Hortencia and I, Madera High School Seniors, are past Wildlink hikers. We spoke to our school’s Science Club about our summer experience. Hortencia and I spent the first few days of our summer vacation, June 3- 6th, backpacking with WildLink.

We were able to go backpacking with our group and with Mother Nature herself. We took only what we could carry on our backs. “We only carried essentials,” Hortencia told the group. Those “essentials” included a cup for drinking water, a bowl to eat out of, clothes, and sleeping items. The group ate only what we cooked over a small burner and slept on the ground. We learned about nature, backpacking, and how to care for and preserve the wilderness. When we cleaned up camp, we were told to “leave no trace”. We explained the importance of making sure no food or anything was left behind, because it is potentially bad for bears and other wildlife. We had also stressed how important is really is to leave no trace behind when leaving camp so that no one knows that we were there except for ourselves.

We also told the students about the spiritual enlightenment that we also achieved as we were out in the wilderness relying on ourselves. We were very informative and provided much insight for the Science Club at Madera High, not only about what Wildlink does, but also about the importance and responsibility we all have to care for Mother Nature and educate others about what she has to offer. There were about 50 students and 2 teachers that had come to the meeting to hear about our experience. There were many who were interested to know more about our experience and they also wanted to know how they too can have an amazing experience as we had had.

One of the things that caught most of their attention was what we learned about ourselves and they realized that they too want to find certain aspects about themselves that they did not know before. That is another facet that WildLink provides and Hortencia and I believe that is what makes these expeditions great.

Click here to read Ana's WildLink journal page.