ADRIANA

ANDREANA

CARLOS

DAVID

JOSE

MELISSA

ROBERTO

SARINA

SHAUNTEL

TAMARA

VALERIE

VIRGINIA

It's very beautiful out here...

It's very beautiful out here. It's quiet and peaceful. For once I've been really observant. During this time of the year I gues there's not much people. During the summer it suppose to be a lot of traffic here. I'm in the sequoia grove right now. We just had lunch and it was great. I had some pita and salami with sprouts and tomato stuff [humus] (look for it in stores).

Tomorrow we're off to Hitches [Hite's] Cove. There are supposed to be a lot of flowers there, I hope so. I expect to walk a lot. Today's hike was really fun. We went under a lot of old trees. Some poeple even fell in the holes or the places aroudn the logs where snow is packed. I didn't expect it to have snow here. I thought it was just going to be regular. You know, just dirt and dead things on the floor.

I [am] really glad Miss Stockton let me go. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to go. Not just because of school but because of all the activities I'm in. I work on the weekends for 2 different jobs. I play sport[s], act, sing in the choir an dgo to church (sometimes). I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do when I get back. But, I'm glad I got to come so I can get away from everything. Out here it's like there's no problems in my life at all. You don't hear horns or a car honking or people yelling at eachother. Just nature as itself.

I hope the backpacking trip will get me in shape. I'm really excited because on teh backpacking trip I'm not going to be eating regular foods. Half the stuff we [have] been eating is nothing that I'm used to. One good thing though is that it's all organic, no pesticides at all. The instructors are really cool. They interact with all of us studetns. They have treated us with respect rather than like child[ren], regular camps treat kids and even high school students liek children. Sometimes students and the adults act like children. One of the funniest things so far was to clean the kitchen. Surprisingly that was really fun. The staff turned up the music and started dancing. I decided I like to sweep and can dance and sweep at the same time.

Teamwork is really important here. We did a game where we had to take two skis across the finish line. The trick was that there were 12 students on these (this pair) of skis. If you fell off the skis you either were eaten by the sharks or you had something taken away from you. I had my voice taken out along with another girl named, I think Sarina. We had to start over once but we learned quickly what had to be done.

Students work together on their pair
of skis to cross the finish line before
the imaginary snow sharks can eat them.

The students here and I are all becoming friends. At first it was really weird to eat and sleep with strangers but I'm used to it now. I can't wait until tomorrow when we're off on that wonderful 4 mile hike, with about a 40 pound backpack on my back.

Dear Journal,

It's raining!!! It's really fun, this place is really neat. There are a lot of historical artifact here. I work at a musem and this remids me of work. Work is really fun sometimes, relaxing another time, then really hard the next. This is just like that. Once we left camp, we got on to a bus then left for the summit. Then it was off we go to Hite's Cove. Before I thought it was Hitches Cove but I was mistaken, sorry. (I'm going down to the water, tell you about it later.)

Bye

Book: Part Four

Guess what happened to me today!!! I'm stuck in the past, well maybe! You probably want to know what going on, huh. Well, here's what happened. I was taking a hike when it started raining really hard. Well, I tried to go back to camp but a tree was in the way. I tried to find another way but I got lost. It started to thunder and lightning was all around, so I took cover in an old mine shaft.

I was told by the others that Hite's Cove used to be an old mining town. Well, I think I fell asleep because when I woke up it stopped raining. Then I heard

someone behind me say, "Move out of the way, you shouldn't be in here don't you know it's dangerous, ladies shoud be in the kitchen not our diggin'." I found out later his name was Bob. I though it was really weird that someone would still be in here mining. Especially since the last people to were were 10 years ago. The other things was that the guy looks just like Jeff from back at Crane Flat.

Bob asked me why was I wearing funny clothing! I was wondering why he was wearing funny clothing. He told me I better go to the store and get some better clothes. I told him the nearest store is the Savage's Trading Post. Bob said I was crazy because teh closest store is the one the Chinese settlers own. I was really confused he told me to take this road. I[t] ws the same one to my camp. But there was other people who looked like others from my camp but were dressed differently.

Well I go to camp and it was gone. Instead of the tents there were people all over panning for gold and houses and horses everywhre. I then realized whre I was I was back in the past. I asked a guy who looked like Carlos bus his name was Carlos, too. I asked him the year and he said it was April 20, 1853 instead of April 20, 2001. I guess he's a raider who has a brother named Jose who are the children of the famous Roberto. Well, I kind of know the town since earlier this day back in 2001, I went on a scavenger hunt with the others at camp. I couldn't remember the way to the store but I did know where the hotel was. I went to the hotel and met a lady named Margaret. I asked her whree the Chinese store was and she pointed me in the direction. The funny thing was is that she looked at me really funny. I guess it was because of the cloth[ing] differences.

On the way to the store, I met a girl from the local tribe named Agua Nichie. She asked me why my hair was on fire. I told her it was fine and it didn't hurt. I think she was confused a little. The other funny thing with this is that she loks just like Virginia and the owner of the hotel looks like Melissa. Well I just kept walking and took some clothing from the chinese store and traded it with mine. I also got an apron that's really beautiful. The Chinese man was really excited. The Chinese poeple kept to themselves and didn't talk much.

Well, I decided to go back to the hotel and stay, Margaret took me in and said I could stay as long as I liked. The men around here are reall really stinky and pigs. They spit everywhere and throw things. The Indian named Agua Nichie seems to have a really shy sister named Chicky Nichie. Agua Nichie told me that her name means water bear and her sister means little bear. Well Chicky Nichie looks just like Sarina. It's really funny, everyone from my c amp is here in this town. Well 2 months have passed and I guess Margaret has now gotten married to Agua's brother named Seemore. It's really funny again because we named the trowel Seemore.

I've been everywhere in the town: the hotel, the bridge, some of the few houses here, and many of the mines around here. Everyday life here is hard. People get up at the crack of dawn and then go to bed around an hour after dark. Most of the miners around here are just passers-buy. Right now I'm in my hotel room and I just got doen teaching Agua Nichie and Chicky Nichie how to play cards. I taught them poker. They were really eager to learn. I guess them two are workers here at the hotel, since I always see them here. Well I wanted some sleep. They said ok and then left. Well I'm going to sleep now. It's thundering again and there's lightning everywhere jsut like before I got here. Oh well. I['ll] write more in the morning.

Oh my gosh, I'm not in the hotel room anymore. I'm still in the mine shaft. The rain has stopped. I hear something. Someone is calling my name. It's Virginia, with her is Melissa and Sarina. We're going back to camp to have dinner. We're having stew now and I'm telin gthe others what has happened to me or my dream. The really really funny and weird thing is that I still have the apron I had back then. Now I'm wondering, was it real or was it a dream?

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