Day 3: Surviving

Day 3 by Becca S.

            Walking almost grudgingly up the mountain to our spot, you probably would have guessed that yesterday’s excitement was not there this morning. Arriving at the site our guide sent us out to gather the wood we would need to restart our fire from the day before. While restarting our fire from yesterday was done with excitement, the cold quickly became to much for many people.

We soon climbed further up the mountain to gather wood for building possible housing. Fighting to get the saplings to cut and break, we eventually go enough to start building. Setting up the first part of the structure seemed to be one of the easiest parts. Taking the saplings and bending them to twist together to create a dome like structure. Doing two of these seemed to be easy, only for us to find the next part of give the structure sidings was far more easier. Our struggle was putting the tarps up onto the structure. Some people got cold and walked away, this caused setting it up to take longer than wanted. When those of us who walked away realized that the longer it took to finish the housing the more we wouldn’t be moving on. Once we all started to work on it, it was quickly finished. After, of course, fighting with the wind multiple times.

While we were finishing putting tarps up on the housing structure our guide had started to make coffee. He had planned for us to make tea from the plants around us that he knew would make some nice tea. Since the coffee had been made earlier than the tea it was fun to watch out guide swing the metal pot ,holding the coffee, around quickly to force the coffee ground to settle at the bottom. We sat around out fire waiting for the water to boil for the tea. Having to carefully and tactically toss the plants, for the tea, into the water. We began the slow wait for it to be ready.

While waiting for the tea, our guide had us move onto making spoons. Having had people cut thick pieces of tree branches while waiting for tea, he had us cut our piece to the size we wanted. He then showed us what and how we were going to do it. Carefully grabbing the burning coals that would help us make the dip of the spoon, we got started. Blowing on the coals that help give the spoon its dip.

With people being to cold, we headed how early. However our day wasn’t over. We went up to art to finish making our spoons. We spent the next hour or so whittling the spoons would to our desired shape. We ended our day talking about our highs and lows of the day.