RINGBOLT RAPIDS - APR 2009

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)

It wasn't all fun & games. Boys also learned how to purify river water, pack and operate 3 different kinds of backpacking stoves, shoulder and adjust their packs and they passed off the following requirements: Camping MB 5E,6B,7B,8A; Backpacking MB 5A,6B,8B,9CE; Wilderness Survival MB 10 and Deacon Duty to God Physical Development #6. Participants were Dallen Layton, Easton Fogg, Austin Brasier, Cameron Rose, Dexter Edwards, Tanner Jensen, Trenton Rose, Daniel Buchanan, Nick Cazares, Trenton Roundy, Josh Jones and Locke Edwards (whose poetry can be read above).

Special thanks to the wives of the young men leaders who sacrificed their vehicles and took care of business at home so that we could romp with the youth.

Special thanks also to Paul Roundy for pulling double time. YM is not his calling, but he found time, as he always does, to shuttle, cook for, entertain the YM and pay back Austin Brasier for soaking Paul at scout camp last summer by filling Austin's pack with large boulders prior to the hike out.

Finally, thanks to the wonderful young men of the Grand Canyon Ward who never fail to impress me. New scouts, Josh and Nick hiked like champs and all behaved like gentlemen. Parents should be proud.