- Expedition: Oct 14-19, 2012
- Elias
- Boys and Girls Club of Merced County
- Stanislaus National Forest: Emigrant Wilderness: Leopold Lake and Granite Lake
To me the wilderness is a place where you go to relieve stress. When I think of wilderness I think of a place where you would go for a couple days either with friends of family or even by yourself. A place where civilization is miles away. A place where you could lay down and listen to the sound of nature and nothing else. A place where you can bond with nature and live the way our ancestors did.
Today we came and got settled in. We got our stuff ready and basically just ate. Now we’re doing this campfire…We went on our hike and it wasn’t as bad as expected. While hiking I noticed that the scenery was amazing. Also I got selected as leader so I learned how to read a topographic map very well. Nothing is as bad as I expected it to be. So far everything is going good. Its so quiet and peaceful to the point where all stress is relieved. Even after hiking 6.5 miles everyone still has a good attitude and isn’t too beat up…Right now we set up camp and its free time. After today I don’t think the hikes are gonna be that bad. We are waiting for dinner and its pasta. The whole no electronics is the only thing I really miss. Other than that its great out here… It’s only 8:00 and its pitch black out here, way darker than it every gets in the city. We had alfredo and macaroni for dinner and then I got the nickname “The pit” because I always finish leftovers…Now we are at Toejam Lake. We ate sunbutter and jelly. I realized too that I really like sunbutter way better than peanut butter. I’ve also noticed that the longer I am out the better my breathing is. So far since I’ve been here I have not ran out of breath or couldn’t breathe once. I also noticed that I have lots of time to think and for some reason that is very stress relieveing. Theres only 3 days left, but no matter how bad I wanna stay here I wanna go home as well to civilization. Hopefully when I get older I can do this often with family and friends…So far this trip I realized I can’t sleep at night, Im very sure I know why. Its just another thing I realized I’m grateful for. So far we have hiked pretty far from our last spot (Leopold Lake) which was my favorite spot. Last night I saw the most amazing shooting star too. I’ve also noticed that I’ve taken the time to enjoy the scenery. I’ve been staying up late to stargaze and I’ve even been waking up early to see the sunrise. This trip has made me open up way more than I thought. Its even made me appreciate every little thing I have even more. I know if before this trip if someone asked me to watch the sun rise or set I would’ve said no, but now I realize that nature is beautiful and I wanna see more of it now with friends and family…It’s the final night of camp and we all had bonding experiences. We all feel as if we are a family and as much as I wanna go home I also wanna stay or at least do another expedition with the same group.
I really enjoyed my time with the WildLink. It made me realize so many things and it has changed me for the better. To anyone who reads this all I can say is do it!!! I was skeptical about it at first but its an experience that can’t be described in words, only be experiencing it yourself is the way to understand.
Favorite Quote
“It takes so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the enlightenment or the courage to pay the price. One has to abandon altogether the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both arms. One has to embrace the world like a lover. One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying.
