Morning just about every day my bio clock wakes me at 5:30 or so... its still dark and one of my tent mates wakes at about the same time...we dress in the dark trying to be quiet...oh left something out here...lol after the first night my tent of 20 years or so lost what was left of its weatherproofing and we had to abandon it for a canvas platform tent across the path. Thank the maker one was available. We added the other early riser a day later to make 3 in the canvas tent. It leaked in the front but kept us moderately dry...nothing in all of that rain was completely dry unless you slept in the campground conference room. Which others who had perfectly good tents had to because it rained so hard and so much the first couple of days.
After waking the two of us would run into Jeff and in the middle of the week Jeff asked if we could start the water for cleaning so to leave more time for him for other duties. No worries.
Whomever was assigned to cook would be woken next and then the assigned cleaning group. We eat, we meet, we get announcements, then usually have 20 to 30 mins to pack lunch, take care of personal biz, get your daypack ready with items specific to your daily assignment, and don't forget your rain gear.
Each day the different teams would be assigned different tasks/hikes/field journal work.
There are still 6 groups, I think we are still grouped...lol
The Flying Squirrels A-1
The Spotted Owls A-2
The Elks B-1
The Devil's Club B-2
The Red Algae C-1
The Snow Worms C-2
Each Lettered team would combine for daily duties and sometimes for daily assignments.
And it usually went like this:
One day Hiking with guide learning about the different type of elevations and flora and fauna the they share, field journal was assigned. Our group hiked the Trail of Shadow, the Longmire trail to the water tower, Ricksecker Point, The Myrtle Falls trail/Skyline trail, Westside hwy past the Trail Head, Kautz Creek trail, Two firs Trail, The Sourdough Trail to Frozen Lake followed by the Burroughs Trail to the First Burrogh. This last hike was a challenge for me but I did it and a first for that elevation. The last hike was Pinnacle trail, apparently my nemesis, 1.1 miles of vertical assent. Our guide was so experienced he felt that this was a moderate hike. According to my turtledom hiking skills this was more like strenuous. Doug was very kind and made sure that we all made it down safely. My bad for not reviewing the details of the hike prior to going. This is where my knee and heal took some stress. The views of all the hikes were amazing even the last one where we had moments of clearing of clouds to see the valley below. We saw golden mantled ground squirrels, pika, and chipmunks.
*** A big thanks to all my hiking groups who had the patience to wait for me to catch up. I am working on the stamina and strengthening my legs to keep up with you guys and getting trek poles!
Day two Service Learning, either re-vegetation or trail work. No field journal assignment and you got to shower that day. Our group did re-veg, trail work (hauling rocks and wet sand down the wonderland trail by reflection lake via wheelbarrow, sack or bucket...) then the last day the entire class did re-veg.
Day three would be a "drawing in nature" hike, field journal was assigned.
Even with all the rain, the long days, the trying to keep up with my group and the assignments, I would so do this all over again! I feel a real connection to my classmates. We all helped each other out when someone needed something. We all learned, laughed and had a good time. Nothing will ever be as important as this trip...well I'll keep you posted...knowing our instructors and Evergreen I am sure something wonderful and enchanting and remarkable will occur.
Here is a list of some of the plants and Animals we saw on the trip:
Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Red Cedar, Yellow Cedar, Pacific Silver Fir, Sub-Alpin Fir, Lodgepole Pine, Mountain Hemlock, Noble Fir, Devil's Club, Skunk Cabbage, Sitka Valerian, Red Huckleberry, Blue Huckleberry, Corn Lily, Red Alder, Ravens, Grey Jays, Turkey Vultures, Red Tail Hawk, Eagle, Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel, Chipmunks, Pika, Marmot, Black Bear, Mountain Goat, Snags, Nurse Logs, Deer Fern, Pilliated Woodpecker, False Lily of the Valley, Trillium, Bunch Berries, Heart Leaf, and a Grouse.
We also learned about some of the volcanic history, some of the glacial history and some of the history of flooding. Lahars, Glacial Outbursts, Earthquakes related to Volcanic activity make Mount Rainier one of the most active and interesting National Parks I've visited to date. There is so much more to share that we experienced but I'm going to leave that for future postings and just say I feel connected to a place.
cheers! Rest up campers and save up for your new upgraded gear!
Were the turkey vultures circling you directly overhead? That's when you have to start worrying about your conditioning ;-)
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