Eleven women packed into the van at 5:45 am with headlamps in hand for the early morning ride over to Canyonlands National Monument in Utah. This was Sierra Club Guide Cristina Breen’s plan to get us into the park early to witness the sun rising at Dead Horse Point, a truly magical sight as the sun came up over the La Sal Mountains and cast a morning glow down into the vast canyons. (All photos by Samantha Smith.)

This was the Moab Women’s Adventure Trip and my first group outing experience with the Sierra Club. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I drove down from the Salt Lake City Airport on Sunday September 24th. Everyone had arrived before me, but when I walked in, Cristina gave me a big hug and exclaimed “you made it” like an old friend. I felt instantly at ease.

Since the inception of the Sierra Club, one of the motivations in creating outings like this was to allow people to enjoy and experience the wonders of Nature, and then importantly, from that experience, they would work to preserve Nature. As John Muir said back in 1901:

"If people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish"

That was one of the ways in which we obtained so many incredible National and State Parks.

Over the course of the next six days, our group would hike over 30 miles, raft two rivers (the Green River and the Colorado River), and ride horses in the desert. Cristina kept us busy and well fed each day, as she meticulously planned out each meal, bringing oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit and more for a fun tailgate breakfast after our early morning jaunts, then a picnic for lunch, and amazing homemade dinners in the house we rented in town.

The living quarters were a bit cramped, but everyone had a bed and a little privacy, and our group felt like family right away. There were several newbies like me but also several women who had done Sierra Club trips before, including one woman who had taken over 10 trips.

Cristina has been coming to Moab ever since the early 90s when she told us she lived in her Isuzu Trooper and first got hooked on river rafting in the desert. I couldn’t imagine a more knowledgeable person to lead our intrepid group of women from all corners of the U.S. She explained local geology, history, interpreted native American petroglyphs and described the local flora and fauna that we encountered in the area, a veritable encyclopedia of all things Moab.

If you’re lucky enough to take one of her trips, say hi for me. Find out more about Cristina and the trips she will lead next year at https://content.sierraclub.org/outings/staff/cristina-breen

To enjoy and experience the wonders of Nature, see all Sierra Club outings at https://content.sierraclub.org/outings/