From October 18-19th, 2024 we went up to Payson, Arizona for camping! It was the only trip I could do with the Outdoor Club this semester so I made sure it count. We stayed near the Mogollon Rim on Forest Service Road. Super pretty, but very chilly. 

We started off the morning picking up cooking supplies and food for the weekend. We had intended on staying Friday-Sunday, so we made sure to bring lots of food, snacks, and warm gear. Around 2pm, we made the trek up to Payson. It was Albany’s first time driving to Payson (our infamous driver in these outdoor club trips), so she was in awe of the views while on the highway. We made it to our campsite after dark. A cold front came in from the hurricane in Florida, so we knew this weekend would be chilly. We quickly built a fire and Jack got to work on making us dinner. We stayed up for a little while before going to sleep.

The next morning, we woke up and realized just how cold it was. It got down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. We spent about two hours building and lighting a fire and then Albany made us pancakes and bacon for breakfast. It was then, when we decided we were not going to stay on Saturday night because of how chilly it was that night. We decided to spend the whole day up in Payson exploring the Rim and the surrounding lakes in the area. More of the outdoor club was coming up that day, so we went to visit them and remind them to stay warm throughout the night. We drove home around 5pm during sunset which gave a beautiful view of the rim. We also experienced snow, hail, sleet and rain while hanging out on the Rim that day. I haven’t seen snow in years, so we all had a fun time watching the snow fall. We saw a couple get proposed to as well as married up on the Rim. This trip was very eventful and I am excited for the future trips!