A summer day in Phoenix can top 112 degrees. But that kind of heat didn’t stop four boys from Gary, Indiana, who traveled to Arizona in July 2016 for the UPportunity adventure of a lifetime – a chance to hike the famed Grand Canyon, build confidence, expand horizons and learn to think outside the box.
For Jeremiah, Malik, Donell and Elijah, the adventure began with the flight from Gary to Phoenix via Southwest Airlines. Thanks to a 48-hour worldwide computer glitch, Southwestern was forced to cancel that flight, so the group had to rebook their trip on Delta – a switch that cost $2000. Jeremiah had never flown before and was very scared. But he worked through his fear, gaining confidence for trying the new things that lay ahead.
Once in Arizona, the four boys and their mentors started the trip with a two-day stay at the Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, just outside Phoenix. This lavish hotel had plenty of amenities for teen boys to love – 17 pools, a 3-story water slide and plenty of opportunities to play water volleyball and basketball.
The group stayed in a 2-story, 4- bedroom casita complete with its own living room, dining room and mini kitchen. To welcome the boys, Kevin McDonald put a cowboy hat on each of their beds – a taste of the Old West that everyone loved.
In the morning, Kevin woke the four adventurers at 6am to beat the desert heat for a climb up Camelback Mountain.
The hike was an exercise in teamwork and perseverance. Malik struggled on the way up, convinced he wouldn’t make it – but he kept on going and got to the top. Donell is blind in one eye, so he has problems with depth perception. That caused some trouble on the way down, but in a display of teamwork, Elijah helped Donell negotiate the descent.
From Scottsdale it was on to a luxury rented house in Flagstaff, base camp for a series of short day trips to local attractions such as Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam, Monument Valley – and of course, the Grand Canyon.
Along the way, the boys learned how to use their new camera gear to document their adventures, with the help of photographer Ron Delhaye.
Unlike a hotel, the house in Flagstaff provided a 4-bed bunkroom, where all the boys could sleep in the same room. Staying in the house created a family atmosphere where the boys and their mentors could cook and eat together, talk and even have pillow fights.
The high point of the adventure was hiking the Grand Canyon. This stunning display of nature’s power amazed the boys as they walked from the parking lot to the South Rim, where they began the hike into the canyon on the the famous Bright Angel Trail.
With Jeremiah and Donell leading the way, the group headed down into the Canyon itself. Along the trail, they met and talked to people from all over the world, gaining exposure to different cultures and new ideas. After eating lunch in the Canyon, everyone headed back up the trail for the tough hike out.
Back at the top, the group shared their adventures in a live Facebook chat with the majestic Grand Canyon as the perfect backdrop. For these teens, hiking the Canyon – and experiencing other adventures along the way – provided opportunities for self-reflection and learning to face obstacles with a positive attitude. In the stifling heat of an Arizona summer, four boys from Indiana learned how to face the world with confidence – and a cowboy hat.
