6/23/09

Hello again!

Well today we had oatmeal for breakfast and then hiked for 4.5 hours, and it’s the first time my morale got pretty low. About two hours in I had to put moleskin on both arches of my feet, and wrap my left foot in duct tape since I was getting some serious hot spots. It was SO HARD but I kept myself going and just put one foot in front of the other. The last hour was actually pretty exciting since we bushwhacked for like a mile down a mountain.

Did I mention it was raining the whole time? I’ve never been so cold and thoroughly soaked in my whole life.

Once we finally settled down at camp we got our tent up and it stopped raining. It was then that the clouds opened up around the valley and we realized we were surrounded on three sides by snow-capped mountains. They were BEAUTIFUL!

Soon afterwards we established a kitchen and made dinner. My tent group was really hungry and realized we had way more rations than we needed, so we made cheese quesadillas, mashed potatoes, and cheesy broccoli pasta. I was sooooo full, but when Evan pulled out his nerd rope and Evan (Tex) pulled out some Fritos I’d saved, we ate even more!

Next we played two truths and a lie, which I fooled the group with. They didn’t believe I’d seen a live bear (yay bears of Bern!) Then we had a group meeting about the four main leadership skills:

• Self leadership (take care of your needs)
• Active followership (know what’s going on but let others lead)
• Peer leadership (lead them effectively)
• Appointed leadership (be able to lead on the spot)

Now my morale is higher than ever… it’s amazing what dry clothes, tons of food and a good laugh can do! The clouds seem to be clearing away, so maybe we’ll get some sunshine tomorrow!

I still miss everyone so much! I think I’ve mentioned Bianca’s birthday just about every day, haha. I get a little homesick every now and then but it’s nice to be able to open my journal and see pictures of everyone. Maybe one day I’ll be able to bring you guys up here, at least to drive and see the mountains. Mom might like the hiking too! Okay, time for bed.

Hasta luego!

~Sophia

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