, August 10-15, 2009.
