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...