Ideas for senior skip day were tossed around throughout the senior class.  The final decision was for everyone to go to Flowing Lake.  Although, a small group of seniors had a different idea.  Brady Southard, Shalen Hutchison, Sarah Michael, Matt Hannah, Burke Cunio, Matt Darling, Sydne Tarvin, Gabe Eatmon, Jessica Mooney, Jacob Lundin, and Alex Fatkin went off roading in Sultan and Granite Falls.  The group met at Safeway at 11:00am to fill up their rigs with gas, then the 11 seniors piled into two trucks and two jeeps and made way for Sultan.  After a 40 minute drive, they came to where the pavement turns to gravel.  Switching into four wheel drive, they drove up the steep, winding road.  Crossing over small wooden bridges and spinning out around sharp corners, they made it to the top where there was a dam.

With the day still early, they headed to Granite Falls an hour away.  Stopping in Lake Stevens, they ate in the parking lot of a Safeway and got coffee.  After the short break, they continued the drive to Granite Falls.

Granite Falls was much different than Sultan.  The road wasn’t as steep, but there were more pot holes.  “The first road was smoother and the second road in Granite Falls we had to dodge potholes.  The second road had some huge puddles too,” Matt Darling said.

Stopping halfway up the mountain, they got out to look at the view where there was a clearing in the trees.  After lighting off a firework, they continued up the mountain.  The group came to a bridge that was blocked off by large boulders ending their trek up the mountain.  They drove down a road that lead them to a rocky beach under the bridge and built a fire.  “Granite Falls was much more fun because it was muddier and we found a cool spot to hang out this summer,” Brady Southard said.

After an hour and a half of talking and listening to country music, they stomped out the fire and headed back home.

“My favorite part of the day was hanging out with people that I normally don’t get to hang out with and not having cell phone service all day so no one just sat on their phones and we all were involved in conversations together,” Sarah Michael said.

At the end of the day, these seniors drove a total of 137 miles.