The 3rd Annual Ward Moab Trip

If you look closely, you may see around 45 sleeping bags scattered among the rocks. Our ward had this whole canyon to ourselves which was nice since we were up up past 1am playing scum and eating dutch oven cobbler. The next morning we got up and made a big camping breakfast before everyone headed out on their various adventures.

My group's plan was to go canyoneering, but after those dreams were dashed, we settled on floating the river.  Our plans to buy or rent inner tubes were also thwarted, but the 95 degree weather kept our motivation alive.  We finally found some blow up pool toys at a town market and purchased a colorful collection.  As you can see, I was sporting Wally the Walrus.  It's illegal (and stupid) to float the Colorado river without a life vest (although clearly our childrens' pool toys were reliable life saving floatation devices).  I informed and strongly encouraged the group to sport life vests, but in the end, only 5 of our party of 8 felt like springing the extra 5 dollars.  Getting going in the river was nothing short of hilarious.  We had a rope to keep the chaos together, but balancing on a walrus like that in a fast moving river is harder than it looks.  Part way down stream, we got caught in a huge eddy that took us far enough back up stream to question everything we had ever been taught about gravity.  That was where the police officer greeted us and asked the five foolish virgins to get out of the river.  The five wise virgins were dismissed and floated happily away while the officer wrote up a ticket.

We found some really incredible mud where we exited the river.