Yellowstone Day 7
Written by Ella Joo
7:30 AM MDT
After being treated to breakfast we packed extra gear for
the day ahead. We packed water shoes, raincoats, and extra pants. Sounds
exciting! As students began to file out, bags ready, we played a couple games
of Alaskan Baseball: using our money for the flight home, we took a plane to
Alaska, found the one baseball field there, and had a great time. Kidding, but
what we actually did was nearly as interesting, albeit… original. The actual
game was about running in circles and chucking a rubber duck halfway across the
field. I, with the help of Kevin, Sean, Jackson, Danielle, and Arthur, won.
9:00 AM MDT
Shuffling into our cars, we took a twenty minute drive past
the lake where we had pulled weeds, and up towards the mountains. Lugging four
pairs of waders (very long, waterproof boots), six nets, and one extremely long
PVC pipe, we began our hike to our destination: the Twin Lakes, where there were
sure to be an abundance of amphibians and reptiles to study. Filled with the
enthusiasm of 15 high school students about to hike at least five miles, we
started up the dusty trail… and promptly turned back after half a mile and the
realization that we had went the wrong way.
10:00 AM MDT
For real this time, we trekked up steep hills and countless
inclines. The view was probably beautiful on the way up, but I was too busy
making sure I didn’t take a one-way trip off the trail. Emma, one of our
instructors, carried 50 pounds of water to keep us hydrated. I’m not sure if
she even broke a sweat. Regardless of our instructors terrifyingly fit
physique, most of us were pretty winded on the 2.7 mile trip up. At one point
in the trail, the rocks gave way to nearly two feet deep mud, and Naomi lost
her shoe. We did not find it. By the time I’m writing this, it’s likely
fossilized into the ground; rest in peace, Leave No Trace.
12:20 PM MDT
After stopping for lunch and changing into water shoes, we finally made it to the Twin Lakes. Brayden and Abby donned waders, and we plunged into the impressive 2 and a half depth of the lake, through tall grass and layers of water bugs. On amphibian day, sadly, we found a total of zero amphibians. However, we did find two reptiles: a garter snake and a gopher snake. Thanks to Arthur’s sharp eye and Daphne’s skill with the net, we successfully met, and in Claire’s case, took selfies with, a real snake. It did not kill us—in fact, all the snakes in Yellowstone, besides the occasional rattlesnake, are not dangerous. Despite our nearly empty handed search and a couple almost-faceplants into the mud, we filled out a log recording the state of the amphibians at the lake as a group, soon to be sent to the National Park Service. As well as describing the weather and condition of the lake, we tested the pH and depth of the water. In fact, our assigned lake was likely about five feet deeper prior to our arrival, and had been evaporating under the summer sun. Muddy, sweating, but several times more knowledgeable about the Twin Lakes in Yellowstone National Park, we swapped shoes and began our trek down the mountain.
2:30 PM MDT
Back in the cars, we drove back to our campsite, and many
took a short nap: some on each other’s shoulders. Gathering in the gazebo, we
finished up our research projects, getting the graphs finalized and ready for
the next day’s presentation.
6:30 PM MDT
While we were (mostly) hard at work, the instructors did us
the favor of cooking dinner, which was curry chicken, fresh from the can. Rain
began to drip down, so we took shelter under the roof of the gazebo for dinner,
sharing it with my estimate of three hundred moths. As drizzling turned to
pouring, we remained dry—Michael took a nap on the floor, and a few of us, Cameron,
Kevin, Claire, and I, played cards. Regaled by stories of Michael’s Polish
origins, we waited out the rain and washed our dishes. Exciting.
9:00 PM MDT
The instructors set out the schedule for tomorrow; to our
great delight, we were done with hiking, and the last day seems to be pretty
relaxing. Playing cards until bedtime, Kevin beat Cameron at Spit in what
seemed like the tenth win of the tenth game. Quite unfortunate for Cameron.
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