Worlds apart...

AAAHHH, back in the back-country, where things are calm and my biggest concerns are breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have our own food bags with breakfast and lunch in them so I can save my favorite snacks for our longest days and I can eat my graham crackers as quickly or slowly as I want- they are my favorite. It is funny to see the boys not ration out their food and then try to trade me for all the good stuff come the end of the trip. HA, I am smarter than that!

Relaxing in the San Juans...

It is nice to give my tired back a break. We are kayaking the San Juan Islands for a little while so I have a chance to pack all of my gear into my boat in a dry bag and work out my upper body with a paddle. We glide along the flat water like water bugs scooting around through the islands. It is so relaxing to just float on my boat, soak up the sun and enjoy the wild surroundings. My trip leaders keep telling me to keep up with the group but I have a habit of falling back because I am so distracted with my relaxing. I am soaking in extra moments so next year when I am stressing about some test in school I can pull out one of these moments and feel it again.
-Ray

The demanding view of the Cascades...

How do I attempt to explain how amazing this place is? I think it is the contrast of events which makes it all the more beautiful too. Yesterday we were showering, shopping, packing and running all over town in our big van to get all of our errands done. We even had a campfire last night at the campsite and were playing silly games like pudgy bunnies and the smile game. It was a blast and we had a lot of laughs. But now, I am surrounded on all sides again by mountains and peaks and valleys and flowers and...so much! There are no cars, or showers or stores back here. I am carrying my own food (and a Thanksgiving dinner for the group one night) and everything else I need on my back. The Three Sisters are tall and demand that I look at them all the time. I can't keep my eyes off of them! I like to hike towards the front of the group where it is quiet and not so many people keep up. My friends and I chat about school, home and the animals we are searching for along the way. We usually are the first, and sometimes the only, ones to see the animals since we are in the front. I feel like I could stay out here forever.
-Rachel

Cruising the Deschutes River...

This is just a little different than our last kayaking part of the trip! The water is moving SLIGHTLY faster and I need to pay A LITTLE more attention to where and when I put my paddle. I love it though! The thrill of controlling your own inflatable kayak is awesome! We have been doing a lot of group stuff with cook crews and clean-up crews, etc. which is lots of fun but, I was ready for a little personal challenge. It took a while to learn all the different strokes and ways to move the kayaks. Our guides were patient though and helped us get it down. Then, it took practice to learn where the most fun part of a rapid was and how to get there using the currents and my paddle. Waiting in the eddy at the end of the rapid and watching everyone come through a rapid is so fun. I have got some hilarious pictures of people's expressions as they hit the wave trains and get tossed around.

Learning to climb...

Today we started our rock climbing section at Smith Rock. I was nervous this morning when we got started. I didn't know if I would be able to do it. Jenny and I agreed to partner up and go slow since we were both new to this. We had a blast! There were all kinds of climbs that we could do and most of them were really easy. I even did one of the hardest routes today and Pete, our guide, said he thought I was a "natural climber"! Now I can't wait for the next two days. It is super warm and sunny here right now so the weather is perfect. I never would have guessed I would like the climbing so much, and now it may be my favorite thing about the trip.
-Allison