My Epic Expedition

Recently I spent three weeks in the Wrangel-St. Elias mountains of Alaska. I went with a program called NoLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and I took the Alaska Backpacking Outdoor Educator Course. There were fifteen people in our group and we didn't see a single other person, besides our bush pilot that flew in our food rations once a week, the whole time we were there. We backpacked over 70 miles in 21 days and endured the wild terrain of Alaska. My boots got wet on day 2 and stayed wet until the day I got back to Utah. We hiked through sunshine, rain, and even snow! One morning we woke up to 2 or 3 inches of snow outside our tent and there was one camp we stayed at that I never even saw what it looked like because we were basically in a white out the whole time we were there. It was incredible! I definitly learned a lot about myself during this trip and realized that I'm a lot stronger person, both physically and mentally, then I ever thought I was. There were some really tough days out on the trail, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I felt like I was in my element out there and would have loved to stay out there for another few weeks. We were constantly surrounded by beauty and the silence of the mountains really helped to clear my mind and help me feel at peace. I would find myself often standing in complete awe, staring at the scenery around me, and feeling completely content with where I was. The people in my group were incredible! We had 3 instructors that were just amazing and we all feel like we lucked out to have them lead our group. They each were so different from each other and had very different styles, but they meshed together so well and gave us the chance to learn different things from each of them. We had people from all over the country and we quickly learned to trust each other and help each other push forward. We definitly got to know each other very well, because we were in bear country, so we ALWAYS had to be in groups of four, no matter what. This meant we hiked in groups of four, cooked in groups of four, used the bathroom in groups of four, and slept in groups of four. So we had plenty of time to get to know each other and to learn from each others' strengths and weaknesses. They are all incredible people and I'm grateful to have each one of them as a friend. We've all been through this amazing experience together, and no one else will ever fully understand what we've been through. So we get to share this little secret of what life is like out in the wild of Alaska. I also learned a lot of leadership skills and was able to improve my own leadership skills along the way. One of my favorite days on the trip was when we got to walk on a glacier. We had been camped next to the glacier and one morning we got to hike as a whole group, without our heavy backpacks, and go down and explore the glacier. It was so much fun and we were like little kids in a candystore, everything looked amazing! We even had a map reading class right on the glacier. So cool!!! Another favorite day was the day we practice river crossings in the Jacksina River. It was a hot, sunny day, and we practiced crossing the river in groups and cheering each other along. The water felt great and Another favorite memory was when we did our solo student expeditions. We were able to go out in student groups, without instructors, and hike and camp on our own for a night. I was with Carl, Bryan, and Garrett. To get to our camp we had to climb a huge mountain that went straight up and was covered in trees and bush. I was so nervous to climb it and so afraid that I wouldn't make it. But I said a few prayers and pushed along. I thought it would take us like 3 hours to get to the top, but it only took a little over an hour. It was exhausting, but not as difficult as I thought it would be. When we got to the top we had the most amazing view I've ever seen in my life. I could see for miles and miles in every direction and it was all mountains and lakes and rivers. I got a little emotional as I stood at the top of that mountain, looking out, and feeling complete joy. I realized that day that if I could conquer that mountain, I could do anything. I don't have to be afraid of doing hard things. I just have to push forward and do it. It was the greatest feeling in the world! There were so many great experiences and I wish I could write all of them down. The thing I love most about the wilderness is how close I feel to God when I am there. I spent a lot of time reflecting and praying and I felt the love of the Lord so strongly. I remember one day in particular, I was just standing there by myself, at camp, looking around me, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the knowledge that God loves me and that He is aware of me. It was such a powerful and peaceful experience. I think that being in the wilderness, away from all of the distractions of the "unreal" world (cell phones, computers, t.v., noise, etc. etc.), is the one of the greatest ways to feel the spirit of God and to learn a lot about yourself. He has created such an amazing and beautful world. I wish more people had the opportunity or took the time to explore the wilderness and to see the beauty. I'm so grateful for the experience. It really did change my life. Now all I need to do is continue applying what I learned in the "real" world (the wilderness), to my life here in the "unreal" world. I know, at least a little bit more, what I am capable of doing, and I want to keep on learning, and growing, and helping others to do the same.

Here a few other things I learned along the trail:

When hiking in the Wrangels, make sure you have trekking poles, because you WILL be bushwacking! (or you could hug trees)

Don't eat dried apricots along the trail: your stomach won't appreciate, and your hiking groups won't appreciate it if they have to walk behind you.

You can cook delicious food in the wilderness, including: tortillas, scrambled brownies, pizza, and cornbread.

You can hike in the same two pair of socks for 21 days straight.

There are great quotes made in the wilderness. For example:

"Sticks and Stones may brake my bones,

But Alaska just might kill me." (-said by Carl)
"I have a wooden spoon!" -said by Katie

If you wear dry long johns under you soaking wet wind pants, and rain pants over those, your wind pants will dry in about 20 minutes. (I did this more than once. And it worked!)

You can wake up in the morning to 3 inches of snow, and have warm sunshine in the evening and dry out all of your wet clothes.

There are more than just bears in Alaska: moose, caribou, pika (?), golden eagles, tarmigans, doll sheep, etc.

You can create over 100 songs about your puffy coat (just ask Sheila).

ThermaRest sleeping pads make great blackboards when teaching classes in the wilderness.

NOLS gold really does exist!!!!

Wiping with snow is probably the best naturaly toilet paper in the wilderness (wet moss comes in a close second!)

I could go on and on and on, but I'll stop there. Here are some pics from our adventure.

Day 1: Our group right before we headed into the mountains Bushwacking at its best!If you look closely you can see the ice that formed on my boots during the night! My socks froze that night too!Celebrating after the bush plane dropped off our food rations!Amazing rainbow at around 4:30am!

Practicing river crossings!
Writing in our journals around 11:00pm. The mosquitoes were pretty bad that night.
The bush plane!Crossing a deep creek!The view from where I was standing was amazing!



Carl and I at the top of the big mountain that we climbed! It was awesome!!!
Happy Birthday Carl! He got snow for his birthday for the first time!

Modeling for my senior pictures!
My cook group making dinner along the Jacksina River
Getting water from the Jacksina. We always purified the water before we drank it. Watching a golden eagle while we were hiking.
My tentmates writing in their journals before going to bed.
One of my favorite pictures. This is at Grizzly Lake!

One of my favorite hikes. There were a lot of waterfalls in this valley.
The ladies hiking from Grizzly Lake to the River I used my thermarest to teach my class about wildflowers. Kelly helped me with it!


Our coolest campsite, next to the glaciers!

Avalanche! We watched a few avalanches and it was so great!
My fingers cracked and had cuts all over them the whole time we were on the trail. I taped them up and just kept going.


Hiking in a white out. This group saw a Grizzly Bear!

Our tent!
Last day on the trail! We hiked to the road and the bus picked us up. It was strange to come back to the "unreal" world.Our amazing instructors at our graduation!

Sensei Sheila, Sensei Rob, and Sensei Lloyd

Our last night hanging out together as a group before everyone headed home. It was sad to say goodbye!