Blair Valley Beginner Backpack

          Blair Valley backpack, in my opinion, was an awesome beginner backpack. The terrain was varied and the whole trip in general was planned out and organized. The terrain consisted mostly of flat expanses with some uphill, perfect for teaching younger scouts the skills necessary when backpacking.

          The actual hike went on without a hitch. The group made good time considering its enormous size. We stopped for lunch on top of a mountain after a fairly large stretch of uphill. The upside of the lunch: it was long and relaxing. The downside: The wind was brutal.

          After lunch, our huge company moved out down the mountain, really a large hill, we had come up before. Again, we made good time heading back to the clearing where we had left the cars. For me, one of the unique highlights of this trip was the 300 foot rock scramble. Basically, a huge mountain of rock separated our group from the campsite on the other side. We went over in two groups, and, in the end, everyone made it over without incident. After everyone was situated in the campsite, Mr. England taught Ten Essentials 101.           Dinner was um…interesting, including MRE’s for one group. After dinner, the rest of the night was spent playing a combination tag/capture the flag game that was entertaining and a good way to past the time.

          Sunday began with a very long breakfast and general sluggishness. The clouds were a little darker than everyone had hoped for so our group traveled in cars to the slot, basically a narrow canyon complete with gigantic rocks wedged in between the canyon walls that appeared as if they would fall onto us at any given moment. The weather held throughout the mile long walk and the exploration on the nearby hills. We all headed back into the cars and drove home through falling snow in Julian. It was a great way to end an even better backpack.