Pack Forest

These past few days have gone by very fast! On Tuesday morning we left school at 10 so that we could view a little of the inauguration. The drive took about two hours because we got lost on Mt. Rainier. We finally found Pack Forest and after unloading we were assigned into cabins. The cabins were very nice and had electricity and bunk beds. Later we attended a lecture about the forest and ecology surrounding it. After this we went on a short hike to view the plants which lived in the forest. Most plants were frosted over, and ponds and lakes were iced over. We also did a charcoal art lesson later. The forest workers cooked us diner, in a large dinning hall, which consisted of pasta and salad. Unfortunately we could not have a fire that night due to a burn ban because of heavy fog. We had a fun music jam session that night and then went to bed.

We had breakfast at 8 on Wednesday. The food was very gross and the vegetarian options were fake meat. We left camp an hour later and drove to Nisqually and Michell river. Both rivers are huge and the Nisqually is very cold and dirty from glacial melt. We saw a juvenile bald eagle and learned about the trade of land between the government and the Native Americans. We then drove to Eatonville where a unhealthy salmon spawning river runs. This river had been destroyed due to loss of plants on the banks and flooding. We also found a little pond which was frozen about two inches. We drove back to camp and for lunch had make your own sandwiches. After lunch a group of us drove to the trail head of some waterfalls. We had a long intense hike through mud and icy rocks, but eventually found the falls. The waterfalls consisted of two separate falls, each one at least twenty feet high in the middle of a dense forest. After the hike we met with a special team which trains dogs to track animal scat in order to obtain data for information about certain animals. This is currently being done around the world with tigers, orca whales(tracking is done on boats. orca scat floats)... This technique is considered better because it does not traumatize wild animals, but can still extract data from scat. We then had a pastel art workshop which was fun. Dinner was gross and i mainly ate bread and fruit. After diner we had a night seminar then got together and kick it in a cabin.

On Thursday after breakfast we left camp at nine and drove to a wildlife refuge and learned about the restoration process. After this we headed home and unpacked. I went to the gym and sauna to rejuvenate myself before our night class. At six Ezzy and i went to a required theatre performance called Salmon People which was amazing! Now i am currently catching up on reading and work. The elementary school internship starts this Monday and i will be working from 9 till 3. I will also begin a small job aiding an elderly man with house and gardening choirs. I will post pictures soon!!!