The reflections of Yellowstone Lake...
My tent partner Tim and I were the first to wake up this morning. We took down the food bags and set up the stoves for breakfast. We sat on a huge log and watched the sun as it constantly changed the reflections on the water. The lake looked almost like glass. It was the best morning yet. As everyone else woke up, we took down our tents and got ready for the day. Today was another of many days I'll never forget.
-TylerHiking with Exum...
We awoke this morning excited and filled with anticipation. We ate breakfast and jumped in the van to begin our day of climbing. We met our Exum guides at their office. We were given helmets, harnesses and ropes. Our guides, Matt and Evelyn are so cool! We all loaded up on the ferry and crossed Jenny Lake to start our hike. We hiked a couple of miles then stopped to put our helmets on and go over other rules for safety. Throughout the day, we learned how to tie knots, belay one another and then climb! It was a blast! At the end of the day we were all so exhausted, but excited for another day.
-VickyLearning to be a leader...
Today is our last full day in the Jedediah Smith Wilderness. We awoke to the most beautiful sunrise. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Sally and I were leaders of the day. We went over the maps with everyone, filled up our water bottles and headed out. We passed the most amazing lakes. We wanted to stop at every perfect spot to take pictures. We had lunch next to a little stream and all enjoyed the serenity of our surroundings. We will truly miss the Jedediah Smith Wilderness area and hope to some day return.
-ChelseaHiking in Tetons
The view we had this morning was amazing. We were camped in the perfect spot to view the whole Teton Range. We hiked at a good pace all day. We stopped for lunch, water breaks and a few pictures that we just couldn't pass up. Tonight in circle we had a really good talk about why we were all here and what we hoped to get out of our trip. It was really cool to hear that we were all here for similar reasons. Nick, my tent partner, and I shared a conversation that we had previously had about wanting to meet new people and build unique friendships that we would never forget. After our circle we all arranged our sleeping bags in a circle and went to sleep under the stars.
-JakeRafting the Snake River
It's hard to believe that this trip is almost over! Twenty-Two days ago we all had just met and the day of rafting on the Snake river seemed a long way away. Now it's over and it was the best way to end the trip. We got up this morning and ate a great breakfast of pancakes since we had a little time before hitting the river. Once we arrived at the put in, we met our guides. They were so funny! We all jumped into a big raft and learned how to paddle together to make the raft move around. At first the river was pretty calm and the scenery was amazing. We were all laughing and splashing each other, re-telling our stories from the different sections of the trip. Then the river got exciting and we started hitting the bigger rapids. Our guide had told us about the "Big Kahuna" rapid and it was even bigger than I expected! We all got soaked! By the end of the trip we were all laughing and having a blast. The only sad part is the trip is almost over. I'm excited for our final banquet tonight. It's our last meal together as a group!-Jonathon