During my first-year at Xavier, I had the opportunity to participate in Xavier Expeditions. Xavier Expeditions is a program established by a Xavier professor which allowed students to travel to various National Parks to earn course credits. During my spring break, I traveled to Grand Canyon National Park, Monument Valley, and Canyon de Chey to earn 3 credits as my first-year seminar class.
It was my first National Park experience and first time participating in such strenuous hiking trails. The Grand Canyon was much colder than expected. Layers, earmuffs, and water was a must! During the second day at the park, my class and I hiked the Bright Angel Trail, enduring 3.5 miles of straight ice while we trekked down to the bottom. I 100% suggest hiking shoes for such trails to avoid slipping and falling like I did. I lost track after 12 falls, but I still loved every single minute of it.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
After my first National Park adventure, I caught the National Park bug. Approximately 3 weeks after returning from my Grand Canyon trip, Xavier's Outdoor Club was offering a weekend trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and my dear friend, Taylor (who also joined me at the Grand Canyon trip as well), accompanied me during this trip as well. We slept in a a small house cabin in Pigeon Ford, Tennessee, considered to be entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains. We completed the Mount Cammerer Trail, which also followed the Appalachian Trail for two miles as well. On the hiking ranking list, the trail was considered a 17.2, or extremely strenuous and intense. I still loved every minute of it, despite Xavier losing to Gonzaga in the 2017 March Madness tournament.
Shenandoah National Park
During the past summer, as I was sitting down at my kitchen table, a close friend texted my twin sister and I if we would be interested in a camping weekend trip. The camping trip would take place at Shenandoah National Park, and on a whim, my twin sister and I both agreed to go. That was probably one of the best choices I ever made. On Skyline Drive, I witnessed one of the prettiest sunsets I had ever seen with the mountains in clear view. At night, I had never seen as many stars in the sky as I did. During the weekend, we were lucky enough to witness a mama black bear with her three cubs! You could see the Milky Way clear as day with just your eyes. Over the weekend, we hiked nearly 30 miles in 2 days. Our more intense hike was Old Rag Mountain, which included more rock climbing than hiking, being only two feet from the edge of the cliff at one point. After this trip, I definitely thought it was time to invest in a good pair of hiking shoes.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
During the fall of my sophomore year at Xavier, my friend, Taylor (she accompanied me to both the Grand Canyon and Great Smoky Mountain National Park adventures) took the drive to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland, Ohio. We both decided it was time to add another patch to our National Park patch collection. We decided to go during the fall to witness the colorful changes of the tree's leaves, and they did not disappoint. Although it was a bit chilly than expected, Taylor and I visited Brandywine Falls, Blue Hen Falls, and hiked the Ledges! My favorite places were The Ledges, which were these large rock formations you could climb in and out of, and the Blue Hen Falls, with three, small, streaming water falls. We rented an AirBNB after our day of hiking and we were enternally thankful for the hot shower afterwards.
Up next: Firefly, Turtles, and Hostel Must-Haves!
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