Today was about backpacking and hiking. While we didn't do any hiking, we learned what was needed to be done in order to prepare for it. We first started off by watching some videos about a woman named, "Cheryl Strayed." When she was 26 years old, she hiked up the Pacific Crest Trail. The entire thing, with a 70 pound bag that she carried (cleverly nick-named "Monster"). Now obviously...she packed way too much stuff. So, the activity for today was to get into pairs and create a list of all the things we thought we would need if we were to go backpacking for 10-15 days. Where, when, and how long would determine the stuff we needed, the amount of stuff, and how much it would all weigh. My partner was Courtney. She and I decided on backpacking for 14 days up and down Yosemite Falls, which is the tallest waterfall in North America. Since we had been there before and loved Yosemite, it seemed like a great fit. We decided upon 2 or more of everything to split between us, besides a tent, bottle of iodine, a roll of duct tape and a camera. Some of the things we decided to take were trail mix, first aid kits, pads, extra clothes, flashlights, batteries, lighters, emergency phones, tooth-care kits, hand sanitizers, ponchos, etc. All of which ended up being 72.49 pounds. However, we would split the weight between us which would mean we would carry 36.3 pounds each. When were were done, we put dumbbells into a backpack to equal the amount of weight we would be carrying. It wasn't very heavy at all. It was pretty easy to carry.
After that, we watched a movie called, "Never Cry Wolf." It was pretty good. It's about a man who is sent by the United States to Alaska to figure out why a bunch of caribou were disappearing. They originally thought it was wolves that were killing them all, but it was just that they migrated south. YAY! He stayed out in the Alaskan wilderness for six months by himself most of the time. He felt a real connection to it after a while as well as the wolves. I knew the more time you spend in nature the more connected you feel, but I've never really felt like that with animals. Hm, maybe I ought to try it sometime...maybe. I'm just kidding, I'm sure it would be rewarding. Maybe birds. Crows and ravens to be exact. I like those.
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