Day 1 getting to the Mountain...

Thursday September 16th 0830 Evergreen State College elevation 130 ft. parking lot C. It is raining, no one is standing in the area previously designated for loading the vans. Instead we all are standing under the motorcycle/bike port trying to stash our gear in a spot that is not a small creak or puddled like a lake.

0845 Jeff our instructor shows up and gives gratz on finding shelter. The vans gather, more students show up, the gear we gathered the day before for the kitchen arrives. we pack gear in "tetras" is the key word here.

0910 we are all secured in our vans, gear secured, instructors line up besides the vans an extra truck for supplies.

I could actually post my field journal notes here, but it would be more of the same with altitudes, highways notations, which river or creek we crossed, the time it took to get from here to there and tada we arrived at Longmire Campground with only the slightest of drizzles. We make camp, setting up tents, the tarps for the kitchen and eating area were done by Jeff's friends. Before dinner we have team building exercises to see if each team ( mine is the Spotted Owls of course) can get over an imaginary electrical fence without touching it.  The fence is a rope tied between two trees and we are given the choice between two 2x4's of which we can only use one and we cannot touch the fence or the trees, go under or around the fence. Only over. All sets of two teams failed to get every member to the other side. There are many books written about this activity and no solutions to date to be found online. Our team got the most people over, before the other team adapted our idea...lol

We had the Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Parks give a brief talk and then dinner, Burritos,  three bean burritos and by the time I got there...there wasnt much left...not to worry the kitchen crew made sure there was enough by the next night.

The evening lecture was given by Jeff on "leave no trace" and group living. If you want details on the lecture, I can email them to you..

Food in bear box, gear stored in canvas platform tent, hit the tent for sleep about 2200. Janelle is my tent mate. Good night sleep tight and don't touch the sides of the tent when it is raining...

Back from the Mountain!

Ok, two days off the mountain and I'm 75% back...lol
It was one of the most marvelous, engaging, inspirational, challenging experiences I have ever had in my 58 years this lifetime!

So to make this post not a tome I will follow with each day as a single post.

Cheers,

Keep your rain gear handy, like at the top of your day pack! El Nina year...woohooo!!!

Day 2 prep

Boy these Greeners (that would be me now too!) don't waste anytime! We gathered this morning at 9 to go over the days agenda, broke into our groups for the trip. Our group is the "Spotted Owls" and is a very auspicious name to boot...owls have been visiting me for over a year in a serious way. We helped each other review the personal gear list. You can tell the class is excited just by the preparation everyone has done up to and including having enough tent space for gear and legroom. 


Now for those of you whom camping is not even close to "no room service", we have to keep our food, our toiletries and anything that has a scent in either one of the vans or a "bear box". Yes campers we will be viewing bears with scopes, maybe even some elk, mountain goats and big horn sheep. Not to forget the tamer of the viewing: hawks, eagles, owls, jays etc.....


We then broke into different groups to do a myers briggs eval, personal shopping, group shopping, and finding lunch. Post lunch break 3 fellow campers and I helped procure the camp kitchen supplies from the Lab shop. No not the items used in the labs but the Lab shop is in charge of the camping/climbing equipment and we had to dig through and find working stoves, industrial sized pots, bowls, mixing utensils, pans, strainers, peelers, shredders, knives, cutting boards, fuel for the stoves, lanterns, tarps, well you get the idea and then haul it to one of the vans....The menus are vegetarian with some items of protein for lunch like salami (thank the maker) and eggs for hopefully breakfast...lol...my personal shopping included Trader Joe's for almonds, and cashews...


At 6:30 we will hear a lecture from the Myers Briggs lady and of course not much has changed.... still an INTJ....


Will post more tomorrow, gotta go....in the meantime make sure your matches are dry and your coffee hot!


Cheers

Day One

Sitting in the longhouse on campus. We just finished dinner which was proceeded by introductions Evergreen style. We all wrote down answers to a scripted text. Jeff one of our instructors pulled the first card and introduced that student by reading answers "like" what year we are in, what are our interests, something other's might not guess about you...and why we are taking the program. Then whomever got read, then read's the next person....there was lots of laughter and of course our first effort at presenting. They don't waste any time here...LOL...


So tonight we will be put in groups of 8 and those folks will be 'the' group for the trip. Each group will take turns, cooking, doing camp maintenance, and trade off on various mini field trips on the mountain.


There were forms to fill out and thank the maker other people volunteered to drive. I am a perfectly good driver, but I'd be too nervous my first excursion out to be in charge of mountain roads...


Earlier today got my student id, I already hate the picture, but then I think I look better than I do apparently..and my parking pass...good to go!


So here is my first official day of school posting....


Remember to secure your boot laces and keep your rain gear handy!!!


Cheers


Bridgid


PS I love you Marianne!

Doncha just love firsts

Ok you may want to sit down, I'm packed for the field trip and my first 3 days at school. I finished yesterday. Even I am impressed on how much is in that duffle bag and day pack. Thank the maker I can lighten up the day pack once I get to the campground. Usually the packing happens the night before, but not this time. I had a check list and went over it twice, very unlike me. This along with running errands beforehand including buying a replacement nose guard for my glasses. Wouldn't you know that the nose guard fell off while organizing the gear. Mercury doesn't go direct till tomorrow... finally!


Time stamp is 23 hours, 4 minutes till lift off and my foot can't stop wiggling and tapping, all unconsciously of course and surprises the heck out of me every time I notice that it is happening.


I checked my school email and found out we already have homework/reading assignments...lol 
One is a monograph (mono is the key here like in monotone...rofl) but even with the academic speak of tedious repetition I now have a more complete understanding of "Integrating Learning Communities with Service-Learning". Basically we learn best when working with the community we wish to learn about and develop receptivity to different points of reference and foster growth though service. 


The other is two chapters out of a John Muir book on National Parks. What I love about reading Muir's work is how he paints a picture with words as Adams does with photography. Specifically since this work was written in the 1800's, fascinating!


Now staying calm is the task at hand lol!


OK campers, keep those blister bandages handy!






  

Things Change...This dance has 12 steps..

Yes, Yes this is a 12 step saying....but as I've moved through life it can apply to everything at anytime...

Received my books, not all shipped, don't know if the remainder will be available on time for class..it's ok i've got the two I need for the mountain...

The field journal I thought I was ordering apparently is not the one selected..oh la...no biggie...we are supposed to have the journal with us on Monday, but the bookstore is in transition and will be open on Wednesday for one hour. Thank the maker our class is the only one on campus then...

Thursday we leave for the field trip. I have NO idea what to expect...and since the tasks we will be performing will not include pulling up water from a well, I should be fine!

4 days till school, 7 days till the field trip...

Hang ten, shoot the curl!!!!

Countdown....

My countdown meter on my home page says I have 11 days, 23 hours, 35 minutes till school starts. This is both an incentive and mind-boggling. All of this preparation and a few minor details to go and the starting gun has already gone off in my cranium...there is a kind of nervous excitement and omg here I am jumping off that cliff yet again...so mindful tasks are the order of the day.

The last two days have been unseasonably cool and rainy, even for the Pacific North West (PNW)...which leads me to prepare for both heat and snow for this excursion. M would prolly have liked me to do the pre-packing of my duffle bag, but I would only redo it 20 million times before I leave...so tonight will be the first test of gear packing...with the final packing the day before I leave.

Been breaking in my hiking boots and smart wool socks and will be checking on the status of my book order at TESC (The Evergreen State College). LOL it took me a while to figure that one out...ha ha ha jokes on me....

In the meantime, keep your food strung high in a tree and dowse that campfire!