Eleana - Youth Wilderness Program Participant

Day 1:

The day that I had been waiting for was finally here. A backpacking trip! I left my house around 6:30 AM to go to my friend Isa's house since they had offered me a ride. The ride to Kamiah felt long and the weather was a bit foggy and cold, but I knew that it was going to turn out okay. We were greeted at the park in Kamiah by Ian and Clarinne, the leaders of this trip, who welcomed us to the team. As we get to know the leaders and who is on this trip, we began to pack up the backpacks with the team supplies. We then left the park and began our 2-hour drive. The car ride there started quiet but then we began talking which allowed us to get to know everyone. We stopped at a ranger station for our lunch break which was fun since they had a variety of games that we played. We left the ranger station to continue our drive and that's when we arrived at the entrance of a dirt road. When we arrived at the trailhead, it was still raining a bit so we waited it out until it was clear enough. We then hopped out and began to unload the equipment and packs from the car. Once we were all set and ready, we got into a circle and began to stretch and to brainstorm safety rules. An example of this would be, water: making sure that we stayed hydrated since we were hiking long distances. After that, we began our 3-mile trek and it felt easy at first. It was mainly downhill so it wasn't too hard, you just had to watch your step. There were times where we had to cross creeks and I didn’t bother changing my shoes which I later regretted. Soon enough, after some breaks and conversation, we found a place to camp. I was quite relieved since I hadn't backpacked before and I was getting a bit tired. We unpacked all of the group gear before we went to go look for our kitchen/ dining area where we would eat tonight. Everyone had a task for each day and I was assigned to wash the dishes after dinner. We set up our tents and soon dinner was finished. We had a taco bowl and it was really good– It tasted like spaghetti! After dinner I washed dishes and got ready for bed before I played card games with Clarinne. Once we had finished a few rounds, I decided that it was time for me to head to bed since I had another long day ahead of me.

Day 2:

I woke up around 6:30 AM to the sound of Clarinne saying, “Breakfast time!” I didn't sleep very well since I woke up every other hour because I felt cold. I walked up to the dining spot and was met by everyone else. For breakfast, I had a bagel with cream cheese and a nice hot cup of tea. After breakfast, we hiked to a lake. The hike there felt much easier since we only had to carry daypacks with lunch and tools. It was relaxing to hear the birds chirping cheerfully to one another and the insects crawl and buzz about as they continued to do their daily tasks. The shrubs were damp and small droplets of dew lay on scattered leaves. I could hear the creek babbling from a distance as it fell among the hard rocks and pebbles beneath. When we finally made it there, it had only taken us 2 ½ hours to get there and the campsite was really large and beautiful. There was a small path that led to a beautiful lake. We ate lunch at this spot and I loved how the water glistened as it moved towards the shore. Every now and then a fish would jump out of the water and then back down where it came from. Many bees buzzed as they went from flower to flower rubbing their small hands and legs to collect pollen. Once some time had passed, we left the spot and began to hike uphill to overlook a trail. It was hard, but stopping for a break and overlooking all of the lakes and views seemed worth it. Once I had made it to the top, I was in awe. We could see some of the mountains that were in Montana and many lakes below. We stayed here for some time as well before we stashed our tools and helmets into a spot where a group of large boulders stood. We then made our way back while trimming some of the branches along the trail. It felt so nice going downhill and I was excited to go back to our camp and get some rest. When I saw the bear hang, I realized that I was back! It was a relief to change my shoes. I decided to take a short nap before dinner and soon enough dinner was made and it was time to eat. For dinner, we had a pizza in a pot. After that, I got ready for bed and played some card games before I called it a night.

Day 3:

Today I woke up feeling more refreshed and well-rested since I had gotten a decent amount of sleep. Today it's bagels and sausages for breakfast. This time I put honey in the hot water and it tastes amazing. Today, the goal was to get to the second campsite which would mean that we would pack up our things and leave. After breakfast, we began to do that very thing: pack. Once that was finished, we began to stretch, name rules, pick up trash, and begin our hike. This time it was a bit more difficult mainly because we had more weight in our packs this time and it was decently sloped. But after pushing through for 2 hrs and 30 min we had finally made it. I set my pack down before stretching once more. We started to unpack the group gear before we were told that we were going to look for a place for our latrine. A latrine in simple words is a rectangle-like hole where you go to the bathroom and is used for a longer period of time. We each had to help dig the hole and go over how to use it. After all that we began to set up our own tents and after everyone was done we gathered around some logs and began to learn more about wilderness and what it means. We also learned some history, how to read maps, and how to tie knots. Once we got the hang of tying knots, we helped with the bear hang. Finally, after everything was finished we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Honestly I was exhausted and wanted to rest once more but my friend Isa asked if I wanted to go swim. I made my way to the lake and once I was on the rocks, where you could sit and relax, I took off my shoes and put my legs in the water. It was a bit cold at first but it felt cool against my skin. I watched dragonflies zoom by and fluffy bumblebees fly to different flowers. For dinner, we had green pasta with bacon bits. It was one of my favorite meals that we had! After dinner, I got ready for bed and was told that tomorrow I would be on breakfast duty. So with that, I decided to call it a night just to get more sleep.

Day 4:

Today I woke up earlier to help make breakfast, which was oatmeal and bacon. I also helped set up the lunch so everyone could pack their own burrito. After everyone was awake and had breakfast, we all got ready since today was our work trail day. It only took us 30 minutes to get to the section of trail we were working. We rested there before we grabbed the tools from where we had stashed them 2 days prior. After that we began our hike down to the trail that we would be clearing. The way there was very hard. Today was also the hottest day, so not much wind came through. Eventually, we had made it to a lookout tower which was really high up. I ate my lunch here and after 30 minutes or so, we decided that we should head back and begin to work on the trail. We had to clear the trees that were on the path and these trees were decently big and did take some time to cut down. But once we got the hang of it, it went by pretty fast. After we had eaten lunch and then finished up the rest of the trees, we began to make our way back. We spotted our last tree before we were able to go back. Once we were back, we took a photo of ourselves when we were all dirty and it was funny. We then had the afternoon free and I took a nap. For dinner this night we had “Thanksgiving in a pot” which was super good since we had mashed potatoes. After dinner, I played gin-rummy with Clarinne before I decided that I would stay up with Isa and Braydon to watch the stars. As we were talking, Braydon spotted a bee in the water. At first we thought it was doing a weird trick, but it was actually stuck. So we got it out and I basically took care of the small bee for the rest of the night. I headed to bed since it was getting late and I put Wes, the bee, on one of my shirts before I fell asleep.

Blog Post Day 5:

Today I woke up earlier to get ready and I saw Clarinne and Ian making breakfast. I was excited since they said that it was a surprise and so I walked past but I wasn't able to make out what they were making. When everyone was awake we went to have breakfast and it was hashbrowns and sausage to make a breakfast burrito. Once everyone was finished, we were told that we were, individually, going to go out in the wilderness and just spend 30 minutes enjoying it. As I went to look for a spot, I realized that Wes the bee was strong enough to fly. It was sad since I had become really fond of this bee but knew that I had to let him go. So, as I walked down to the lake I released him and saw him fly away and off into the distance. It was heartwarming to see that he was able to be on his own again. I continued on my way down and walked a bit further into the distance until I found a more secret and reserved area. I took off my Chacos and dipped my feet into the cool water. I saw many animals, birds, bugs, fish and frogs. I liked the feeling of the warm wind that brushed up against my cheek and the cool water that relieved the itching from my mosquito bites. Ian then said that our time was over and I walked back. We had freetime this day, and I decided to go swimming. I went down to the lake and slowly (and I mean very slowly) got used to the water since it was so cold. Eventually, I swam for a bit before I ate some snacks. Everyone at some point went swimming and it was fun to watch and be a part of. Since we had spent a majority of the day out on the lake we decided that we should head back. It was around dinner time and it was ramen which everyone ate happily. I couldn't believe that today was our last full day so I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. We played a lot of games before I wanted to go journaling by the lake and get ready for bed. I wanted to stay up again to watch the stars with Isa and Braydon again since I had a fun time from the night before. This time I dressed warm, had a bag of snacks, flashlights, water, and my journal and pen. I was met by Clarinne who was reading her book on the rocks. We all stayed up for some time before it was time for bed.

Blog Post Day 6:

Today was the last day. It was sad, but it was time for us to go back home. We hiked back to the car and drove back to the park in Kamiah. I slept for some of the ride there before I sat in the car thinking of what would happen next. We arrived at the park and we were there a bit early so we had time to just chill and hang out more which I think everyone was excited about. We did handstands, went down to the river and found a crawdad before we walked back and Braydon’s parents were there to take him home. A family at the park invited us to join them for Indian tacos, which were really tasty. Once we had finished, Braydon said goodbye and he was gone. It was just Isa and I now, and a little while later her parents showed up and we too made our way home. I will say this was one of the most amazing experiences I have had, and I would for sure do it again!

Eleana (age 16) is from Viola, Idaho. She participated in SBFC’s 2024 Youth Wilderness Expedition to Wind Lakes.