So last weekend we went backpacking, and it was personally my first time going. It was so much fun. It is really cool how the ORL program works, because everything is intertwined making everything as efficient as it can be. We each had to create and turn in a lesson plan before the trip. And then on the actual trip we taught our lesson plans, and they were about various subjects. My topic was Trail Techniques, so I taught different steps to help the energy efficiency on the Trail. It was cool because before this project, I had no idea about these techniques, but I was able to learn about something new. Some of the other kids chose some of their strengths to teach about. Some kids taught about Medicinal/edible plants, Nutrition in the Wilderness, The Night sky, and a bunch o' other things. But not only were we learning, were also practicing leadership techniques in the outdoors. But to the actual trip... We went to Lassen National park and our class of, I think 16 kids, split up into two groups. My group only had 6 people and I think the other had around 10. On the first day, my group hiked from Juniper Lake to Snag lake, which was not a very long hike, just a couple hours. We set up camp at Snag Lake. We went swimming in the lake and later that night we were playing cards. I laugh a lot in general, but that night was the hardest I have laughed in a long time. I love the outdoors because you don't need much to have a good time. The next morning we woke up and prepared our selves for the "Fantastic Lava Beds." When were looking at the Topo map for this area and planning out our trips, we were expecting a huge lava flow that was fairly flat. However when we got there, it was basically a big pile of sharp, jagged rocks. It was really cool to look at, but definitely strenuous. We spent over two hours scrambling over the "fantastic" lava beds, going up and down these unstable boulders with our backpacks ruining our balance. Rick said at the beginning of the climb, that this was going to be a hike that all of us would always remember, and he was for sure right. The picture to the Right is a picture of Dan, our group leader who is also an Outdoor Rec student. The picture sort of shows the rocks a little better, but you had to be there. The picture below was taken on the lava beds looking out on snag lake. It was unbelievable how massive they are.

After crossing over the massive lava beds and dipping in the lake, we hiked through miles of sand to get to cinder cone. Cinder cone is a dormant volcano. It is 750 feet tall and has a total elevation of 6, 907 feet. Both trail groups were supposed to meet at the bottom of Cinder Cone, but our group was late due to the lava beds, so by the time we got there, the other group was basically leaving. Two other people and I did not climb up there because there wasn't enough time after we ate lunch. The trail up, was pretty steep, but it spiraled around the peak, because a trail straight up sand would be impossible. On top there is a crater that you climb 100 feet down into. From what I hear it was an amazing view. The picture to the right is from Wiki. It is a picture of Big ole Cinder Cone itself. From there we hiked to Rainbow lake, which is where we camped that night. That night was really fun because by that point all of our group was pretty comfortable with each other. We had a "potluck" and shared our food. We had a massage train, where we sat in a line and basically we were all giving each other massages. I was the engine so I sat in front and I didn't have to give anyone a massage... it was pretty sweet.
The picture to the right, is a picture of Rainbow Lake, aka our humble abode for one night. This trip was really fun but I felt like it was short. I wish we could have stayed for longer, because we were all finally starting to get into the groove, and then we had to go... It was so much fun though. It was great to leave home, and not have a cellphone or a watch or any worries really. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to go backpacking with such a great group of people.







The picture to the right is right before we left on our hike back home. This was my trail group standing inside a hollowed out tree. It was such a good weekend, it was for sure hard to come back. But coming back to reality, isn't really that bad cause life is already pretty bomb. :) Happy Trails, talk to you soon.