8:50PM 6/17/14

Hello!
Rappelling is not easy work! I woke up this morning to the same alarm as yesterday, but this time at 5:45AM. Breakfast, however, was much better. The apple juice actually tasted like real apple juice, and the tour group had left so they still had muffins. They weren't blueberry but some sort of cinnamon flavor. Once we finished, we went outside to find the Moab Adventure tour van was already waiting for us. 
We rode all the way to the Moab Adventure Center and checked in. 15 minutes later, we were set up on another van with 7 other people (including the tour guides) and were ready to go down to the cliff. After a 10 minute drive and a 30 minute hike we arrived at the first stop. The tour guides set up the ropes and told us about how to rappel and we were ready to go. The first rappel was into a cave. My adventurous sister went  first in the family and rappelled down quickly. A little bit later I went next.
I was hooked onto the ropes, and then I was asked to perform the hardest task of the day, trusting the ropes. I had to lean back and let the ropes hold me. I trusted the guide and all, but I was terrified. I slowly leaned back and started working with the brake. At first, the rappelling was extremely difficult. I cautiously released the rope and struggled downward. Slowly but surely, I worked my way down to the ledge with a little pond. I nimbly avoided the water and continued downward. By now, my sister had come from the other rappel station to watch me. She talked to me as I finished the rappel and unhooked. We then walked across the sandy canyon to the next rappel, which was behind an arch. It was a ledge rappel, so about 1/3 of the way through you had a free fall where you just sat in the harness and pulled the brakes. I started the rappel and carefully made it to the ledge, where I stopped with my feet and slid down with the brakes. At the bottom of the canyon, there was a natural spring that provided drinkable water. The water was sweet and very cold. After everyone was down, we took a 2 mile hike back to the parking lot, crossing the river a grand total of 10 times. We all drove back, sandy and wet, and returned to the hotel where we swam for 45 minutes and ate lunch. 
After lunch, we decided to go get some shave ice at a local stand. I got Blue Raspberry and Hawaiian Punch. The punch flavor was tart, and the raspberry sweet. We finished our shave ice and headed to Canyonlands. 
While we were driving in, Abby and I were so exhausted from before that we slept until we arrived at a little viewing area. We hopped out of the car and observed the beautiful canyon below. Next, we took a .5 mile hike and looked at a huge arch that stretched in front of the canyon. Finally we returned to the hotel. Afterwards, we went to dinner at Milt's Stop and Eat. Milt's is the oldest restaurant in the city. It was built in 1954. We ate delicious burgers, fries, and milkshakes. We were all fat and happy by the end of the meal. 
So now here I am, with my legs under the covers watching Law and Order on the hotel TV. 
-Sarah Jackson