Shelby portrait
  • Expedition: May 9-13, 2016
  • Shelby
  • Vicente Martinez and Groundwork Richmond
  • Yosemite National Park: Little Yosemite Valley and Sub Dome

Hopes and Fears: My hopes for the WildLink trip are to be more in touch with nature and also gain stronger relationships with my group. My fears are that I will have a really hard time completing the hike or that I will hurt myself and have to be helicoptered out of the park and ruin the trip for everyone else.

How has Wilderness impacted you? Wilderness has effected me in many different ways. The biggest way is just by reminding me that humans don’t own the earth and that we share it and we have to do our best to preserve it and learn how to efficiently coexist with nature. I also feel that when I get home it will help me find more productive ways to handle my personal life. I also learned a lot about how nature works.

I wonder: How many species of birds are there? Which tree bark is the lightest? Which tree species typically has the most branches? Which tree leaves die quicker than others? How many different species of animals are there here? Why did the Grizzly Bear leave? Which soil is the best for the plants? Which trees grow the fastest?

5/11/16 Today was easy physically and not that it was mentally hard, it’s just that it felt like outdoor school. Which is not a bad thing, it was actually fun and I never though doing a science experiment would be fun, but it was! Our experiment was to monitor ants behavior with food. We did not get the results we were hoping for but it was still fun. Tomorrow is going to be a challenging day. We are hiking up to Sub Dome but I know I can do it with the help of my teacher and friends and not to mention our amazing guides, Glenn and April. Yesterday we took the mist trail all the way up to Little Yosemite Valley where we are now camping. The hike up here was a lot more difficult than I imagined. There were times I really thought I could not do it. But I did do it. Even though once we got about halfway up the first set of stairs I wanted to give up, my WildLink family would not let me. I know it sounds weird to call them my family, they really are and we have just grown to be that close. Out here it’s not just about looking out for yourself, you really have to look out for the people around you. Sometimes it’s something as simple as hitting a bug off of someone or as difficult as helping lead a person behind you through a pitch black cave that you yourself have never been in, while on your hands and knees. I remember how hard the hike was for me and how much I kept telling Ms. Eaton I hated her but I really don’t and I am really grateful that she pretty much forced me on this trip.

5/12/16 This experience is going to affect me when I get home by making me appreciate the little things more and I will also have more appreciation for nature. I know I will see myself as a stronger person, I already do. Now I can teach my family/friends everything I learned here. I will NEVER forget this.

shelby and group
shelby and dan

Shelby and Ranger Dan discussing Wilderness and their experience in the woods

shelby
WildLink is a proud partner of the National Park Service, National Forest Service, and Nature Bridge.