Me eating dinner
Course description
http://www.nols.edu/courses/locations/rockymtn/adventure.shtml
To all my pictures from the trip go here.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22562&id=1600471205
Wed 8/5
Oliver made really rich chocolaty oatmeal scones for breakfast. They had chocolate chips in them and were really good. They made me take a crap. We had a 6-mile hike on a 4WD road and trail and Nick, Taimur, Luke, Cooney and I motored. It only took us 3 hours to get to our campsite. There was a great natural seat that a rock created and we all relaxed and basked in the sun as we waited for the other group. Taimur made black beans with jalapeño jack cheese, sausage, sun dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, garlic powder, tomato base and chili powder. We had apple slices in a pb brown sugar sauce. We had a class on making splints and took about an hour to answer question on our accomplishments, things we could improve on and how to continue on them at home.
Thu 8/6
I helped Taimur make breakfast balls. They were fried dough balls of two kinds. One had cheese and sausage on the inside and the other had peanut butter and chocolate chips. The dessert balls were like doughy Reeses. We left at 10 and had a short but strenuous 2 1/2 mile hike to Emerald Lake. We got in nice and early and I spent the afternoon with Oliver and Nick talking and reading. This campsite is very pretty too and is windy. Mike helped me with some map reading and we had a first aid scenario class. Taimur, Will and I assisted to KG, who was tough on us. I made a fish cumin sauce for rice using a huge fish Taimur caught and added some peanuts. It was good and I got a lot. Mike told us our student expedition groups and the 2 leaders after dinner. Oliver and Taimur are leaders and I'm with Oliver, Cooney and Sam. I'm a little bummed I wasn't chosen as leader. KG boiled up some fish he caught and I helped to eat it with his salt and hot sauce.
Fri 8/7
Oliver made really good hashbrowns with a ton of cheese and sausage. The student expedition groups divided up the food and gear and our group wrote up travel plans for the next 3 days. Taimur, Oliver and I made chocolate chip and M&M filled gingerbread for lunch. Taimur thought it was sticking to the pan well so he turned it upside down to demonstrate and it all fell onto the ground. I wasn't laughing quite as hard as the others about it. KG gave a class on head and spinal injuries. Everyone had a lot of fun playing dodgeball with these huge, dried cow turds and we kicked around ideas for skit commercials. I gave fishing a try but it was too windy for me. We had another 1st aid scenario with KG. Sam cooked ok pasta with sausage and cheese and we played jeopardy about the stuff we've learned. It was the 2 solo groups and we presented our commercials. The one we did advertising underwear for Sam was hilarious. Afterward everyone sat around our cook area and made hot drinks and played "Oh, hell" and B.S. A cloud rolled in and we were in the middle of it.
Sat 8/8
There was a storm last night and when I got out of the tent the whole Emerald Lake had snow. there was a huge build up on the tent fly and it covered the ground. Snow in August?!
Even though my fine motor skills were zero because of the cold it was cool. Cooney and Oliver helped make choco chip pancakes. I think chocolate chips upset my stomach because I felt nauseous and only ate 1. We had a quick class on Emergency Procedure and Oliver, Cooney, Sam and I hit the trail at 9:50. We were mostly on trail and hiked past Shell Lake to our campsite (5 mile hike) and first site without KG or Mike. It rained so everyone went inside the tent and chilled. I journaled, read Oliver's The Book Thief and took a nap. The 4 of us teamed up to make pizza. I did the dough, regained a little confidence with flour products, Cooney and Oliver made the sauce and Sam cut up the cheese and sausage. My attempt at a calzone failed, but I still salvaged the pizza. It was probably my worst pizza this trip but still was really tasty.
Sun 8/9
I made a personal best hashbrowns for breakfast. I made sure they were crispy and browned and they had jalapeño jack cheese, onions and garlic. We left at 10:05 and had to climb up a pass to start. After that it was easy hiking along a game trail for a 4 mile hike. I took a crap, ate a lunch of dried fruit, perkies (similar to rice crispy cereal), peanuts and pb pretzels, had a cocoa/teak drink and now I'm close to a small furry animal I can see in a rock crack that's been chirping to another animal. I think it was protecting its home and the noise got so annoying I moved. Kind of embarrassing. A 5 pound animal scared me off. I got the NOLS Cookery and finished copying down some recipes and I read some more of The Book Thief. The student expedition isn't that fun because we get into camp early and there are no classes, no fishing and less to occupy us. I would have wanted longer hikes to keep us busy. Also, it's not as much fun without the 5 other students and KG and Mike. I'm not that interested in sitting in the tent and telling stupid jokes and talking about Southpark. The most commonly talked about thing is Southpark, it's getting pretty old. I'm writing this during the second 1 hour observation time where we go way off separate from each other and write about things like LNT and our accomplishments. Oliver cooked cheesy mashed potatoes tonight. He had potato pancakes in mind, but basically we had fried mashed potatoes. We had a small amount of potato pearls left that turned out horrible because Oliver added a tablespoon of salt to them. Because it was early and we had time kill we hiked along a 4WD road as the sun set beyond shrub studded hills. We saw some cows, checked out a small weather station and chilled on a rock. On the way back the cloud concealed the sun and below the dark cloud red embers smoldered while above it looked like God was shining a light.
Mon 8/10
Today was the last real day. We woke up late at 9:30 and Cooney made peanut butter oatmeal scones. We got ready slowly and I snoozed for about 20 min. before we left. Our hike was less than a mile to Mike and KG and we couldn't arrive before 1. We met up with the other group right as we entered. It was a relief to see everyone else because we'd been so bored on the small group expedition. Sounded like the group of 5 had more fun. We turned out our bags, set up tents, organized NOLS group gear, wrote an evaluation of the NOLS program, an eval of KG and Mike and we got our own evaluation. I got an A-, was pretty happy with my grade. At 4 we had a boring talk on things we'll bring home from the trip and how to practice LNT. I was super stuffed because I had a lot of lunch food left, (pb pretzels, honey roasted peanuts, dried fruit, perkies, almonds etc.) we didn't exercise and I ate a good milk chocolate Hershey's bar with almonds and toffee. But as soon as I made a fried rice with 4 packets of vegetables, rehydrated onions, grilled onions and garlic, a beef and veggie broth packet, sausage, cheddar and jalapeño jack cheese, oregano, spike, chili powder and cumin my appetite returned. We organized kitchen stuff afterward and assigned jobs for tomorrow. We played games of Big Booty, Bang, Bippity Bippity Bop and Yee-haw and learned a dance from KG called Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. Then we went around in a circle about a campfire doing a "slideshow" of each ay we've been out here. Then KG captivated us all with 2 stories about NOLS expeditions in Kenya: a group that hitch hiked and brought coke and beer and another where President Kennedy's son got lost. The 2 nights where we made campfires were especially good because everyone gathered and we talked and told stories. I get my own tent tonight because Oliver and Taimur and I think everyone else is sleeping outside by the fire.
Wed 8/12
Left camp a little before 6:30 and walked only a few minutes to the road. For breakfast I had oats and almond cereal, a banana, some yogurt and a bagel with cream cheese, bits of cereal and strawberries. The bus ride back took longer (5 hours) but it felt shorter. We stopped again at Brandon's house and a gas station where KG gave us all $1 and I bought spicy almonds. We played Long Ranger, Oh, Hell, BS and a final game of Egyptian Slap War. I won, going out on a strong note. When we got in Lander I helped unload the depleted spices and re-bag nomad food. There were 5 other course getting back today so the RMB was busy. we had an amazing lunch of cheeseburgers with beans, potato salad and a cold bean/corn salad with 4 different kinds of cakes. I had 3 patties and when I sampled the banana cake it was awesome. I went back to the Noble and sorted through my gear after a debrief of the trip of KG and Mike by an RMB supervisor. wE got to grab a bunch of NOLS mementos and went back to the Noble. Nick, Cooney, Romy and I walked through Lander in the newfound heat. We checked out an Indian Territory store, a hunting store, a movie place and I lingered at gannet Grill because I wanted to go there for dinner. At 6 we met in the rec room and handed out diplomas and certificates before heading over to "Asian Cuisine." I had mediocre tikka masaala and Mike bought a velvet and carrot cake for us. All 11 of us, including mike's wife went. Post dinner we went to the Scream Shack and got ice cream. I splurged and got moose tracks with caramel sauce and M&Ms and Oliver and Luke pounded down the "NOLS gone wild." 3 scoops with 3 toppings, 3 sauces and brownie slices. Back at the Noble we watched t, the guys got their Southpark they had been craving, looked at hot chicks in 3 tabloids Nick's mom had sent him, I was on the computer for a while and the best part of the night was when Oliver, Nick and I compared the hot girls at our respective school over facebook. I stayed up until 5. Earlier in the day Nick received a huge package from his mom containing a ton of delicious junk food, 3 tabloid magazines, a book and a card. He shared his Cadbury, McVities, malt balls, sour gummy worms, caramel, pita chips and more. It was an amazing performance from mom.
Thu 8/13
Luke and Cooney barged into our room at 7, leaving me with only a 2 hr nap Nick, Romy, Luke, Taimur and I went to the Oxbow for breakfast and I got a breakfast burrito with hashbrowns. It's in my stomach, but I can tell I'll be hungry later. Hopped on the bus and now we're on the way to the Riverton airport. Played some cards on the floor at the Riverton airport. Sam, Luke and I talked with a Ventura, cA guy who did a 30 day course in the Absaroka mtns in WY. I downed a delicious spicy chicken pizza at Express Wolfgang Puck and said good-bye to Nick, Taimur, Luke and Sam.
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