Remote Yosemite...

Yosemite has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! We've been backpacking here for 3 days now, and we've seen so many lakes, streams, meadows and mountains. It is such a big change from the city. I've only been on this trip for a week now, but I feel like it has been months since I left home. At first, it was hard carrying everything on my back and doing EVERYTHING outdoors. But once you get used to it, it really isn't that bad. It is definitely worth the effort to see a place like this. And the best part is that we haven't even seen any other people. It has definitely made the work and effort worth it.

Snow in July!!

Today was sooo much fun. It's the third day of our trip in the Trinity Alps and we've had a great time. I was today's leader of the day, so I got to lead us on the trail and organize everyone when we took down camp in the morning and set up camp in the afternoon. I think my day was the best day of the whole trip to lead. The views were awesome. After Yosemite, I thought backpacking couldn't be any better. But the Trinity Alps are just as beautiful. There are meadows full of wildflowers, beautiful lakes and LOTS of snow. We took our lunch break on a pass today, and our leaders let us slide down a snow hill in our rain pants. I never thought I'd be playing in snow in July! It's hard to believe it was 95 degrees when I left home! I can't wait to get home and tell mom and dad. They'll never believe it!

Taking it Easy...

After an enormous breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and assorted fruits, we launched boats for our second day of whitewater rafting on the Klamath River. Shortly after pushing off the bank, we were paddling through class II and III rapids picking lines and having a blast. Of course the morning rapids were divided by a few calm sections that were perfect for water fights between rafts. We stopped at a small park around noon for an incredible lunch, wraps with all sorts of veggies and meats, and some time relaxing the warm California sun. Before we knew it the day was done and we were saying goodbye to our wonderful raft guides. I think I can speak for the group when I say we thoroughly enjoyed our two days of rafting (and eating!) on the Klamath River!
-Aaron

Success on Shasta...

Today was the hardest and most rewarding day of my life. I'm so glad our entire group was able to make it to the top of Mt. Shasta. We've all been talking about it since we first saw it before our Trinity Alps trip. It looks big from over a hundred miles away, and even bigger from the very bottom. We woke up at 2am this morning to start our climb, and we saw the sun rise only 2 hours later. That was only the beginning. I think our entire group pushed themselves to do more than they ever thought they could. Even when we could see the top and we weren't far away, we all had to encourage each other to keep going. When we got to the top, we all realized that our hard work was worth it. We could see all the way to Mt. Hood in Oregon! Climbing Shasta makes me feel like I can do so much more than I ever thought I could, not just physically but mentally too. We only stayed on the top for about 20 or 30 minutes before going back down. We didn't get to our van until 6pm, but our leaders took us out for pizza and when we got to the campground we had a chance to take showers. It was nice to relax. We just finished our evening circle and everyone was in a great mood. We're all so happy and proud to have made it. I think I'm going to bed now though, I think I've earned it!