| Big Wild log (2005-06-21 -> 2005-07-08)
Leaders: Derek Christina and Kayla Applebay
Students: Sara Blackman, Albert Copeland, Preston Haas, Will McBain, Charlie McElveen, Ross Pope, Caroline Shaffner, Sophie Smith, Tommy Tomlinson, David White, Perrin Williams
Hello Home,
Our crew has safely driven from Jackson Hole, Wyoming to Riggins, Idaho and back. Along the way, we managed to white-water raft the Salmon River for four days, set foot in four states (WY, ID, OR, WA), cook our own dinners, wash our own clothes, setup our own shelters (although we've slept under the stars every night), observe several mountain goats, deer, rabbits, huge birds of prey, and even spot our first moose. WHEW! We have been busy.
Here is a quick day-by-day look at our trip thus far.
Day 1 - Arrival Day!
Kayla and Derek anxiously awaited the arrival of their 11 new best friends. Albert was first to arrive, stepping off the plane in his brand new boots. The three of us greeted the rest of our group with huge smiles and open arms. We quickly found our luggage and made our way outside to properly introduce ourselves. Dancing Derek met Volleyball Sophie, Basketball Caroline, Baseball Charlie, Lacrosse Tommy, Rowing Will, Hunting Ross, Lacrosse Perrin, Football Albert, X-Box David, Snowboarding Preston, Kayaking Kayla and Soccer Sara. Did you get all that? Sara quickly mastered everyone’s names, and has continued to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being. She is affectionately referred to as "Mom."
The first half hour of our van ride was relatively quiet. Then, as if out of nowhere, an unnamed person spoke the word "facetious." That single word sparked a wildfire of laughter and conversation of which neither Kayla nor Derek (or anyone else) could put out, even if they wanted to. Ross instantly began telling several stories revolving around this single word and its various misspellings. Ross continued by assigning nicknames to everyone while configuring his master plan for "Team Phisicioutious."
We had our first Moon Up after a delicious dinner of fajitas.
Day 2 - Drive Day
We ate a quick breakfast and hit the road early today. We drove to McCall, Idaho and camped at the Ponderosa State Park. We played more games, including a hilarious hour of charades. Charlie showed off his dance moves as his team guessed "Usher" in less than a second.
Days 3-6 - White Water in the Morning!
The Salmon River was amazing. We rafted class 3 and 4 rapids during the day, through beautiful canyons and rolling hills. In the evenings we would find a nice sandy beach and set up camp. Our tents were set up each evening, but we did not use them as the weather allowed us to sleep under the stars. We helped our Exodus guides with every meal, as well as clean-up. We helped "rig" and "de-rig" our boats as best we could.
Preston and David showed off their hiking abilities as they took short hikes into the surrounding hills as often as they could. Will's voice was quickly lost from shouting "Oh, Baby!" anytime anything happened (and sometimes when it didn't). We all did a lot of screaming through the class 4 rapids.
Caroline and Sophie made an excellent pair in our two person "ducky" (an inflatable kayak). Under the watchful eyes of our guides and leaders, they navigated class 3 rapids in amazing fashion. Way to go s! We were all highly impressed.
While Tommy didn't have much to say during our van ride, he quickly opened up on the river, and has been an integral part of our team's leadership. Tommy and Perrin formed one of our first LOD (leader of the day) teams and they have been very helpful throughout our trip, offering to help whenever they see the need.
Albert and Sara have both done a wonderful job of making everyone feel like the important team member they are.
Kayla and Derek have been amazed at how quickly and easily this group has meshed together. On our last evening on the river, several of us were so inspired by Preston and David that we took a group hike up an unnamed hill overlooking our camp. I wish you could see the pictures!! What a view! What a group!
Day 7 - The Big Haul!
We woke early and drove ALL DAY, back to Pinedale, WY. As we neared the Idaho/Wyoming border, we spotted a young moose eating and drinking in a stream. We watched for several minutes before continuing on our drive. We arrived at the Highline Trail Campground late, but were in good spirits. I believe the correct phrasing is, "I'm Pumped!"
Day 8 - Preparation Day
Today we are preparing for our hiking section. We are learning how to correctly pack our packs, what to do in case of severe weather, and how to improve on our foundation of "Leave No Trace" principals. We are all very "Pumped" for our next journey into the back-country.
Look for our postcards, and don't get too jealous. We'll send another update as soon as we can.
---"Team Phisicioutious"
July 5, 2005
"Team Phisicioutious" has successfully completed phase two of our master plan. We have just come from six wonderful days of backpacking and hiking in the Bridger National Forest and Bridger Wilderness areas. Our faces are covered in smiles and dirt. We have loved every minute of the past six days.
Day 9 --
Matt, our guide from O'Kelly Outfitters met us at our campsite. We loaded up our van and began our trek into the wilderness of Wyoming. Soon, we unloaded our packs and took the first steps of our hike from the Big Sandy trail head. (Actually, we were near a full sprint at the start of our hike, as the mosquitoes were ferocious.) We hiked approximately five miles to the Fish Creek Camp region of the Bridger Wilderness. Several times today we simply stopped and stared at the natural beauty surrounding us. It became clear that this section of the "Winds" is one of the most amazing places in America. Preston and David have established themselves as "Mountain Goats" on the trail. These two are always in front, and continue to be mindful of us slower folk in back. They are shining.
Day 10 --
We continued into the wilderness another six miles or so, and set up another great campsite near Washakie River, at the base of Washakie Mountain. We made our first river crossing just before reaching camp. Although we were pretty wet from the waist down, no sleeping bags or packs got wet, SUCCESS!
Day 11 --
Today we summit Mount Washakie!
We made an "Alpine Start" (that means 4 am wake-up) and began our hike up Mt. Washakie just as the Sun peeked over the mountains. Sara sang us our favorite wake-up song, and everyone did a great job of getting onto the trial. I was astounded at the rate we climbed, as we made it to the top just before 12:30pm. Our energy surge quickly subsided once we realized we would actually make the summit. What a site it was to hand Will his tortilla and peanut butter lunch, then turn around and see him napping. It made Kayla, Derek and Matt's day to see all of our young climbers sleep on top of Mt. Washakie. It was naptime at 12,500 feet. Everyone made it to the summit, and everyone made it back down. It was a great day for all of us. The challenge was great, and that is why we came. We did it. We stopped our climb down to have a snowball fight, where Ross showed amazing dodging ability, repeatedly making Perrin miss. Once back at camp, Charlie and Derek had their nightly "Would you rather . . . " conversation lasting late into the night.
Day 12 --
We had a lazy morning around camp, as we recuperated from our long hike yesterday. Eventually, we made a day hike to a nearby river and climbed an unnamed hill where Matt taught Albert a lesson in reading maps. Tommy was a real trooper completing the hike with us, as his achilles heel was sore from the summit. Once it is warmed up though, he is ready to go at full speed. After moon-up, Derek couldn't help but stop to congratulate and thank Caroline, Sophie and Sara for the job well done these past four days. There are never complaints from anyone of them. They are constantly looking out for everyone's best interest and being great teammates. Way to go ladies!
Day 13 --
Derek and Matt broke the ice on Washakie River to pump water early this morning as we prepared to begin our hike out of these beautiful mountains. We ate a hearty breakfast and started the trip back to the van. Eventually, we found an awesome campsite and we managed to have a huge dinner and well deserved sleep.
Day 14 --
Happy 4th of July!!!
We crossed our third and final river first thing this morning, and made it to the van around noon. We escorted Matt back to his vehicle and begrudgingly said our farewells. We made the drive into and through Jackson Hole to our campsite at Slide Lake where we celebrated with chili hot dogs, root beer and watermelon. We hurried back to Jackson and made it just in time for the fireworks show. What a day!
Our team work has never been better, and we are performing really well together. We have even more photos to share, and stories to tell. We're off now to get ready for our two days with the world famous Exum guides who will teach us all about rock climbing. We'll see you soon.
---"Team Phisicioutious"
Final Update, Saturday, July 9, 2005
Day 15 -- Exum Basic Rock Climbing School
Our team woke early this morning to meet our Exum guides at "The Village," under the famous tram. Mike and Pete issued our harnesses and helmets to all 13 of us, and whisked us onto the tram. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery from high above the mountain as the tram carried us to our "classroom." Beginning by learning the fundamentals of climbing form, we practiced our new skills on a large boulder. Next we learned to tie the basic knots we would be using. Eventually, we moved on to climbing large granite slabs protruding from the mountain. Our busy day of school culminated by repelling back down the slabs we climbed.
Hayes was so impressed by our attitude and skill; he took us out for ICE CREAM!! What a treat! As we finished our ice cream, we witnessed a gunfight (a show staged daily) in the Jackson Town Square.
Day 16 -- Exum Intermediate Rock Climbing School
We met our new Exum guides at Jenny Lake this morning. We were pleasantly surprised to learn Rick, Tom and Rod (two of the owners) would be leading our team as we improved our skills near Hidden Falls. The experiences these guides brought our team were immeasurable. Three world-class climbers lead small groups of us through more bouldering, team climbing, rappelling, and top-rope climbing. Our team climb went very well as we negotiated a five pitch climb next to Hidden Falls. We worked very well together, and the views were incredible. Our 120 foot rappel provided a trip highlight for many of us. Several students conquered a fear of heights as everyone lowered themselves off the overhanging rock. (Our Exum guides belayed us down to ensure our safety). We can't wait to show you the photos.
Back at camp, we prepared our final meal Iron Chef style. Two teams worked separately to create fantastic dishes from the left-over bits we had. The creativity exploded from both teams as they prepared several dishes without any help from Kayla or Derek. The contest was declared a tie!
Day 17 -- Clean Up!
Today was our final full day together. We spent the morning taking an inventory of our gear and cleaning our tents. After a short meeting with Hayes, we piled into our van and hit the town. Once in Jackson, we showered then spent two hours exploring Jackson Hole. We met at a thrift shop at 5pm to find some "new" clothes for dinner. With our new outfits, we headed to Mountain High Pizza Pie for our celebratory dinner. We gorged ourselves with soda, pizza and laughter. We made several new friends, as everybody wanted to know why we were dressed so well and why we were having so much fun.
After dinner, Kayla and Derek handed out some small gifts to our newest best friends.
We had our final moon-up tonight. We all understood how special this group was, as we had almost no problems the entire 18 days. This group has been absolutely amazing, we truly could not have wished for a better team. Thank you all.
Day 18 -- Airport Day
There were very few dry eyes as we said good-bye in the Jackson airport. We have pledged to stay in touch, and we intend to keep our promises. This has been a fantastic adventure for all 13 of our team members. Everyone is leaving this trip with a journal full of new experiences and 12 new best friends. What a wonderful time it was.
Derek and Kayla miss their students already, and look forward to hearing about all of their coming adventures.
We love you, we miss you all.
---"Team Phisicioutious"
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