A Backpacking Voyage into Saguaro National Park

As the University of Arizona college students departed the city of Tucson, returning home for Spring Break, eight students took up the challenge to immerse themselves in Saguaro National Park (East District) on a four-day, three-night backpacking adventure.

Never before had these students experienced the epic highs and lows of the backcountry – let alone for such an extended period of time. “Fear not!” said the National Park Trust College Ambassadors Meg Robertson and Ryleigh Selby, “For we shall be your fearless leaders on this quest for saguaro sightings”. These guides had schemed and plotted for days on end to ensure that the students would experience the best Saguaro National Park had to offer, as well as learn the skills needed to backpack again in the future. After all, the goal of this trip was to diminish the barrier to the outdoors, and boy, did they…

Laughter filled the air as they squished between ten backpacks in the van ride to the visitor center. There, they meet park ranger Cam, who explained his role in the park, its history, and the route the group is about to embark on. He mentions the elevation change, and Meg and Ryleigh have emphasized the rigor of the nearing hike threefold to the students. However, nothing could have prepared them quite as well as the view before them as they arrived at the trailhead. Endless stairs. The first day would be hard, but the challenge the students were prepared to meet head-on. One might even say one step at a time. They took many breaks along the way, plenty of time to identify native species, pose alongside funny-looking saguaro, and reapply sunscreen, and reapply sunscreen, and reapply sunscreen. The hard part was over.

Along the way, they discovered just how strong they were. Nearly eight miles of incline in the desert heat. Arriving at the campground, the group was overcome with joy. A natural spring atop the mountain they just ascended was roaring from the unusually late winter rains. What a pleasure it was to experience the water, the life, of the desert. Just as wildflowers blossomed in the desert, the students too blossomed. As they descended, they took with them the knowledge that they are strong. They accomplished so much. Saguaro National Park is in the backyard of the University of Arizona, and yet so few students have experienced the joy of witnessing the beauty of water in the desert. The National Park Trust enabled these students not only to access the park itself but also to build the confidence to take on the challenges in the outdoors that may seem scary at first. One step at a time.