Just like every morning my alarm clock went off at 5:49am, only today I couldn’t fall back asleep for fifteen more minutes. Lately we all have been embarking on our hikes a little too late, so today my group was determined to be on time. We made breakfast, filtered water, and packed all of our belongings in record time but somehow still managed to hit the trail ten minutes later than planned. But hey, we’re improving.
The past couple of days we encountered some pretty unpleasant weather, but today was absolutely beautiful. Throughout the entire hike I was dazed in awe from the spectacular scenery. It seemed like every few minutes I stumbled over rocks or tree limbs from gazing around wondrously. The reflections of the snow capped mountains, bright blue sky, and lodge pole pines in the lake were incredibly surreal; I felt like I was in a painting. Being in the Wind River Mountains makes me feel as though I’m in a fantasyland. The air is as clean and refreshing as a cold glass of water with a popsicle on the side during a hot summer day. Even the steep contours are worth every step because the ambiance of the Winds is just so amazing, yet indescribable.
Once Josh, Emilie, Ooter, and I made it to our destination of Bear Lake, we set up camp and prepared for an afternoon full of lessons. The majority of the group, including myself, procrastinated and waited until the last day possible to teach our lessons. It was pretty irresponsible of us, but I figure you live and learn, and hopefully we will all have stellar lessons to give during our time in the next two ecosystems.
The night was coming to an end as my tent group and I cooked dinner. We enjoyed delicious calzones under a starry sky having great conversation about family members we love and miss. Soon after, we quickly cleaned up and followed the moonlit path to our cozy tents for some sweet dreams.

Courtney Mullin