ANTONIO

LYNN

ROBERT

STEVEN

TRAVIS

VALERIE

Teacher-Chaperone

LAURA

Instructors

JAMIE

KRISTEN

First Impressions

what is wilderness?
the definition of wilderness is different for each individual. a rugged man sees wilderness as straight drop cliffs, jagged rocks, and wild animals in their natural habitats. for a city girl wilderness can be her backyard.

are you in wilderness now?
[yosemite valley]:
for me this is wilderness. being out in nature. there are different types or levels of wilderness. here in [curry village] rated from 1 to 10, 10 being most extreme, 5. this is wilderness. but tuesday [when we go to hite's cove] it will be more extreme wilderness.

Goals and Expectations

Today's Monday. It's the first time we actually went for a long walk and were able to observe the beautiful wilderness Yosemite has. My expectations, well I don't have any. This is such a beautiful place and I am so fortunate to be here. I can't have expectations because I don't know what to expect. Give me all you got. The arrival through Yosemite Valley would have been worth it alone. We stopped [and] got very close to a waterfall and it was very beautiful. I know this will be fun: being able to relax, slowing down and just taking in everything this beautiful place has to offer. This is only the first day and I have had a tremendous amount of fun. The games with the group, getting to know each other...it all has been just a wonderful experience. There's no way any man-made structure could compete with the wilderness and beauty that Yosemite has. The waterfalls, the trees, the deer, the little bugs are all just magnificent. I expect to see a lot more. That may be my only expectation and I'm more than sure it'll be met. Well, it already has. It's just so awesome to be here.

My Biggest Challenge

I think a challenge I had to endure was when Travis hurt his ankle and I volunteered to carry come of his weight in my pack. I was challenged because I kept saying you're going to get tired, you can't do it. The good that came out was that Travis was able to heal a little. And in the end it made me feel good.

I want to remember...

everything I can,
everywhere I ran.
even the little man.
It's hard to leave this place,
to go back to the ugly race,
but to remember the mountain's beautiful face.
This would be a true treat,
to remember in Bakersfield's awful heat,
when we sit down to eat...
I can tell my family and share
and they will say. I too will dare,
and it matters not if the weather's fair.
This would be great,
hopefully it's part of all our fate,
come early, or even late--
Because it's better than never.
I pray not to destroy this place, ever.