Football on the lake

At first, getting into the kayak and attaching the skirt around the boat made me feel uncomfortable, like I wasn't going to be able to get out. But since we just started out on the lake, there wasn't really any reason to be scared. We played "football" with a sponge and I think everyone got pretty comfortable in their boats. They started teaching us how to Eskimo roll, but I think it'll take at least one more day of practice before I get it. I can't wait to be on the river tomorrow to see how I do. John and I were racing in our boats today and he flipped over! Everyone thought it was hilarious except for John, who was grumpy that he was the only one that fell in. So he started splashing EVERYONE with his paddle, even our guides, and we ended up having a 20 minute water fight! It was such an awesome day...
-Henry

A wildlife zoo...

Wow! We kayaked on Shoshone Lake yesterday. The day started with an unbelievable sunrise. I never thought I would enjoy being up this early in the morning. The whole lake reflected the colors as we drank some hot tea and watched. Then, we loaded up our kayaks and pushed off for the day. It was a hot day and my kayaking partner is a goof so we spent most of the day wet from splashing each other. I saw deer and moose on the shores and even eagles flew over our heads. I have never seen so much wildlife in one day! I felt like I was in the middle of a zoo and none of the animals were in cages. My trip leader brought his fishing pole and caught some enormous, beautiful fish. He let me try casting with his fly rod. I didn't catch anything but I am going to try again tomorrow. My cook crew made some great Fettuccini Alfredo for dinner. Then, we hung out in our sleeping bags for our evening circle and watched the sun set.
-John

Skiing in July!?...

I feel like I am really getting in shape. I love the feeling of carrying everything we need for the next five days on our backs. I have learned to do so many things I never knew I could do. My tent partner and I are getting good at putting our tent up fast. We had a contest yesterday morning to see who could put it up fastest. The last group to finish had to dig the hole for our toilet that night. It was too funny! Today, we hiked through the towering mountains of the Washakie Wilderness. There was still lots of snow on the peaks and ridges from the winter. We even found a patch, not far off, that we played in. It was fun to ski and throw snowballs in July!
-Cari

Summitting the Grand...

It was crazy! We had to eat dinner at five o'clock and go to bed shortly thereafter because we needed to get up SO early to climb the Grand. It was hard to fall asleep, especially since everyone was excited about our climb and wouldn't stop talking. Finally, I fell asleep, only to be woken up a few hours later by our guides. We got up at 2 am and began putting on all of our warm clothes and harnesses. We packed lots of water and candy bars to give us the necessary energy we were going to need. Actually, I was a little nervous about climbing in the dark with our headlamps. But once we got out on the rock and roped up, it was easy to relax and be amazed by all the stars and how the moon lit up the snow. I think that was my favorite part of the trip. Nothing matches the feeling I got when we reached the top. The views were great and we couldn't stop yelling our congratulations to each other. I felt a real bond with my rope team.
-Dan