The Outdoor Leadership and Entrepreneurship class adventures with a backpacking trip through Coyote Gulch. Photo Courtesy of Whitney Ward
The Outdoor Leadership and Entrepreneurship class took an early start on spring break by heading out on a three day backpacking trip through Coyote Gulch.
Located by the Arizona border, Coyote Gulch is a tributary of the Escalante River. It is part of the Kaiparowits Plateau, and is roughly 25 miles long. “It’s basically a tight canyon with an oasis down on the Arizona border,” said Jake Cote.
At five o clock in the morning on Wednesday, March 23, the group took off, heading south for the adventure. They all had backpacks with food and other supplies with them. They hiked around the canyon for three days, on sand, rock, and even through the river.
“I would say the scenery was the best part of the trip,” said Cote. The rest of the class agreed with him, saying that the area had a natural beauty.
“We had to go back and forth between water walking and sand or rock walking a lot,” said Skylar Ferris. “It was kind of frustrating.”
One of the main purposes of the trip was to learn more about outdoor leadership. Among the lessons they learned, some of the biggest things were cooperation, communication, teamwork, and effective planning. “It wouldn’t have worked out if we got together [the day before we left] and said, ‘Hey, let’s go on a trip’. We needed to know where we were going, what equipment we needed, and any other information that pertained to the trip,” said Professor Whitney Ward.
“This trip taught me that I don’t need to pack everything I think I might need,” said Ferris. “I over packed and ended up lugging around things I didn’t even need. You don’t want to under pack, but over packing isn’t good either.”
Most of the class agreed that if ever given the opportunity, they suggest anyone go on a trip such as this one. “If you ever have the chance to go, you should,” said Ferris. “It’s a good chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors.”
Emily Suckow
Emily Suckow is a twenty year-old sophomore at Snow College. She grew up in South Jordan and graduated from Bingham High School in 2014. Being well-to do in the oboe, flute, and English horn, she was drawn to Snow for their four-year music major program, but has since switched her major and is pursuing a degree in Public Relations at this time. Emily spent her sophomore year at Snow College as Webmaster and Vice President of the Snowdrift, Snow College's student newspaper. When she was 13, Emily was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, but is currently cancer-free and loving life.
