Letter To The Editor: Sharing Backpacking Trip Adventures Of Troop 2

Members of Scouts BSA Troop 2 from Los Alamos and Troop 57 from Santa Fe. Courtesy/Sasha Carr

Editor’s note: As a requirement to earn her Communications Merit Badge, local scout Sasha Carr needed to submit a letter to the editor to her local newspaper on a topic of her choice. She decided to write about a trip she went on this summer with scouts from Troop 2 in Los Alamos and Troop 57 in Santa Fe.

By SASHA CARR
Scouts BSA Troop 2
Los Alamos

This past summer I went on a backpacking trip to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. The plan was to go backpacking for 11 days, hike 72 miles, climb several thousand feet with multiple mountain passes, eat too many rehydrated meals and hopefully fish. But before we could do that we had to manage our way to Wyoming.

This past summer I went on a backpacking trip to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. The plan was to go backpacking for 11 days, hike 72 miles, climb several thousand feet with multiple mountain passes, eat too many rehydrated meals and hopefully fish. But before we could do that we had to manage our way to Wyoming.

We drove 13 hours over the course of two days with two cars and several teenagers (Rebecca Moss, Lucas Greene, Maddie Greene, Derek Darbey, my brother Malcolm Carr and myself). We camped in Southern Wyoming before heading up to the Grand Tetons where we stayed at a wonderful climbers’ ranch for a couple days so we could prepare just a bit more and make sure we had everything we needed.

The climbers ranch was fantastic with beautiful views of the mountains and all the necessities we could ask for. We stayed in two of the original cabins: one for the girls and one for the guys. The girls had a great time just hanging out and sleeping very well, but apparently the guys’ cabin was a bit of a different story (apparently someone is a very loud snorer). I would definitely suggest checking out the Grand Teton Climbers Ranch as the people working there were very friendly and it was all well kept. All together a fabulous experience.

After double checking, triple checking, and quadruple checking we had everything, we said goodbye to flush toilets, electricity, and the comfort of a fresh meal. We packed up the two cars and drove 2 or 3 hours. Finally, at the trailhead we bid farewell to our cars before trekking off into the mountains. After that the days became a blur of hiking, annoying the ever living daylights out of the adults, filtering water, and mosquitos. Several of the days consisted of treacherous climbs where we ended up getting to practice first aid. We ended up cutting the length of the trip short due to several miles of blowdown (fallen trees caused by a wind storm).

Our final day was probably the most memorable as the girls sang the entire seven miles. I can’t even begin to explain my excitement to see the road, knowing the car and deodorant were coming soon (we couldn’t use deodorant on trail due to bears). We pulled out of the parking lot with everyone completely exhausted and ‘Burn Malcolm’s pants if we don’t make it,’ written in the dirt on the back windshield of the car (believe me when I say those pants were a biohazard). We were all very relieved to shower for the first time in over a week. We camped one more night before driving down to an Air BnB and having probably the most restful sleep on a bed I’ve ever had. Finally, we made the drive home where we could sleep in a warm bed and shower whenever we wanted.

All in all the trip was really memorable and now I can reminisce about all the lovely memories of our trip, which ended up being 56 miles, 6,500 feet of elevation change, 3 mountain passes, still too many rehydrated meals for my liking, fishing (which involved a lot more screaming than I expected), swimming in glacier run off (very cold), trail work, which involved clearing the trails of fallen trees, several wild animal sightings, and the relief of watching the water run clear as I washed my hair.

It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that you should totally try, but remember we have to keep our wilderness healthy. So pack everything out and take care of the wilderness around you.

Members of Troop 2 from Los Alamos and Troop 57 from Santa Fe relax in a meadow during their backpacking trip this summer to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. Courtesy/Sasha Carr

Members of Troop 2 from Los Alamos and Troop 57 from Santa Fe salute the American Flag. Courtesy/Sasha Carr

Members of Troop 2 from Los Alamos and Troop 57 from Santa Fe during their backpacking trip this summer to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. Courtesy/Sasha Carr

View of a lake seen during the backpacking trip Troop 2 from Los Alamos and Troop 57 from Santa Fe took this summer to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. Courtesy/Sasha Carr

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