Alexis portrait
  • Expedition: Jan 5-10, 2003
  • Alexis
  • Planada and Le Grand High Schools
  • Sierra National Forest. Hite's Cove

If I were to change one thing in the world it would be...
All the violence there is in the world against countries and people.

Nickname: Branch
Adjectives: Loud, Lazy, Clumsy
Two people who inspire you: my mom and my grandmother, they've been through so much horrible things in their lives, but still are standing strong. They both don't let bad things get in the way of what they want to do. They don't let things hold them back.
What is one thing you want to do this week? To go ice skating, and try not to complain about how cold it is, or its to hard, or to say two words that I usually say, "I can't"
What is one thing you want to accomplish in your life? One thing I want to do in life is become a very successful lawyer.
Favorite food: Chinese Food
Favorite movie: "Pretty Woman"
Favorite place: Colorado

alexis preparing to enter the river

Relevance of the Sierra Yosemite is an important place to me, because in the wild you could be free from everything and everyone if you want to be alone for awhile. There's so much history about this place that makes it so interesting and fascinating. It provides so much for everyone around it. It gives animals a home a place to be free in nature, people like myself get water from here. To me Yosemite is just like a person. All the nature around is just like a person. It's like a big family living in one place helping each other out. I believe that nature is a big part of the world, because without it we wouldn't have most things that we have today. It helped people in the past, now in the present and later on in the future. The way everything is around makes it so wonderful and beautiful. I'd have to say that it's a big part of me and maybe to other people because it's so calm and free. In a way that's how I'd like to be: calm and free. Free from the cities, the violence, the noise, all the bad things that happen everywhere, and money. What I meant by calm was relaxing. That's how this place makes me feel, not having to worry about anything, just being able to enjoy the nature and the beauty around you. I never knew that it was so wonderful and exciting, because to me before from where I would see it I would just see mountains just dirt, trees, rocks, hills and grass. But now that I've got to know how it really is I see it so differently.

alexis in the river

alexis in lab

SOLO HIKE - The Spirit of AdventureLooking around seeing no one in sight, only trees, water, and mountains in my vision. Going at my own pace getting to see all the nature that was around me was a wonderful sight to see. As I was walking I felt free as I listened to the sound of birds and the river. I stopped for a break to drink water and admire the water crashing into the rocks. I took a picture of it because in some way it amazed me. Slowly pulling the camera away from my face, I saw Sara catching up to me. I picked up my pace so I'd try to stay ahead of her but every time I turned around I always managed to see her. I actually thought I was going fast, but I guess I wasn't. Having no one around, well in front of me anyway was a great feeling for me to be alone. I got to see more things and had a chances to at least glance at things, than I would in a group.

Having this adventure inside me at this very moment will help me out tremendously in my future. It will help me to be strong and more confident in myself. Before taking the hike up to Hite's Cove I wasn't really sure of myself if I was going to be able to take it, but I did or sleeping at night with little bugs on the ground by me but I did and now having the confidence this adventure has given me will help me to succeed in life and I am.

image: alexis's sketch alexis, esmeralda, and laura image: alexis's second sketch
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