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.