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A Grand Adventure

When the temperatures dropped and the climb got tougher than expected, a group of Red Raiders made sure everyone made it to the top.

By Texas Tech University

February 28^th, 2025

Think back to your last spring break trip. Where did you go? What did you do? How much trouble did you cause?

While you're remembering those moments on a beach with a beverage and the warm sun cooking off the chills of winter, sit back and let us tell you a story of a different kind of spring break adventure.

This one involves a Raider Service Break (RSB), a group of students looking to make a difference and a chance encounter on a day off.

A Grand Adventure

Raider Service Break

What is a Raider Service Break (RSB)?

We're glad you asked.

The Center for Transformative Undergraduate Experiences (TrUE) helps set up week-long or weekend trips that provide a meaningful way for students, faculty, and/or staff to engage in group-oriented, service and engagement activities.

They call these Raider Service Breaks, and meaningful service, group reflection and leadership development are key components of success for RSBs.

A Grand Adventure

Giving Back

In this case, the giving back primarily came in the form of helping visitors at the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon hosts thousands of visitors daily, each looking for guidance on how best to see one of the wonders of the world.

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

With a relatively small permanent staff, Grand Canyon National Park relies heavily on volunteers to provide guidance to park visitors, helping them navigate the numerous hikes, trails and attractions around the park.

RSBs aren't all work, of course. The group from Texas Tech had time for some adventures, and that's where this story really begins.

On the Wednesday of spring break, 2024, three strong-willed students from Texas Tech decided they were going to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Because the students, as part of their RSB experience, all wrote blogs about the trip when they returned to campus, we're going to share parts of their stories here with only minor edits for clarity.

From here on, text in italics is directly written by the students involved.

Joe helping visitors at Grand Canyon National Park

Nathan Mekuria - One unforgettable moment for me was our hike down the Grand Canyon with fellow students Joe and Gabriel. From the moment we arrived, the question of whether we could witness where the canyon "began" lingered in our minds. When we learned about a trail leading all the way down to the base of the canyon and to the Colorado River, we were immediately intrigued. Although I've never considered myself a thrill seeker or adrenaline junkie, something inside me knew that descending into the canyon would offer an experience beyond compare. At noon, we began our descent down the Grand Canyon.

As the saying goes, "the descent is the easy part," and it certainly felt that way as we made our way closer to the river, fueled by adrenaline with each passing mile. The sheer enormity of the Canyon and the noticeable change in climate as we descended left me utterly amazed. There were moments when I found myself simply standing still, completely captivated by the beauty of the canyon. After hours of relentless hiking through the rugged terrain, the distant outline of the river began to emerge, fueling us with renewed energy to press on until we finally reached our destination.

Finally reaching the rushing waters of the Colorado River was an exhilarating moment. Sitting at its edge, we dipped our feet into the icy cold water, feeling a sense of accomplishment wash over us. For someone who had only hiked once before, this experience was incredibly special. It was a challenge conquered. But as they say, who goes down must come up, and the journey back up was the real test.

Nathan at the Grand Canyon

Nathan, Joe and Gabe at the Grad Canyon — Nathan, Joe and Gabe

Now, the hikers reading this already know, at least in part, where this story is headed.

On a hike with massive elevation change, down is relatively easy. Don't go too fast. Don't fall. Hope the knees hold out. That's the strategy.

Up? Not so much.

And the Grand Canyon is no easy place for beginners.

Seasoned hikers often travel to the bottom, camp for the night and spend a good portion of the next day hiking out. A down-and-back trip is a taxing and time consuming up-and-down of more than 13 miles.

But Nathan and his hiking partners, Joe Juarez and Gabe Cooper, were determined to make it back out of the canyon that day.

According to Joe, part of that was pure stubbornness. The group had been warned that the trip wouldn't be easy. Others on the RSB were worried they wouldn't be back in time to return to work the next day.

So, having dipped their toes in the Colorado River, the daunting task of more than six miles of steep inclines on the way back to the top was still out in front of them.

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

A Grand Adventure

Gabriel Cooper - The hike back up is where the actual struggle began.

Nightfall quickly approached as we became stuck on the trail with mountain sheep kicking rocks down on us. As we managed to get past the herd, Joe spotted a hiker on the side of the trail in the dark snuggled up in an emergency blanket with his son standing by while his dad warmed up.

It helps to note that even though I was previously in a T-shirt for part of the hike, by the time the sun fell, the temperature had dropped to 30 degrees. The hiker we assumed to be in early hypothermia stages, so I offered my long sleeve shirt and all the hand warmers I had, then Joe offered his long johns to cover up his legs as he and his son had shorts on. We continued the hike with the hikers behind us and in the spur of a moment they were nowhere to be seen in the dark, at this point all three of our legs were cramping on every step up the mountain.

Gabe tipping his hat

The storm that would blanket the park gathering strength.

The weather at the Grand Canyon can shift quickly.

Temperatures had already dropped to below freezing and, as the group would find out soon enough, a snowstorm was about to hit.

The students, along with the father and son, were in a bad spot. Legs cramping. Hypothermia setting in. Low on water.

And, to make matters worse, communication with the team at the top of canyon was limited.

Jace Miserak, a TrUE staff member, had started the hike with Gabe, Nathan and Joe but turned back just before the halfway point with another student, Ynes Ineza. After multiple attempts to contact Gabe, Nathan and Joe he finally received a text from the students partially explaining the situation.

When the students on the trail finally got back in an area with cell service near the top of the canyon, they called Jace and explained the situation fully.

"They weren't panicked and were confident they would make it back to the top," Jace explained. "It was probably down to about 14 degrees by then, so we took a van back near the trailhead along with blankets and handwarmers, and we sat there with the heater all the way up waiting on them to finish the hike."

By the time Joe, Nathan and Gabe, with the father and son in tow, made it out of the canyon, the sun had been down for hours.

South Kaibab Trail

At the trailhead the hikers finally felt some relief. All five of them - Joe, Nathan, Gabe, the father and the son - were back to relative safety. The van was waiting and with it the warmth and water the group needed.

A few hours later, the storm hit. By morning, nearly a foot of snow had blanketed the park. Movement up and down the trail was halted.

The group had made it out just in time.

Gabe, Nathan and Brian Drapeaux, Deputy Superintendent at Grand Canyon National Park, the day after the rescue.

A Grand Adventure

“Perfect plans can stop you from enjoying a beautiful mess.”

Joe Juarez - Brian (Drapeaux, Deputy Superintendent at Grand Canyon National Park/NP) told us on Friday about beliefs Native American culture have when it comes to the Grand Canyon, and how they believe that the canyon is heaven for their ancestors. When you are able to see the canyon in person, you will understand why, it is just like heaven, surreal. I thought after putting my feet in the water I would have this grand epiphany, but I didn't. It has been the weeks after that has me looking back at my expectations and experiences and the whole spirituality of it all. Our bodies may not have been as prepared for the hike we endured but I felt like our minds were. And after I look back at the events, I realized a truth that has been told to me many times. You can only prepare so much, sometimes you must just go out there and live. Perfect plans can stop you from enjoying a beautiful mess.

A Grand Adventure

This year, RSB is headed back to the Grand Canyon to take on a slightly different mission, working with fire prevention in the area to learn about the history, function and means of both using and preventing fires around the national park.

And who knows, maybe another great adventure awaits.

So, this spring break, while you're off doing whatever it is you're off doing, take a moment to think about what you could be doing.

For more information about TrUE and RSBs, click here.

A Grand Adventure

Footnotes

Photographs and videos were made and provided by the students and staff members at TrUE. A special thanks to Jace Miserak for his photographs, videos and help gathering the materials. And to Levi Johnson, Director of TrUE for sharing this story.

FootNotes

Photographs and videos were made and provided by the students and staff members at TrUE. A special thanks to Jace Miserak for his photographs, videos and help gathering the materials. And to Levi Johnson, Director of TrUE for sharing this story.

© 2026 Texas Tech University

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