After a long few weeks of midterms, Fall Break had finally come. At 9:30am on Saturday morning, participants arrived at the Rental Shop to the sound of boxes moving, backpacks unzipping, and sleeping bags being stuffed. Saying our farewell to Dallas, we packed into the van (Rafiki) and took off for the long drive ahead of us. The city skyline turned into booming suburbs, and then into farmland. As we approached the panhandle, Texas’ flattest region struck us with awe; towering rows of windmills coated the barren landscape only inhabited by cattle. Stopping for lunch in Wichita Falls, we found our nourishment at Wangs and Thangs, a renowned barbeque establishment in the area. The group ordered brisket and fried catfish, which generously came with all the southern side dishes imaginable. After filling our bellies, we re-embarked on our journey towards Palo Duro Canyon.
With a food coma induced by our lunch feast, participants took the last couple of hours in Rafiki to rest. As the asphalt road turned into gravel, our destination, MERUS Adventure Park, approached in the distance. With 50+ Jeeps parked outside, each with massive tires and lifts, we knew we had reached our destination. After checking in, we drove down to our campsite, which was isolated from everyone else and afforded us unobstructed, 270-degree views of the canyon. Participants set up camp right by the rim of the canyon to wake up to these beautiful views and opted to sleep without their rainflies to see the starry night sky. As the sun set on the canyon, we “cheffed-up” a basil pesto chicken and pasta feast.
The next morning, we woke up to the sun’s first rays, which hinted that it would rise perfectly across the canyon from us. As the sun appeared above the horizon, we basked in the sunlight and took in the orange and purple beams cast upon the canyon. Participants emerged from their tents while we began preparing our breakfast as each person took turns creating their best pancakes. After we had fueled up for the day, we packed sandwiches for our hike in the park and set out on the road. To our surprise, however, many other Texans had the same idea as us on this fine Sunday morning! We encountered a half-mile long line to enter the park, which provided us time to enjoy our moment together in Rafiki. Once through the gates, we stopped at the visitor center to film content for our story takeover of SMU’s official Instagram account and additionally saw some history about the canyon and its inhabitants long before us. Descending to the canyon floor, we took in the views from the roadside and arrived at the trailhead.
After a quick water stop, we began our brief, 3-mile trek to the famous Lighthouse, a free-standing rock formation that towers above the canyon floor. On the way, we passed dried riverbeds, picturesque rock stratigraphy displaying distinct colors of orange, red, and yellow, and the occasional lizard perched on a rock. Finally arriving at the Lighthouse, we unpacked our artisanal PB&Js and took advantage of the shadow cast upon the ground by the rocks to enjoy our lunch. We took in views of the canyon from our vantage point and even climbed to a nearby hilltop to gain an even better view of the path we had taken. As it was nearing sunset, we headed back to Rafiki where we saw a roadrunner guarding our trusty van. We refilled our emptied water bottles and piled back into the van for our drive back to camp.
As soon as we reached camp, it was taco time! Participants helped prepare fresh guacamole while we set up ground beef and black beans for our delicious tacos. Forming an assembly line starting with a “tortilla warmer,” we all funneled into our jerry-rigged kitchen table made up of our boxes and cooler to prepare the finest tacos in the entire Texas panhandle. After enjoying our dinner and curating the last bits of Instagram content for our takeover, we retreated back to our tents and took in the beautiful night sky. On Monday morning, we woke up to the same warm sun as the day before – but this time, with an overwhelming energy to return home and shower. Nonetheless, we basked in the sun one last time before departing back to Dallas. In Rafiki, we enjoyed the scenery while taking turns playing our favorite songs on Spotify. The time passed quickly as good vibes resonated throughout the van on our way back. Entering the familiar gates of the OA rental shop, we looked back on all the amazing memories from our weekend trip and the temporary portal outside of school life it had afforded us.
Huge thanks to my fellow trip leader Levi as well as two brand-new OLTs Eddy and Rahim for making this trip another amazing one.
-Alex Parachini, Outdoor Adventures Trip Manager
