Spring Break 2020: Big Bend/Davis Mountains

We had an incredible Spring Break, crossing off bucket list items with our Youth! From hiking the tallest peak in Big Bend to seeing the mysterious Marfa Lights! Our Youth Leaders worked very hard to be considered for this fun-filled week. For example, here  are some highlights from our week: the feeling of accomplishing a 10.5 mile intense hike, discovering the hoodos in Big Bend Ranch, listening to bear stories in the Davis Mountains, finding hidden geocaches, hiking with adorable homeless dogs, jokes around the fire, and talking about different theories of how the Marfa Lights came to be. 

Our first destination brought us to Big Bend National Park. We figured while we were there we would hike the one of the harder trails up to the highest peak in the park. And wow, what a view! However, this was only our second day, we knew we were in for an adventure.

We camped in the Desert! This was a very different camping experience for everyone, being in the desert valley. We saw interesting rock formations and enjoyed the pleasant cool nights once the sun went down.

After camping in the desert, we moved to Davis Mountains, which was filled with geocaching, beautiful views and many laughs and stories around the fire. And lucky for us, these youth leaders happen to be very good cooks!

The Davis Mountains State Park partners with an a amazing organization called "Grand Companions" In coordination with the park this organization allows for park visitors to walk shelter dogs for a day out in the wild. Lets just say that some of the youth considered this the highlight of their week. And in even better news, our Facilitators Amanda and Ryan adopted a dog! We are all excited to welcome Emory back to the Coastal Bend!

The Famous mysterious Marpha Lights! Rumor has it, these lights were thought to be from the Apache Indians! They remain a mystery to this day. We had a blast observing them with the youth; and listening to them come up with our own theories. In addition, check out our Youth Leader reading about his great grand father... talk about a small world.

This was overall a very memorable Spring Break trip for the youth and for our facilitators. We got to experience many things for the first time together, which made it extra special. The youth worked very hard to go on this trip and create these memories. We feel its important to remind our youth leaders that even though we have higher expectations for them, we also try and plan very cool trips for them. Hard work pays off, and that's not even a skill we directly work on.

We did have to make some adjustments on the trip due to the unforeseen circumstances brought up by whats going on in the world. But made it back without any complications or delays. We want everyone to stay safe and remember that Youth Odyssey will remain operable even during these hard times. Please stay updated with the next course of action and refrain from gathering in large groups for the time being. Stay crispy, Corpus Christi!