In The Covers Of Nightfall

Not everyone has the guts to step out of their comfort zones.  I, however, am certainly one of those people.  I like what I know, and what I know tends to be a very limited amount of academics, people, and interests.  That's why the Teton trip was such an unfathomable idea.
Schedules, I must say, are something I simply despise.  I like being spontaneous, like waking up and thinking, "Today, I shall be a rock," and I go about my day acting like a rock.  However, you are NOT allowed to do so on the trip.  Here is a brief description of your schedule.

QUICK EAT ALL THE FOODS CLEAN ALL THE BREAKFAST DISHES SKI FOR 4 HOURS EAT LUNCH SKI ANOTHER 4 HOURS DRIVE BACK TAKE 10 MINUTE SHOWER EAT ALL THE DINNER FOODS GO ON NIGHT HIKE HAVE HOMEWORK 1 HOUR GO TO BED 9:45.

Wasn't that admirable?  I thought so.  But the point is, everything is very strictly scheduled.  We were told not to be late for anything and, because we were in the middle of practically nowhere, I was afraid to disobey.  Who knows what kind of punishments they had in Wyoming?  This isn't the point.  The point is that there is a schedule everyone must adhere to, which wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated.  Waking up at 6:55 isn't as hard as you would expect, particularly because you're too exhausted to stay up late.  That is, unless you're staying in dorm N-15, where bedtime is not known and pizza is aggressive.
Moving on to the more physical aspect of this trip.  Having been assigned to a group by our chaperones (our school teachers, though they were temporarily awarded with such a fancy and sophisticated title), these would be the people we spent all of our time with while we were out in the field, hence the name,  'Field Groups.'  You cross country ski and snowshoe with your groups all day long.  It may sound both exhausting and boring, BUT YOU ARE WRONG SIR!  Of course it's going to be rather exhausting, but this depends on both how far you travel and how well you can perform an activity (but you aren't judged!).
Getting past the whole 'this-is-exercise-and-you-will-enjoy-it' part of the trip, it comes down to what you make of it.  Going on this trip, you'll have around 30 other 9th graders accompanying you.  If you're like me and have built up this large bubble of social anxiety, it is EXTREMELY overwhelming. This being said, it was a bit stressful to get on the bus with 26 other kids (we ended up having 27 students; 21 girls and 6 boys).

Look at that face.  Doesn't it just scream 'What have I gotten myself into?'  That's my point exactly.  But this is nothing to fear, for I am BlueTastica, and I conquer all!  It also wasn't that big of a deal because you're only with nine people at most for most of the trip.  Of course when you come back to the dorms you have 20 other girls running around and being loud, but it was just like one giant sleepover...with a lot of people you don't even know.  But the dorm rooms is where you really start making your friends.  But first, an example of the dorms.

You walk into the dorm room, let's say, N-15.  In this room, you find three sets of bunk beds.  "I CALL TOP BUNK!" you shout out, throwing your stuff up onto one of the bunks, when suddenly four girls appear!  "I CALL TOP BUNK!" they all yell, forcing you into a bottom bunk not only for those dark, echoless nights, but also to take shelter from their crazy bantering.  One of the four girls is forced into a bottom bunk as well, but she doesn't seem nearly as upset about it as you had...nor is she pretending it's a bomb shelter like you are.

Doesn't that sound like any normal sleepover?  Of course it doesn't.

But as you start to recede from your bomb shelter bunk, you realize that these are not your opposing forces coming to destroy you, but your friends.  You only know one of them very well, but the other three are all people you have known before, but just aren't much of friends anymore.  These, you realize, are the people you are going to get to know over the next five days, and are going to miss once you go home.

This was all very true.  My dorm consisted of Clara, one of my closest friends who I've known for a couple years now.  However, I also had the company of Sara and Lane, two girls who I went to elementary school with, and Danica, that one girl who I hung out with at that one party.  Over the next five days, I felt like these girls and I became friends, if not good friends.  I know that I won't be afraid to talk to them the next time I see them, but that these are actual people, not just figments of my imagination.

This trip forced me to get my ass off of my computer, get outside, step out of my comfort zone, and make new friends.  If there was one thing I had to change, it wouldn't be anything, because there was nothing I would take back.  Though I still await Chessie in the covers of nightfall, patience is something I had acquired on this trip.  Take as long as you want, Cheezy Feet.  I can wait here all night long.

Science and Human Interaction

I was really excited to go on this trip and its crazy that its already over! I'm one of those crazy people who love physically demanding schedules that completely wipe you out, so that's part of why I loved this trip so much. The atmosphere, food, science, scenery, activities, and people were all fantastic. I was in a really great group (go Elk!) and we had some pretty amazing leaders. Chessie and Ray Ray were always energetic and it really made everything fun and comfortable. It was nice to get away from school, and for the most part, technology for a week. It seems that in today's world all we do is stare at screens instead of talking to each other and going outside. Which is why it was so nice to just spend a week with people outside. Sometimes I kinda forget the impact of genuine human interaction, it was very refreshing and I made some great friends. Overall I loved every second of it and I'm sad to be back.

One Trip You'll Never Forget

         This trip was such an amazing experience for my peers and myself. We all got to know each other so much by the end of the week and I'm sure a lot of people including myself have made new friends. When I first signed up for this trip I had no idea of the learning and fun that would be included. Watching the little lightbulb flash above everyone's heads, and seeing that we actually wanted to learn when we were being taught. Going outside in the winter is so much more fun now because i've learned so much about the things that many people don't pay to much attention to. I can only speak highly of the Teton Science School. The only thing that kind of turned me off about the trip before I went was the cross-country skiing, but now seeing how much fun it was I wish I would have never second guessed it. I'm now dreading going into 10th grade next year knowing that this trip isn't an opportunity. Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible, this is one that i'll never forget. (I'll also never forget the amazing and addicting CHEESY FEET<3) 

Days 3 and 4 Video

Overall, A Great Trip!

We did so many fun things on this trip that it would take me forever to list them all! We did everything from building snowman to learning about the different layers of snow. I had so much fun and I learned so much at the same time. Having the outdoors as our classroom and having a different learning approach was such a nice change from our normal school day. It was so fun to be outside all day doing so many different activities while being around your friends at the same time. Overall, the trip was such an amazing experience and something that I will always remember!

The Bad As Bison and our snowman

An Amazing Experience

     If you ever get the opportunity to go on the Teton Science Trip, I suggest that you take that chance. It is one of the most fun and interesting things I have ever done. I know what you are thinking, "Cross-country skiing all day is fun?" I thought that same thing when I signed up. But it is more then that, it is a relaxing place where you learn some very cool things about science and the environment. They also don't make the learning boring, they do it in a fun way. So it's like you are learning things, but you don't realize it because you are having too much fun. It also gives you a better understanding of the environment.

     If your reason for not going is because of the cross-country skiing, then that is the wrong reason for you not to go. The cross-country skiing is a lot of fun. They don't make it too hard, and they also add games and fun activities in while cross-country skiing and during breaks to make it more exciting. Even though it does take a little work, at the end of the day, you will be glad you did it. Believe me, I was a little skeptical at first, and I also didn't want to do work and be cold. But that barely happened when I was on this trip. While cross-country skiing and snowshoeing I actually had to take off my jacket because I was getting so warm. The view of going while outside is also magnificent. I mean look at the Teton Mountains:

Picture credit to en.wikipedia.org

    These mountains are even better in person. 

     I have had a lot of fun on this trip. While on this trip, I made my first snowman ever! It was a lot of fun and I loved it. I loved being there, it was an amazing experience. That's not all you can do though, you can also make a lot more friends from this trip. And you get to have so many new and exciting experiences there. It is also a place to relax and be yourself, and you don't have to worry about school as much. It is just a great place to be and have a lot of fun. You may be skeptical at first, but believe me, if you take this opportunity and go on this trip, you will never forget it.

On The Edge

Alright hi people reading this my names Jordan, I also have a personal blog linked here. This is a colab blog, Yay. It's All about the trip we have gone on to Teton Science School. As you can see by the title, something is on the edge. So it is thursday and tomorrow we leave this amazing place. This story starts before we left. I was one of those kids who turned in an application but wasn't sure they wanted to go. To me this trip was a entree of nope with a side dish of never. As you could tell though I'm writting this so that means I did make it to the trip. So this post is for the people who are on the edge of going or not going.

I'm going to be very blunt with this. If you can go do what ever it takes so you can go. I didn't really want to be on this trip/ Now that I've down it I'm more then glad. Multiple times though out these day I asked my chaperon Mr.T, if I could stay for a few more months.

Why is it so fun

Reason 1-
People. I'm not the most social person ever, so i didn't know many people that came. I was ligitemtly scared that no one was going to talk to me.  What I found out is that you get to know a lot more people. We can't lie. We all have different views on people we've never met because of what others said. This week we crush those view others put in our head.

Reason 2-
Outside. As teenagers we spend most of our time at home or hanging with friends. We don't get many chance to actually get out and enjoy nature. This is one of those few chance.  You never know how much you really love and depend on nature until you go out and see it for yourself  The Tetons are one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  Thankfully we got pretty good weather so it was warm and just really nice out.

Reason 3-
No Electronics. Yes you get your computer for an hour a day to do home work. Other then that though we get not internet/electronics. I know it's scary. But if you do just put down your phone, ipad,computer ect... Then you we realize that it actually isn't really that important. Sure I'm not lieing to you here, i do miss my TV shows, Music, and aseptically talking to my internet friends that live many miles away. Honestly though you get use to it and you get to know people....And yourself, instead of just what pop-culture tells us what we are.

Reason 4-
Being away from the parent. Alright this is harder for some people. As teen we are very lucky if we have relationships with are parents. Even if we don't have a good one. We need some time to think about who we are as a person and not what are parents want us to be. Personally I have email my mother maybe once a night just tell her like "Yep good day, still alive".  Most teens are age want to be adults and show that we can make it in this big bad world. This gives us an escape. We can still be little kids and play games, but we also have the chances to show that we can do "adult things". Being away from parents gives us these chances.

Finally, all I really want you to get out of this post is that this trip was amazing and i feel everyone should experience what i have this week. If you have the chance to do this please do.

Day 2 Video

Craziness and Science

Okay, I admit.  When I signed up for this trip I was a little more than skeptical.  Before you go judging me and asking me why I went, let me explain.  I was told that it was fun and adventurous.  Yay! Sounds fun!   Then they told me that we would be A: without our phones and B: cross-country skiing a lot.  I don't have a very good track record with athletics other than running, volleyball, or Taekwondo.  Everything else I have tried it has failed.  Epically.  So, after hearing that I was expected to ski a lot a began dreading the trip in general.  

Day 1

On the first day we showed up to school and then began the 5 hour drive to the Tetons.  We showed up to the campus and it is actually really nice.  We showed up to our dorms and laid down our stuff.  Fast forward a bit and we were trying out cross country-skiing for the first time during the trip. I was pretty much completely unable to ski.  At all.  So it goes without saying that I was pretty discouraged by the end of the day :(

Day 2

We woke up at 6:30 AM and ate breakfast, packed lunch and drove to Kelly for our field day.  We hiked for about 5 miles that day on skies! It was really fun and I actually learned stuff :) We ate lunch out of our little storage-y things called hoorahs. The second part of our day was even more brilliant. We made water babies, which is kinda hard to explain, and attempted to ski downhill on cross-country skies! It was hilarious.

Day 3

We woke up early and prepped for the day and headed to this area where we could see the Tetons.  We snowshoed and hiked up on this cool rock.  It was really fun. We then dug snow pits! :D Yay! This was really fun.

Day 4

We did the normal stuff in the morning and then started to do a stewardship project.  We got to cut willow branches and it was really hard but we found a way to make it easier.  It turned out really well :) After that we hiked into the woods and made a snow moose! We had a lot of fun and it was kinda really brilliant.  Yay! Yay! Yay!

So in summary, this trip was so amazing!  I'm going to be sad to leave :(

Cold, wet, soggy but overall fun

This basically describes my day, but that is why I will never forget it. Today we had a lot of fun. Starting with an inspiring and fun individual ski and ending with a gallon of water soaked up in my clothes. 

So we went on a long hike where we read quotes on the way but the thing I focused on the most was the beautiful trees. It was like I was in fairy land! 

Then on our way back we down this hill that looked to be huge but it was actually like an 8% climb so yeah. I went down and face planted! Then from then on I fell, and fell and fell. I spent more time on the ground than I did on my skis. Also, I got to hug a tree! But it turned my shirt black. I went up to my dream tree and wrapped my wet body around the tree and my shirt ended up a completely different color. Well, my tree is obviously rubbing off on me but it was being unsanitary so we divorced.

When we got back to the bus, the only thing I could feel was my tongue. We had to wait a while for the other groups so we played a super fun game!

If I say so myself, it was a pretty successful day and couldn't have ended better.