ADRIANA

ANDREANA

CARLOS

DAVID

JOSE

MELISSA

ROBERTO

SARINA

SHAUNTEL

TAMARA

VALERIE

VIRGINIA

This place is awesome!

This place is awesome! I really wasn't expecting it to be this beautiful. I was expecting to come to Yosemite and relax and get away from school. Wrong!! There is just so much work involved in getting to places. These trees are huge! Now that I kinda know what we are doing, I expect for things to go smoothly. I plan on the backpacking to be fun. I am really looking forward to the rest of the week.

Why I'm here? Because I really love the outdoors. I really love everything about nature. Things here are so peaceful. Nothing disturbing it at all. I feel that this is where I need to be. I think that this helps a lot in deciding my future. I used to think that nature was du mb and boring. Nothing fun in learning nature. Now that I am getting in the outdoors, I am realizing more each day how fun things are.

I just don't quite know exactly what I want to do. There are just so many options that are out there. It's hard to choose one! It's hard because I have my heart set on bio-medical engineering and now that I have been outdoors so much, it's like "WOW"!

The hike

Man am I tired. We're not even there yet. But I am having fun. I smell, but that's ok everyone else does too. This hike is really pretty. Everyone is sitting drawing their picture of poison oak. Man this water tastes great. I feel so out of shape, but I am doing greaet. It's such a pretty day outside. My pack is really heavy, but that's ok. It helps build the muscle. I really wish the sun would make up its mind on what it wants to do. Well it's mostly the clouds' fault it's getting cloudy up above. It seems as though the worst part is over. Since I didn't get to finish yesterday's topic, I think I will finish.

Where do I come from- Bakersfield, CA. Who am I- I am Melissa. I am currently a senior at West High School. So far my experiences here have been great. Everyoe seems to be still sketching, but not me. I drew my oak as best to my abilities. I am really not that artistic, but I can get by. I tell ya falling in that snow yesterday was fun. I think that's the most fun I have ever had. My hair's a mess, but that's ok.

Melissa's "Bear Hunt" song

"(Yell) Goin' on a bear hunt,
Gonna catch a big one,
but I'm not afraid,
cause I've got Semore! (end yell)"

Book: Part Three

April 20, 1853

The man on the corner is playing his harmonica and it adds to the niceness of our environment. I am a woman who owns the hotel and these men are very gross. There is a bar in my hotel and after the day shift at the mining shaft, they come in and have a couple o fbeers and whiskey. But we all know how that goes, once they have two they want more. I came here following my husband who was a very rich man. My husband, being the very drunk he was, got in a drunken brawl and got himself killed. I never remarried and I didn't move.

I just like the environment around here. I have a couple of those people that the town calls indians. People think that I am a bad person for hiring these people, but they are nice. Their names are Chickie and Agua Nichie. They are two sisters from the local tribe here. Things seem kind of strange here. We had this woman pass by who stopped in looking for the Chinese store. She was wearing these funny clothes. I of course being the nice person pointed her in the right direction.

The people of the Aguanichie [Ahwahneechee] tribe want me to meet their older brother who was in need of a bride. I thought that it was weird and thought they have to marry inside the tribe. Their reply "no more young women." Their brother's name is Seemore Nichie. He's a very handsome man and very nice. When I first came to this town, I saw him and found him attractive. I could never approach him back then, but now I feel the urge to.

2 months later

June 20, 1853

I am pleased to report back that me and Seemore are married. We had the traditional Indian wedding. We are expecting our first child at the start of the new year. I am very happy with Seemore. Much happier than with my other husband.

Book: Part One
Book: Part Two
Book: Part Three
Book: Part Four