Between the harsh weather conditions and changing landscapes, Sarah Page and Vince Wilson had their hands full leading a University of Idaho recreation hike through the canyons of Escalante, Utah.
“It’s probably one of the better trips I’ve done, for sure,” said Wilson, a UI student and co-leader of the expedition. “I feel like being out there for a longer period of time, being with the same people for weeks straight in the desert, camping in the sand, it’s something you don’t really get to experience in some of the other trips.”
Wilson and Page, both UI seniors, said their trip through Canyonlands National Park over spring break offered unique experiences that both will remember for a lifetime.
Sandra Townsend, outdoor program coordinator for the UI Recreation Center and head of the rental center, said she offered Wilson and Page the opportunity to lead the backpacking trip through the desolate desert, citing their strong leadership skills and eagerness to take on a larger role with the outdoor program.
Courtesy | UI Recreation Center
“Getting to participate in these sorts of trips, it’s along my path. It’s part of what I want to do.” – Sarah Page (pictured)
“Both of them show really professional qualities when it comes to leading trips in the past. Both of them have had really good feedback on past trips,” Townsend said. “I wanted to give the opportunity for Sarah and Vince to grow into the leadership role. I was more there for entertainment, educational and safety value.”
With a group of four UI undergraduate students, one graduate student and one Moscow community member, Wilson, Page and Townsend took off from the Palouse. An all-day drive beginning at 5 a.m. Saturday led them to the border of Utah and Arizona, where they camped for the night before beginning an on-foot trek toward their first trail destination.
Both Wilson and Page said they have spent time in the Southwest, but neither had experienced a trip of this magnitude.
“It was maybe three years ago I drove through Moab and did some hiking around there, but this was my first extended backpacking in a desert environment,” Wilson said. “I had been backpacking in the desert, but this was a new fun experience to be out in the desert.”
Townsend said many of the wonders of Canyonlands are not often easily accessible by the public. She said an old cabin, formally occupied by a local Latter-Day Saints family, cropped up out of nowhere.
She said that after some casual explorations during the second day of the trek, the group stumbled across the run-down cabin. The group also discovered an ancient dinosaur track, permanently fossilized in the desert minerals.
“That’s one of the joys of being out west and recreating out west, as opposed to back east. There are very limited, if no trail signs,” Townsend said. “A lot of it is up to you to discover, work on your navigation, and kind of figure out these little areas and build that relationship with it, rather than being told what that relationship needs to be.”
Townsend, who graduated from Green Mountain College in Vermont, said this same type of discovery is also necessary when exploring the Palouse. Because of issues regarding land-ownership, she said, many Moscow residents are not aware of the more than 80 miles of bicycle trail present on Moscow Mountain.
Unlike mountains however, navigating canyons can be extremely difficult, Townsend said. Because of the constant erosion of sandstone due to harsh environments, the landscapes explorers encounter while on a trip might not always align with what is depicted on the map.
“It also changes. Every time it rains, stuff is going to move around, so it’s not exactly what it’s like on the map,” Townsend said. “There’s a lot of route finding that’s involved, which just makes it more fun, honestly.”
Page, a senior studying recreation and natural resource conservation, said the trip, which could be one of her last while attending college, gave her even more confidence in her abilities as a leader. She said she and Wilson exhibited similar leadership styles, with neither wanting to interfere with the other’s outdoor experience. However, she did say neither was afraid to step up when executive decisions needed to be made.
“Through my education, and obviously my time here, it’s something that I am actively working towards this kind of job,” she said. “Getting to participate in these sorts of trips, it’s along my path. It’s part of what I want to do.”
Townsend, who said the Rec Center plans on leading a river rafting trip down Potlatch River Saturday, said UI students should take advantage of any opportunities presented by the outdoor program. She said longer trips, which usually cost around $200 with the university, can go for more than triple. When considering the gear and transportation provided, Townsend said college students will likely never have a better time to explore the great outdoors.
“Especially for college students, you will never have as much time as you do right now. It will never be as affordable as it is now,” Townsend said. “If you can walk, you can do this trip. We have something for everyone on campus. It’s just a matter of coming in and talking to us.”
Sandra Townsend’s college was misstated in a previous version of this article.
Brandon Hill can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brandonmtnhill