What's Up With The Wheelers: Major Escapades in Moab

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Major Escapades in Moab

In mid-November, brave Daddy Bishop Jason Wheeler planned an amazing trip for the youth to go rappelling down near Moab. At first we thought it would be a pretty small group, but as you can see there was a remarkable turnout of both youth and leaders between the 27th and 27th East Wards.

Okay, true confessions. As the bishop's wife, this trip was hard for me. I worried so much about the liability of taking so many youth on a challenging rappel, most of whom had no prior experience. I worried about Covid. I worried about it being too cold to camp. I worried about the rappel taking forever and the group getting caught in the canyon in the dark. I worried about everyone driving back late at night and someone falling asleep at the wheel. I was so anxious that some sort of tragedy would occur and our lives would be upturned forever.

I was able to help with a few of these worries. I secured a large AirBnB for the group so they wouldn't have to camp. The rappel seemed like adventure enough without adding tents into the mix. I helped secure climbing helmets from the U in hopes of making the rappel a little bit safer. I said a lot of prayers.

In the end, some of my fears were reasonable. Given so many people, the rappel did indeed take forever, and some of the group did end up hiking back to the cars after dark. Jason had predicted the group would be home by ten, but in the end they arrived around 1 am.

On the other hand, my anxiety was unfounded. The leaders set clear boundaries, the youth behaved super responsibly, and everyone was safe. There were no disasters, large or small. Our lives remain unmarred by tragedy.

After allowing some time for my worry to dissipate, I can look through these pictures and feel such joy. For many of these youth, this was their very first trip to Moab. It was their first time getting to experience the beauty of this beautiful red rock. They expanded their comfort zones, growing in both physical strength and mental fortitude. They showed great compassion and support for one another. In many ways, I feel like this experience exemplifies everything we would wish for the Youth program. I'm grateful for Jason's courage in taking the youth (although to be honest, neither he nor I are anxious to organize an experience quite this extreme anytime soon.)

So without further adieu, photos of this fantastic day!

Eli looks so official in his gear. While Brooklyn and Talia had done this rappel before, this was his first time and he did great!

Talia toting the new long rope that eventually got stuck on the last rappel.

Brooklyn was the first to descend so that she could belay others. You'll notice she's in bare feet. Apparently there was a pool of water at the bottom, so this helped keep her feet dry.

Down into the abyss.

Next up we have Gavin and Latu.

The descent was super frightening for Hazel, one of our youngest climbers. If you look closely, you'll see a tear rolling down her cheek.

In the end, Hazel stuck with it and showed so much courage, making it down with the support of her Young Women's leader Tara right beside her.

Talia's turn! Here she is on the second large rappel that comes down right beside Morning Glory Arch.

Ben Keddington, followed by Sharon and her big brother Porter.

While one group rappelled, another group went hiking into Canyonlands. Here's everyone as they met up at the end. It may be late, but I see a lot of happy (and washed out) faces.

Stopping for dinner at a diner, both smiling and exhausted.

I think Hazel had it right when she told her Mom, "Wow, that was intense!" Hearing the youth talk about the trip after, they spoke with both amazement and a sense of intense satisfaction at what they'd accomplished.

As for Annika and I, our days at home were more grounded. We had a great time taking our young neighbor Rose to the Farm at Gardner Village. Annika is always in her happy place around the animals.