April 19

Last Wednesday we arrived back at HMI from spring break. After waiting for a few other students whose flights were delayed, we headed back into the mountains. We were anxious to get to HMI and see everyone after the break. When we arrived everyone gather in the Climbing Hall to play soccer and ping-pong and climb on the wall. In the cabin we stayed up late sharing our spring break stories. The next day we had WFA (Wilderness First Aid) class in which we learned the basics of CPR. On Friday in WFA, we simulated injuries and discussed how to treat a patient in the wilderness and when to evacuate the patient. We did a lot of different scenarios in which we pretended to have various injuries and our peers had to determine what had happened to us and give us the appropriate treatment.

Saturday was busy with Wilderness First Aid classes all day. For AMX we all followed along to Darren’s Dance Grooves, learning the dance to Brittney Spears’ “Crazy” and laughing at people dancing in crazy costumes. We had a breakfast picnic on the floor of Who’s Hall so that we wouldn’t have to move the tables out of the way later for WFA. During WFA we learned all about splinting injuries and fashioned backcountry arm and leg splints out of any materials we could find. After a long day of class we put on ridiculous costumes and prepared to go bowling. At the bowling alley, Cooper, earning a high score of 162, proved that he really did taking bowling in college. We also made a late night run to Safeway to buy any food we might want for expedition. On Sunday morning we left early to drive down to Colorado College. The weather was gorgeous and everyone loved taking a tour of the campus and playing Frisbee on the lawn during lunch. Sunday night we took our WFA tests during study hall and prepared for a full week of classes.

On Monday we began academic classes again after a fun AMX of kickball and extreme rock, paper, scissors. In English we discussed A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean and the various metaphors that are presented by fly-fishing throughout the novella. AP History focused on World War II and began review of everything for the upcoming exam. Tuesday AMX was a six-mile run that reminded us all of the unfortunate effects of coming back to high altitude after spring break but also encouraged us to get in shape for the approaching Fun Run. One activity group on Tuesday went to town for pottery painting, and another dared to try the “Colorado Core,” a local fitness class. P&P discussed the value of discovering a new place and the “aura” that comes along with it. Wednesday AMX was an exciting game of Chaos with Karl (and all the new sports equipment that he ordered) that included running frantically down the field with Frisbees, soccer balls, and kickballs. In Science, we visited the Arkansas River to study stream morphology.

Wednesday afternoon continued with more snow, which forced the students to question whether they would have more to shovel. A group of students spent their free time before dinner climbing on the wall and setting new routes. We would have expected to run on Thursday morning, but because of the large snowfall from the night before, we enjoyed a nice core workout in Who’s Hall, taught by Ben Edmunds. After AMX, we flaunted our hometown attire for the theme day “dress where you are from.” Some outfits included overalls with plaid shirts from Maine and Vermont, various sport team paraphernalia, and even a pilgrim outfit from Boston. That night, we had an advisee dinner where we adventured to pick up High Mountain Pies and enjoyed them at Sam’s (the math teacher) house where we watched Planet Earth: Caves. For AMX on Friday, most students enjoyed meditation led by the history teacher, Matt. Some of us also went for a run since we missed one on Thursday morning for the snowfall. In intermediate Spanish we discussed the differences between Spain and Latin America and learned various common Spanish slang. For lunch, we listened to announcements by Molly Barnes and enjoyed sloppy Joes, pasta, and salad. Friday afternoon brought our last few periods of class, including P&P in which we learned how to plan our route while in the canyons, before the much anticipated prep day for the final expedition in the canyons of Utah.

Issue day officially began at 7:25 with delicious no-dairy cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs. People were busy assembling their gear for the final expedition to the Utah canyons. After a quick half-hour of chores, the five expedition groups met to go over their packing and get excited for an early departure tomorrow. In turns, each group packed seven days worth of rations, went over group goals, greased their boots, and generally rushed around to complete the many miscellaneous tasks that make up issue day. Rationing was done independently in tarp groups, allowing for more flexibility in our meals. The several kosher tarp groups packed lots of matzo and potato pasta, as Passover extends almost exactly for the duration of the trip. After finally having packed our packs into the trailers, many students decided to take advantage of the warm and sunny weather. We passed a leisurely afternoon with bike rides, soccer, walks, and lacrosse on the newly exposed soil. After a busy day of preparation for our last expedition, everyone was ready for a low-key evening and a good night's rest before our departure to the canyons of Utah.

By: Andrés Sainz, Kari Siceloff, Cayla Marvil, Rebecca Joseph, and Sarah Trautman

Upper Photo: Wiley assesses Matt's "injury" during the Wilderness First Aid course.

Lower Photo: Bowling always brings out the best outfits at the RMS.