On our way to the island.
The morning of the hike.
About as out as an outhouse can get.
Joy on the edge of the crater.
Coming down the mountain.
Abby was wondering why I was taking the picture....
After the hike...
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This weekend, after three weeks of waiting for the weather to clear up, seven Mt. Edgecumbe students (seniors Kylee Larson, Darryl Martin, William Jones , Gracie Self, juniors Deedre’ Deaton and Ben Bakk, and sophomore Abby Fisher) and two rec. staff (Joy Agner and Emily Buck) went on a three-day camping/hiking trip well worth the wait.
We with Joy and Emily met after school on Friday to enjoy the smooth boat ride to the island, courtesy of Mr. Friske and Mr. Blackhurst.
After the general unpacking and setting up was done and dinner eaten, we explored the cabin and the area surrounding it. We were divided between following the stream, playing on the beach, building a fire, and beginning the “friendly competition” over the fishnet hammock, which continued until Joy and Emily tore themselves away from it all and reminded us we had to get up early the next morning. We went reluctantly, falling asleep to sound of the crashing waves.
The next morning greeted us with a spectacular sunrise, leading into a relatively clear day perfect for hiking through muskeg and forest. The trail, just a set of boards surrounded by water and dying plants, held many surprises ranging from the thousands of dew encrusted spider webs in the sedges to an open-air toilet.
Though the hike itself was not very difficult, it was long. Lucky for us, the clear day made reaching the top more than worth it. We all made it to the crater, and, basking in the glory of our victory, realized that the refreshing breeze was now a cold wind and that, as tired as we were, we had a long way back.
The way down and back seemed to take forever, but was a little more entertaining. From the discoveries of teabags hanging from tree branches and albino ferns to fatigue-induced conversations about superpowers and monsters from Greek mythology, we laughed a lot more than on the sweaty hike there. Then again, judging by Joy’s question (“Would you rather be a butt crack or an armpit?”), that could have been a temporary lapse in sanity caused by low blood sugar and dehydration.
At any rate, we got back down.
Amazingly, we managed to stay up as late as we did the previous night, many of us gathered around the campfire built by William and Kylee. All eventually made it back to their sleeping bags, trying not to acknowledge the fact that tomorrow we were heading back to campus but glad that there was a hot shower in sight.
The next day we were picked up around noon by Mr. Friske and Mr. Blackhurst. Our trip ended exactly like it began, on a smooth boat ride during a semi-clear day.
We would like to thank Joy and Emily for arranging the trip, for preparing everything for the trip, and for convincing Mr. Friske to wait just one more week before cancelling. Thank you, so much, for one of the best camping trips so far. We would also like to thank Mr. Friske and Mr. Blackhurst for providing the rides to the island and for not canceling the trip. Thank you!