Virgin Falls: Redemption

Despite being one of the most beloved OAR trips, I had a somewhat miserable time my first time at Virgin Falls. My first trip to Virgin Falls was plagued by a hives outbreak and subsequent unhappiness. Take two, unfortunately, was not much of an improvement. On the car ride up, I mysteriously lost my voice and hilarity ensued throughout the weekend as I tried to call "off rope" with the raspy remnants of my voice. I did not feel too sick, just slightly congested with a sore throat. My car for the trip was awesome: we left the gear shed first and made it to camp first, we made it to Ethiopian in Atlanta first on the way back and were back to the gear shed before midnight on Sunday, a nearly impossible feat. 

The night hike into Virgin Falls was far less treacherous than I had remembered. I hauled the 300 ft. rope all the way to camp, wrapped in a caver's coil and hanging around my neck. I immediately passed out as soon as I had my sleeping bag out and I slept comfortably despite the claims of 20 degree weather. The next morning, Jeff set up two rappels at Laurel Falls. Anticipating a line, I sprinted to the top and rappelled both of them before anyone else had really noticed. Then, as one of the more experienced people on the trip with regards to rappelling, especially using racks since that's what we use for caving, I sat at the top and helped coax all of the new people over the edge. Setting up gear and harnesses has somehow become second nature to me and I did so with ease, ensuring that the equipment was set up properly and safely. After a while, we took down the ropes (I rappelled a third time) and headed deeper into the wilderness toward Virgin Falls.

Similarly, I anticipated a line and rushed to the top to be one of the first to rappel the falls. Carolanne took over my job of rigging descending devices and helping people set up their gear. The weather was perfect and I settled into a nice spot at the top of the waterfall with a nice book. I rappelled a few more times, once with my book clipped off to my harness. I was still feeling somewhat sick and I napped some as a result. We started our campfire activities very early, eating a ton of food from our giant potluck. The most amazing food I had was a marshmallow treat introduced to me by Drew. Essentially, you wrap an uncooked biscuit around a marshmallow, roast it, then dip that in melted butter and roll it in sugar and cinnamon. It was incredible but I couldn't consume more than one every few hours, it was so rich. 


The next day, we packed up and hiked out fairly early. My car was on point, four out of the five of us were the first ones to make it back to the cars. We waited a while for Carolanne, who had gone to a lookout point off the trail, but once she arrived, we were able to get on the road. Everyone met up for Ethiopian food in Atlanta, per OAR tradition. I hadn't done so in a while and it was a nice treat. Then, we headed back to Gainesville. I also introduced QT, the best gas station ever, to a majority of the car. Brett purchased every single flavor of M&M they had and invented a game of M&M roulette, in which all the flavors were mixed together and one (or more) were chosen at random. It was delicious.

Events occurred: October 25-27, 2013

Thesis, New Roommate, and a Subsequent Lack of Time

This past month has been the most stressful month of college I have ever experienced. The day after my last post, October 2nd, I was recruited for kitten capturing. Mike discovered that there was a stray kitten living under his house and her constant meowing was keeping him up at night. I offered to help and unintentionally became owner to the most adorable kitten ever. I'm only slightly biased, she's very cute. Mike has dubbed her Trauma though I prefer the name that I gave her, Artemis, goddess of the moon, the hunt, and wild animals. She is often referred to as an amalgamation of the two names, Artemis-Trauma or AT. 








Though adorable, she has been a major distraction in my life. She has monopolized what free time I have had recently. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much of that to speak of. I have spent the last month working on my thesis. I submitted the first draft of my thesis last week and have spent all my time since then catching up on everything else that I slacked on this past month, including spending time with Artemis. She has been featured on Jeff's new website, catswipe.com. In addition to my thesis, I have also been planning my annual Veteran's Day trip to Boston and I have been constantly applying to jobs since I graduate in a month. Happy November everyone, I'm glad to be back online.

Apple Picking and Hiking the AT

As fall approaches, so does apple season! The perfect time for picking apples is going on right now and OAR took full advantage this past weekend. We drove up Friday night as per usual and camped in a parking lot near the AT trail at Sam's Gap, where we were starting our hike. Since the trip consisted of two cars, we decided to leave one car at the start, drive the other car to the end, and hike in two separate groups, meeting in the middle to camp Saturday night and exchanging keys. My car volunteered to drive to the other end and stopped at the Heavenly Holler Farm for some apple picking. The owner of the orchards was extremely friendly. He took us up to the orchards and gave us a tour, allowing us to sample each variety of apple. He told us we could eat as many as we wanted for no charge and then any apples we picked would cost only 75 cents per pound. There were also some blueberries that were ripe and we ate our fair share of them.

After apple picking and purchasing, we headed for the trail at Spivey Gap. We hiked up at a slow pace, accommodating the one new hiker among four experienced backpackers, Deepika. She was a good sport and she kept up fairly well despite her heavy pack and despite having Jeff to keep up with. We were all relieved to finally reach the bald after miles of green tunnels. The views were astounding, all 360 degrees' worth. Jeff and Logel set up their tent while Chelsea, Deepika, and I decided to stay at the shelter down the trail a little ways, where the other car was staying. Our entire group of ten stayed on the bald to watch the sunset and then hiked down to the shelter together. The next morning, we packed up our belongings and headed toward the car. We hiked the remaining six or so miles fairly quickly, reaching the car with plenty of daylight. We wanted to go to Pearson's Waterfall but discovered that it was $5 a person and deemed it not worthy. Instead, we went to another apple orchard and indulged in apple pastries. Chelsea and I split an apple dumpling and an apple fritter and each ordered our own apple slushies, all of which were delicious. We then headed toward Columbia and indulged in another satisfying meal at Spice Junction. Since Mike was in the other car, they also went to Spice Junction, arriving about 20 minutes after us. Then, since it was National Coffee Day, we ventured over to Krispy Kreme for free 12 ounce coffees. Jeff somehow was given four, all of which he consumed during the ride back to Gainesville.

Events occurred: September 27-29, 2013  

Finally Caught Up

Since I have finally caught up with all of my OAR trips and other travels, posts will most likely become less frequent until I can think of some clever way to transition between trips. 

Vertical Practice Round Two

After such a successful first vertical practice, Mike decided to hold another this week. I came over early to help him sort through the gear and to practice rescue techniques. By the time people started to show up, I was in full gear and attached to a complicated-looking pulley system. We were having difficulty replicating a cave rescue situation because I was on the ground level. So, I detached myself and we decided to start practice. I gave up my gear to someone and tried to teach a group of people about the gear itself and how to changeover from ascending to rappelling. It started to rain lightly, just enough to cool everyone down.

After a few hours, Mike decided to rig the pulleys for another purpose: vertical caving treadmill. It was the strangest thing to watch. Essentially, Nina, who was in full caving gear, started ascending up a rope that was threaded through a pulley. Mike had the other end of the rope and he was feeding it through the rack. So, as Nina ascended, Mike would feed more rope and she would stay in the same place in the air. This way, she could actually ascend most of the rope instead of only the 30 or so feet to the top of the tree. Mike also tried a few rescue techniques and learned that if he ascended while Nina was just hooked in to the rope, they could both move up. We played around with the ropes and the gear for a while, attempting to try a bunch of different rescue techniques and vertical training. 

Events occurred: September 25, 2013

Cloudy with a Chance of Rain and Misery

When I realized that there was a trip going through Jacksonville, I decided to invite my brother's girlfriend, Jessica. She has been dying to go on a legitimate hiking trip and Grayson Highlands combined with Roan Mountain seemed perfect. So, I invited her. While at lunch with Mike, Chelsea, and Kelsey, Mike convinced me to also invite my mother along, claiming he would only go if she did. Chelsea and Kelsey both refused, citing the rain and homework among other reasons against it. So, only a few hours later, Mike successfully convinced Chelsea that the 90%-100% chance of rain we had discussed at lunch had actually been 20% and she unknowingly embarked on an extremely rain-filled trip.

The drive up to Grayson was about 9 or so hours and we had made plans to meet up with the rest of the group at a campsite. We got there around 3 AM with no cell service and pitched our tents, anticipating their arrival a few hours later. When we woke up, they were still not there. We drove in the direction that we guessed was correct, my gas light glaring at me. When the prospect of gas seemed dim, we turned around and headed back down the windy roads toward Damascus. When we filled up, I finally got service and Brice, who was officially leading the trip, told me they had decided to drive straight to Grayson and start hiking. We headed toward Grayson, planning to hike alone. The biggest problem was that I was the only person who had been there before and it had been two years prior. I had no idea which trail to take and the map was virtually useless.

We hiked around Grayson for several hours in the pouring rain. Mike and I were the only ones even close to adequately prepared, decked out in rain pants and rain jackets with covers for our backpacks. My mom had left her rain jacket in the car entirely and no one else had rain pants at all. My shoes were also waterproof, keeping my feet warm and dry. While the majority of the group was shivering and freezing, I was sweating in my flannel and rain jacket, regretting so many layers. They were not amused by this. After wandering around the AT and some spur trails, the group lost some morale and turned back. We had spotted a bull but no ponies and the fog was impenetrable. We piled in the car, everyone dripping (except for me and Mike). We headed to the Blue Blaze Cafe in Damascus, where we ran into the rest of the trip. I really only spoke to Rhea, and she detailed us with the misery of their trip. They arrived at 5 or 6 AM and decided to hike immediately, breaking once at a shelter to nap and then trekking through the rain. It sounded pretty awful to me.

That night, my mom decided to spring for a hotel room about an hour out from Roan. We spent the evening drying out and relaxing. The next morning, we slept in until nearly 11 AM and then piled into the car for Roan. We started at Carver's Gap on the Tennessee/North Carolina border and hiked for maybe half a mile before running into Rhea and two other girls on her trip, lying on a big boulder. We stopped and chatted with them. They explained that the boys decided to hike all of Roan in one day and they didn't feel that ambitious. They were going to hang out and then pick the guys up at the end. We sat with them for a few hours before heading back down to the car. The best part of the trip? SPICE JUNCTION. It's the all-you-can-eat Indian buffet in Columbia, South Carolina and it is the best. Mike and I are huge fans (no one else was quite as enthused). We made it back to Gainesville before 1 AM, exhausted after a long weekend. 

Events occurred: September 20-22, 2013 

Vertical Caving, Exploration, and Expectations

The Friday following vertical practice, Mike decided to lead an actual vertical caving trip. Rather than hitting up the same old caves, we decided to try something new. Armed with GPS coordinates, we headed toward the TAG caving area. We were unable to find our first cave that Friday night, so we camped in a random field and decided to try in the morning. After driving around for several hours, we parked off the side of the road and attempted hiking in. This was unsuccessful. We were met with a wall of thorns and had to tear through the jungle. We eventually found what appeared to be a trail, but no cave. We hunted all day and even discovered a new cave that had never been explored. Logel, Mike, and I dug out the entrance and Mike rappelled the 15 or so feet down. It was cool to have found a cave but it was very small.






To keep up the morale, we left the area and decided to go to Cemetery Pit, an old favorite. I had been there with Mike and Steph about nine months prior. Mike and I rigged the ropes and I was the first one down, stopping every so often to untangle the rope and toss it over ledges. We were only able to explore Cemetery for a few hours because we had gotten such a late start but it was worth it. We traversed a sketchy ledge about 50 or so feet from the ground and played around in some mud, which surprisingly dried quickly. We emerged around 11 PM or so, a repeat of my time with Mike and Steph sans snow, and headed to Huddle House, the only open restaurant for miles.










The next morning, we woke up to some cavers headed for Cemetery. We talked to them and discovered that they had been at Moses' Tomb the day before, the cave we had been searching for. We got directions and headed back to Alabama. We found it and after a short hike, we started rigging up ropes and gear. Since this particular pit was about 230 feet and had limited horizontal caving, we decided to stagger so that one person wasn't waiting at the bottom in the cold for four people to ascend. Mike went down first with his camera, followed by Logel and James. Then, Logel and James ascended up in tandem, meaning that they were both on the rope at the same time. They only simul-climbed for about 40 feet or so out of the 230. Then, Nina rappelled down and I followed shortly thereafter. As soon as I reached the bottom, Mike ascended out. Nina ascended out with him in tandem and I waited for him to get off before I hopped on. Despite it's length, the ascent seemed easier than the ascent for Cemetery, which is less than 200 feet. I was out fairly quickly with minimal problem. The only moment of panic I had was when the carabiner holding my chest harness snapped, but luckily it wasn't a big deal. I had an extra carabiner on my gear loop, so after a few seconds of fiddling around with the gear, I had resolved the problem and could continue ascending. Overall, an excellent day.

Events occurred: September 13-15, 2013

Alden King, Professor of Changeovers

Our first vertical caving practice of the semester was extremely well attended. When I arrived, a little before it was supposed to start, there were already at least 10 people there. I had hoped to be early enough to practice a changeover without watchful eyes but I had no such luck. Mike threw the bag of harnesses at me and told me to start teaching while he finished setting up the ropes. I was under the influence of a trenta iced coffee from Starbucks and I was extremely jittery, struggling to get my caving harness on with shaking hands. I'm sure I looked very trustworthy. As I was pulling my harness on, I was explaining the various pieces of caving gear to a group of anxious novices. 

Once Mike had the ropes up, he took a small group of late arrivals over to explain gear while I shuffled the rest toward the rope and performed a changeover for them. Though I can explain them conceptually, I found it difficult to narrate while I was doing it myself. It took a while but I eventually got it and then started instructing the new people on the ropes. Some of them struggled, some of them figured it out instantaneously but overall, everyone got it eventually. It was fun to try my hand at teaching and I think it really engrained the information in my head. After three hours of practice, I felt pretty satisfied as I sat on the ground and coiled up the ropes for another day. 

Events occurred: September 11, 2013

Paddling In The Darkness

Mike and I met at the Gear Shed once again, just before 5:30. We threw two paddles and two pfds in the back of his Forester, then loaded a canoe on his surf racks. We arrived at a put in about two thirds of the way down the path Nelson had outlined on the website. There weren't any other cars there but we made sure they had overnight parking. We piled into the canoe with a tent, our sleeping bags and pads, food and water, and a machete. We kept running through possible scenarios of our interaction with the rest of the trip when we caught up: have me run through the woods in the dark screaming while Mike chases me with the machete, use our southern redneck accents and enact a dialogue in which I try to convince Cletus (Mike) to leave them nice kids alone this time since Bertha (me) wasn't gonna clean up the mess this time, etc... We paddled through the darkness until we came upon a decent campground area after 11 PM and decided we would try again in the morning. We also kept talking about various what-ifs, such as the canoe breaking, since no one knew where we were.

So, Mike and I settled on our campground and set up the tent. We pulled all of our gear out of the canoe and then he tied it off to a nearby tree. The mosquitos were vicious, so I ducked into the tent almost immediately. Rather than bringing my thick down sleeping bag, I opted for my fleece liner and this was an excellent choice. The next morning, Mike's alarm started going off and he just kept hitting the snooze button, over and over. Eventually, we decided to give in and wake up. We broke down the tent and everything, packing up with the intention of heading farther upstream. At this point, I was extremely sore. We had paddle some 7 or 8 miles upstream the night before. We headed upstream again, trying to hunt them down. We came upon a boat ramp about a mile or two up river and pulled over. I stayed in the boat to watch the shore while Mike checked out the campground. No luck, so we got back in the boat. We kept paddling upstream, stopping a few times and tying off to a tree on the shore, waiting for them to emerge. We, again, had no luck. So we decided to go back downstream toward the car. 

Our paddling efforts virtually died off and we let the current carry us for a lot of the way back. We spotted tons of turtles and birds, a baby alligator, a not-so-baby alligator, and Mike saw a river otter (I missed it). Mike kept standing up to paddle rather than sitting. It looked really funny, especially since he was wearing his straw hat and his long sleeved shirt. As we approached Honey Isle campground, we heard tons of voices and got hopeful. Alas, it was just a bunch of local Floridians (five or more powerboats) jumping off of the rope swings and blasting country music. Suffice to say we paddled away as quickly as possible. Several powerboats drove past us, some slowing and others choosing not to do so.

We made it back to the car and loaded everything up, unsuccessful in our endeavor. We then decided to do some off roading in the Forester with the canoe on top. It was so much fun, especially because we were on roads with giant bumps and puddles. We did that for over an hour and then headed back to Gainesville. We had gone to the take out at Cypress, where we thought Nelson was headed but there were no signs of the trailer or any cars. We assumed they had beat us out but when we returned to the gear shed, the canoes still weren't back. It was strange indeed.

Events occurred: September 7-8, 2013

Oversleeping and Lake Wauburg

The following weekend I was signed up for yet another paddling trip, leaving Saturday at 8 AM and returning Sunday evening. Since I had no class on Friday, I spent the day in Jacksonville with my family. As I was driving back, Mike texted me to hang out and we ended up staying out until past 3 AM. Suffice to say, neither one of us made it for the 8 AM departure time. We decided to meet up at the Gear Shed at 11, grab a canoe, and catch up with the crowd. When we arrived at the Gear Shed however, we were both too exhausted to even fathom paddling. So, we each returned to our respective homes and wasted the day away.

I decided to go to Lake Wauburg to meet up with my friend Angela, who I hadn't seen since the previous April. We sat on the shore, talking and soaking up the sun for a few hours. Then, I went swimming at Lake Wauburg for the first time ever. Well, the first time ever intentionally, since I have fallen off of countless sailboats. The water was warm and murky but I didn't care. I was grateful that my day hadn't gone entirely to waste. Around 4:30 or so, I received a text from Mike about the paddling trip. He knew some coordinates for a put in on the Ocklawaha River, so we could try going upstream and intercepting them. I promptly left Wauburg and headed home to pack, with no idea what I was getting in to.

Events occurred: September 7, 2013

Day Paddle On The Suwannee

After the off roading adventure, I decided to take a break and spend some time in Jacksonville with my family. The following day, however, was Labor Day and thus it was school-free. So, the same band of merry idiots from the off roading trip decided to go out for a day paddle on the Suwannee River, anticipating horrible weather and general misery. 







Never before have I experienced such great weather for a paddling trip. We explored an old bridge covered in graffiti for a bit, then hopped in one canoe. Yes, all five of us were in one canoe. It was a tight squeeze and the boat barely cleared the water but we made it. We paddle upstream for a while, stopping off at some sand bluffs to swim. Then, we found a beach and stopped off for lunch. I had brought my inflatable shark and an inner tube. I blew them up, which took forever, and then we swam around with them. Mike, Logel, and Chelsea tried to escape with the boat and the shark but I grabbed the inner tube and dove in after them. Kelsey was right behind me. I caught up to the boat and flung myself over the side of the boat. We tied the inflatable shark off the back of the canoe with some paracord and Kelsey rode the shark most of the way back. We all relaxed, letting the current pull us. Then, we spotted the dark thunderclouds that we had anticipated and started to paddle toward shore, packing up the canoe and gear right as the rain started up. We made it out of there just in time.


That night, after a shower and sunburn assessment (I was disappointingly still pale), I headed over to Mike's apartment sans Kelsey. She supposedly had homework to do. Excuses, excuses. Mike and I played Halo on the XBox for about an hour when Logel showed up and took over for me. It was fun but I was pretty terrible at it. Chelsea soon joined and the two of us playing Halo was a disaster. We died every 10 seconds or so, getting lost and confused along the way. It was still a lot of fun but not my forte. 

Events occurred: September 2, 2013

Off Roading Becomes Boating

Rather than going on the trip to North Carolina that weekend, Mike, Kelsey, Chelsea, Logel and I decided to stay in town and embark on Florida-inspired adventures. We started off the weekend with a few rounds of foosball and XBox at Mike's apartment. I have since learned that I am terrible at both of these games. I can only play defense in foosball and even that is rather weak. I got really into the XBox zombie game we were playing but I also got injured and died a lot. It was still a blast (though kind of graphic).

The next morning, we met up at Logel's to go off roading in the Ocala National Forest. Apparently there are a bunch of jeep trails and Logel has a jeep. We drove around in the forest for a while before trying to cross a big puddle and getting stuck. Logel kept trying to get his jeep out but his tires were spinning, digging a deeper and deeper hole. Mike and I were both on the right side, where the wheels were digging in, and e both started to notice water coming through the door. Soon, we were up to our ankles in muddy swamp water. I tried to grab my belongings (a purse and backpack) but only managed to grab the purse. I also could only find one of my shoes, so I left them for dead and we all climbed out of Mike's window. I was barefoot, wet, dirty, and carrying an expensive leather purse. I was a walking contradiction. We all ate some lunch and then ventured toward cell service and civilization, my bare feet artfully stepping through pine needles and grass.

We happened upon a nearby farm and tried to get help. An older woman answered and let us into her home, offering water and a phone. We had already called AAA but the problem was that we were off the road. The woman called the owners of he farm in hopes that we could access our car more easily but no such luck. We finally started walking up the road, debating whether or not to hitchhike to Gainesville and hoping AAA would be able to help us.

Soon thereafter, a redneck in a huge SUV pulled up with his girlfriend, asking if we were waiting on AAA and stating he was there to save us. We hopped in the backseat and it didn't occur to me until later that he had actually been sent by AAA. We led him about two miles into the forest and he set up chains on Logel's jeep. Luckily for us, the jeep started up despite being submerged in water. We were able to get it out and headed toward Gainesville, bailing out all of the water and sitting in it for the ride home. 

Events Occurred: August 30-31, 2013

Shotgun Hole? Who Said That?

The first official meeting of the semester was held during the second week of classes for some reason, with a planned after meeting paddle. Our new president has been militant about recruiting and advertising, though usually OAR just lets people find it on their own. Thus, the first meeting was packed and the after meeting paddle was beyond full. Mike and I, as well as a few others, decided instead to lead a trip to Shotgun Hole, an OAR favorite. Our group was about 10 people and we had the rope ladder with us, since Mike had commandeered all of the vertical gear the previous weekend with the intention of leading vertical practice. 

I was really hesitant about Shotgun Hole. I had been so careful with my shoulder injury and had been feeling better but I wasn't sure if this trip would tip the scales and send me flying back to the doctor. I brought a set of vertical gear and rope just in case I couldn't climb the rope ladder. Luckily, it was unnecessary and after about an hour or so of swimming and paying around in Shotgun Hole, I sprinted up the rope ladder with ease, a successful test of my shoulder. 

Santa Fe Paddle: Can I Do Anything?

The next few months were a whirlwind of physical therapy, gym time, shopping, beach, and relaxing with my old high school friends. The most I exerted myself was bouncing between running and abs sessions at the gym and weights at physical therapy. I slowly regained my range of motion and started building up strength with weight training. By the time I returned to Gainesville, I was beyond ready to go on an OAR trip. The first trip of the semester was a paddle on the Santa Fe. I thought this would be the perfect way to ease back into adventure: if I couldn't paddle, the rest of my boat would take up the slack and I wouldn't have to carry any gear. It was also only a day trip so I was free to do whatever I wanted for the rest of the weekend.

My boat consisted of Michael, Carolanne, and Brice. We headed downstream, stopping of at countless springs to swim. We met Naked Ed, the legendary keeper of Lily Springs. I chose not to talk to him and therefore did not see any nakedness. Naked Ed is an old man who sits on a dock in front of the spring, completely naked, virtually every day. We played with a giant inflatable ball on the shore (away from Ed) and then headed further downstream. The wildlife was incredible; I don't think I've ever seen that many turtles in my entire life. We made it down in record time with two other boats. The others were about an hour behind, so we decided to leave for dinner and Gainesville, returning with some daylight still left.

Events occurred: August 24, 2013

Grand Tetons Part Seven: The Drive Home

The drive home was long and exhausting. We drove straight from Boulder to Missouri, with plans to stay at Liana's house near Fort Leonard Wood. She had no idea that Mike was with us so we decided to keep it a secret and surprise her. We convinced our other friend, Anna, to also come surprise Liana and met up with her just outside of Liana's neighborhood. Mike hopped in her car and they followed us. Logel and I emerged first and then a few minutes later, Mike and Anna pulled up. She was so excited that she jumped and screamed, leaping toward us eagerly. Soon thereafter, the five of us piled in Liana's car and went to buy some fireworks. We headed to an empty field to set them off. I am not much of a fireworks person. I like them in theory and I like them from a safe distance but setting them off freaks me out. Rather, I ran around with sparklers and danced in the darkness.

The next morning when we woke up, Anna had already returned home and Liana had already headed to base. We started another lengthy drive to Chattanooga. Logel drove most of the way while I was sprawled out in the back seat, wrapped in my fuzzy purple blanket. Mike commandeered it at one point so he could work on his computer without the harsh glare from the sun. When we arrived in Chattanooga, we dropped Logel off at his brother's and headed down to Sandy Springs, GA, just north of Atlanta. We stayed with Mike's aunt and uncle, who were very hospitable and generous. We were greeted with food, showers, and warm beds to sleep in. We woke up early the next morning and sped home. I made it back to Jacksonville with an hour to spare until my doctor appointment. The drive was mostly uneventful, hours of music peppered with random conversations. I was just glad to be home to start the healing process.

Events occurred: July 1-2, 2013

Grand Teton Part Six: Boulder and a Birthday

The next morning, we all woke up and started packing the car for the long drive home. At this point, we weren't exactly sure how it was going to shake out. Since it was my car that we had brought, I definitely knew that I was going home with my car. Logel was looking at cheap flights from Denver to Chattanooga, hopeful that he could send me home with Mike and still have some time in Colorado for himself. Mike was also looking at flights from Florida (Gainesville and Jacksonville) back to Colorado, since he had a flight from Denver to Albany booked on the 8th of July. There was also talk of my mom flying out to Wyoming or Colorado to drive me home because flying me back sans car was not an option. We drove down to Boulder to stay with some family friends, who coincidentally lived in the same neighborhood as Rachel, the Flatirons in their backyard. We arrived at night and the Inghams were kind enough to feed us. We then decided to meet Logel's friend Cole in Denver that night.

I was exhausted and full of painkillers for all of Colorado but I still had a pretty good time. We met Cole at a local microbrewery and sat outside on the patio, since I'm not yet 21. After that, we drove to a speakeasy that Cole had gotten us on the list for. It was so cool. In order to get in, you had to get on a list hours in advance. Then, they text you when there is room available and you have ten minutes to get there before they give away your spot, eliminating lines and hassle. It looked like a bookstore from the outside but this was just a front. As we walked in, the bouncer was passing notes through books. He noticed my sling and asked me about my injury, exchanging adventure mishap stories with me. They let us in the back and the book shelf swung open to reveal a restaurant and bar, styled like a 1920's saloon. The guys ordered fancy cocktails while I sipped away at my water, too young and too medicated. After that, they split a pizza at a nearby late-night pizza place and we headed back to Boulder.

The next day was Mike's 23rd birthday and I was much more enthusiastic about celebrating than he was. Logel and I took him out to brunch and then the three of us wandered around a few different outfitters in the area. Unfortunately, it was raining so our plans to hike in the Flatirons didn't come to fruition. We returned to the Inghams and relaxed. That late afternoon/early evening, Cole texted Logel and invited us all to come to a barbecue restaurant where he worked and his sister was the manager. Commence gluttony. We sat out on the porch upstairs, just us, Cole's girlfriend, his sister's boyfriend, and a rotating group of waiters and waitresses from the restaurant. The amount of food we ordered was obscene. Every type of meat imaginable with dessert on top of that. The dessert was incredible, a huge cookie sundae. When we got the bill, it had been reduced from over $100 to less than $40 and I was happy to chip in my portion and left a generous tip as well. Then, we went to Cole's place with him and his girlfriend and took over the neighborhood's hot tub for about an hour. The steaming water felt great against my shoulder. I think we all needed a hefty dose of relaxation after the stress of our trip. We then made it back the Inghams, gearing up for the rest of the car ride. 

Events occurred: June 29-30, 2013

Grand Teton Adventure Part Five: Exploring Jackson Hole

Though Mike and Logel had originally planned to leave me at the campground and go back to summit the Grand, I woke up after 7 to see them still with me. They realized I was in too much pain to be left isolated like that and we spent the day running around, filling my prescriptions and scheduling my orthopedic appointment for the following day. My parents, obviously in a panic with their youngest child off in the mountains injured, hunted down a hotel room for us in town, which my grandparents graciously paid for. As soon as we hit the hotel room, the three of us took turns showering and collapsing on the beds, enjoying the internet and air conditioning. 

The next morning, they woke up at 2 AM and headed back toward the mountains. They told me that they would be returning around 4 or 5 PM, so I checked out of the hotel and headed to my doctor appointment. Luckily, the hotel let me leave a majority of my stuff at the front desk so I didn't have to drag it all around. At this point, I was wearing a sling that I had gotten at the ER. My doctor at Teton Orthopedic was awesome. He brought me images of a normal shoulder and compared them to my x-ray, informing me that I had a stage 3 acromioclavicular tear. I spent at least 3 hours practicing how to say it so I wouldn't forget. Essentially, I tore my shoulder near my clavicle and I would be out of commission for a while. The doctor recommended that I return home as soon as I could, which I wasn't very enthusiastic about. Unfortunately for the guys, who had to deal with me through all this, I was alternating between loopy on medication and hysterical off medication. My dosage of painkillers was upped even further, alternating between 800 mg of Ibuprofen and 1000 mg of Tylenol every two hours and it was very obvious when one was about to wear off. I was barely getting through the day without it. While waiting for Mike and Logel, I wandered into every store in Jackson Hole within walking distance of the hospital and I also checked out several cafes. I went to the park to sit and read where I ran into a group of students on some sort of religious trip together. They were extremely nice and they talked to me about my injuries and about my connection with God pre and post fall. I spent about three hours with them before continuing to wander around. I also updated my mom about my injury and talked to my pediatric orthopedist, who recommended some adult orthopedists in Jacksonville for my return home.  

Around 6 PM or so, I was starting to freak out. I hadn't heard anything from Mike or Logel and my mind went to the darkest places, assuming they had fallen tragically to their deaths or been eaten by bears. I was on the phone with my mom for several hours, practically sobbing into the phone that something awful must have happened when she finally told me to get another night at the hotel, shower, and go to sleep. I eventually did this and texted the guys multiple times with no avail. I was really upset, worried sick that something had happened. I finally got a call from Mike around 10 or 11 PM that they were headed back and they returned around midnight. Everything was fine, it had just taken longer than anticipated and hey both apologized. I settled into bed and drifted off to sleep while they made plans for the next day to start heading home again. 

Grand Teton Adventure Part Four: No More Adventure for Me

The next morning, Logel decided to run down, sans gear, to the car and the Ranger Station with two goals in mind: 1) get some books for me to read while they tried to summit the Grand and 2) inform the Jenny Lake Rangers what happened and change our camping permit. Mike and I waited for a few hours at our campsite in the Meadows while he did that. Mike, somewhat distraught by what had happened to me, spent about three hours practicing with his ice axe on a snow slope that flattened out long before hitting rocks. He took falls in every direction and used his ice axe to slow down and stop himself, the way I should have had I not wasted so much time panicking. He then came and undressed my bandages, checking my left arm in particular. It was still in a lot of pain and bloody, but I refused to let him clean it. It was also swollen in a few distinct spots and my shoulder had really started to hurt. I noticed a notch at the end of my collarbone that hadn't been there before and Mike was concerned that I might have broken a bone or two.

Instead of going back immediately, however, I wanted to let them summit. I felt really guilty about having fallen before we even hit base camp and I didn't want to ruin the entire trip. Our first day was wasted with naps and relaxing while we waited for Logel to return. The guys woke up bright and early (around 3 AM I believe) to start their summit the next morning. I had gotten up and barely made it halfway through my first book before they were back, around noon. The weather had been awful and they had to turn back by the Lower Saddle, where they ran into Ranger Jack.  Additionally, Mike made my day so much better when I mentioned that I had lost my chap stick and he reached into his pocket and exclaimed "you mean this chap stick?" the same way he had done with my lens cap post-fall. We spent the day in the tent as it started raining and the winds picked up. The next day, they tried again only to turn back for weather again. In the mean time, I'd been having trouble sleeping and I had been unintentionally cradling my left arm, which Mike noticed. It concerned him and he told me that I should probably get down to the car and go to the emergency room. I was obstinate, again not wanting to ruin the trip for everyone. However, he told me that I had been mumbling in Greek in my sleep, usually a sign of stress for me, and that convinced me. 

When they returned after the second summit attempt, they informed me that they had left their pro at the Lower Saddle in a bear box and that we were headed down. I tried carrying my pack on one shoulder but it was horribly uncomfortable and scary as we crossed snow and boulders that we had to scramble over. Logel took my pack and Mike took me, helping with all of the scrambling and letting me lean on him as we crossed any snow. I was terrified of it, especially the last stretch of snow we had to cross. At that point, Mike and Logel had switched responsibilities and Logel was trying to coax me across only 20 or so feet of snow. I was sobbing again, terrifying a group of small children that were on the other side and about to cross that snow with their dad. I had a minor breakdown but once I got to the other side and calmed down, I was ok. Mike decided to sprint ahead, since he was hiking faster than both of us and could drop his pack at the car and return for mine. He took off while Logel and I trailed behind. Logel's knee was starting to give him issues and the strap on his pack had broken, so I took my pack and threw it over my right shoulder, tightening the waist belt as much as possible. Mike had made me a makeshift sling out of my down jacket, which was hot but helpful. I hiked down as quickly as possible, constantly hoping I would run into Mike sooner than later. Logel was about 30 minutes behind me, struggling with his broken pack. I ran into a guy with crutches and spoke to him briefly about our respective injuries. Soon after that, I spotted Mike and a wave of relief washed over me. I gave him my pack and he gave me the car keys. He headed up to find Logel and I tore off for the car. 

As soon as we all made it back, we went to the emergency room in Jackson Hole. I had just consumed a 32 ounce bottle of Gatorade but I was still dehydrated and weak. They saw me almost immediately and put me in my own room. I was given warm blankets and more Gatorade. I was so dehydrated that they considered giving me an IV. Instead, they wheeled me to the x-ray machines and snapped several shots of my shoulder; nothing was broken but they recommended for me to see an orthopedist as soon as possible, preferably within the next few days. They also coated my left arm in lidocaine and gave me some vicodin, scrubbing my arm clean and bandaging it with a sleeve typically used for burn victims. I was loopy shortly thereafter (my typical reaction to vicodin) and vaguely remember talking to my mom and picking up a business card for the local orthopedic practice. We then headed to a campground for the night and I passed out in the backseat.

Events occurred: June 24-26, 2013

Grand Teton Adventure Part Three: The Beginning of the End

We arrived in Wyoming very late on Sunday night/Monday morning, camping in a wilderness area that Logel had researched. We parked and set up the tent for the night; I passed out immediately. The next morning, we were woken up by a blast of country-esque music coming from a truck nearby. We approached our fellow camper with hesitation. He greeted us warmly and invited us by his fire for some coffee. He was an older gentleman, probably in his 60's or 70's and he spent his time traveling around the country camping. I gratefully took some of his coffee and it was delightfully strong and served black, the way I like it. We started talking to him about our plans and he told us about some cool places he had been before. When he started talking about climbing Olympus in Greece, I got giddy and Logel poked me, explaining to the man that I was Greek. He then introduced himself as Odysseus and I almost lost it, I was so excited. We soon packed up our stuff and headed for Jackson Hole and the Jenny Lake Ranger Station in the Grand Tetons.

We pulled up at Jenny Lake and I emerged, still in my pajamas, to the stares of countless tourists. We headed to the Ranger Station and met some of the coolest rangers I'd ever encountered. We primarily talked to Ranger Jack and discussed our weeklong plans with him. They gave us our permits and we drove over to the trailhead. It took us about an hour or two to explode our stuff and pack for the trip. I was carrying all the trad pro on my back, jingling with every step. The hike to our campsite was short (only 5 or 6 miles) but steep. The elevation got to me almost immediately and I chugged my entire liter of coconut water within the first hour. I also borrowed Logel's trekking poles (I have since bought my own) and he used sticks, which helped immensely.

I was finally getting back to my normal hiking self when we started crossing snow. I had never had to do that before while carrying such a heavy pack, about 50 or 60 pounds. The guys taught me how to kick into the snow properly with my boots but I was struggling by the third stretch of snow. My boots were too narrow and I was starting to get blisters already. I have since replaced those as well, which was an excellent decision. Though I'd had them for over a year, they had never quite fit right, creating many blisters and other issues in the past. We passed the first campground and headed up even steeper snow toward ours. I was quickly instructed how to use an ice axe and then we headed up. As we were traversing a snow field that was at about a 45 degree angle, I started to panic. Mike, who was first, had realized we were too close to the waterfall on our left and the snow and ice were really thin, dumping into a swift underground stream. I couldn't help myself, but I became so freaked out that I started tearing up. Logel asked me if I was laughing or crying and was dismayed to learn it was the latter. I was exhausted and my feet were killing me. I was having so much trouble kicking steps into the snow and it felt like such a steep climb. I started to slip and caught myself a few times. Then, I didn't. It started slowly. I just fell to my knees and could feel them slipping down the snow and ice. I tried to use my ice axe but I couldn't get the right angle. Next thing I knew, I was sliding even farther and faster. I panicked. I screamed that it wasn't working as I tried shoving my ice axe into the snow. I finally turned it on its side and started self-arresting but I was going too fast. I couldn't believe I was falling. I kept thinking to myself that this was it, I was done for. I slid roughly 80 feet down the snow and ice before I hit the rocks. To quote Mike and Logel, I ragdolled down the rest of it, banging against 20 feet worth of rocks and gravel before I finally stopped on my back like a turtle.

Once I stopped, Logel leapt down toward me, with Mike following soon thereafter. Luckily for me, they are both EMTs and they both knew what to do. I hardly remember what happened but I was hysterical. I kept screaming that I wanted to go home and I was covered in blood and road rash. I was also freezing cold, since I had slid down so much snow in ice wearing nothing but and old crew unisuit. My left arm was particularly mangled, drenched in blood and swollen in various spots. Logel gave me his down jacket and tried to assess my injuries. Unfortunately, I was in too much shock to focus on my injuries. I cried about my camera, which was missing a lens cap (no big deal, but as I said, I was hysterical). I cried over my lost sunglasses. I cried over my tight boots. I was extremely unhelpful for Logel but it was entirely understandable since I had just suffered through a fairly traumatic experience. Luckily for everyone, I landed right near the trail to the first campsite. There were some other campers nearby that helped the guys gather my stuff and Logel helped me walk down. Fortunately, my legs weren't broken, just bruised and bloody. I sobbed everytime we had to cross snow but Logel helped me through it like a champ. Mike followed closely behind, gathering the belongings of mine that had been strewn down the mountain. 

When we got to the campsite, Logel and Mike started cleaning me up and conducting a further evaluation of my injuries. Most everything appeared to be a surface wound, except my left arm that was so mangled and in so much pain that I wouldn't let them touch it or clean it out. I continued to sob about my camera but Mike checked it and it still functioned, just a few minor scratches on the lens. Also, as I lamented over my lost lens cap (such a priority compared to everything else, I was so out of it), Mike reached into his pocket and pulled it out, exclaiming "you mean this lens cap?" I was ecstatic. They forced me to eat and drink water and put me to bed, trying to work out a plan for the next day and the rest of the trip.

Events occurred: June 23, 2013  

Grand Teton Adventure Part Two: Whitewater Rafting in CO

I only vaguely remember the drive to Boulder since I was curled up in a little ball in the backseat, dead asleep. We drove to a former OAR member's house (Rachel) near the Flatirons. The mountains were gorgeous, so Mike, Logel, and I decided to go on a short hike. We ended up at a playground and sat around on the swings for a while. I was still tired, so I just kept spinning myself around in circles on the swing. We headed back to Rachel's and followed her and her friends to the Poudre River, where we were camping for the night and whitewater rafting in the morning. Unfortunately, the group was so large that I had trouble keeping all the names straight, though I know that our raft guide was named Ryan and Rachel's girlfriend was named Molly. They had brought food, so we chipped in for that and the raft rentals and spent the night by the fire. 

The next morning, we woke up and hopped on the first run down the river. We thought the Poudre was only a class 3 so you can only imagine our surprise when we discovered that it had class 4 and 5 rapids. Our guide, despite getting thrown from the boat a few times, was excellent. He had never guided this particular river before and considering the difficulty of the rapids, he did a great job getting us through the thick of it. I only had one close call; I flipped backwards but my leg and feet were wedged so far and so tightly under the middle bar that I didn't end up in the river. I also kept falling into the middle of the boat for some reason, but that wasn't a huge deal. 
 

Additionally, we also saved a kayaker, who had been apart of our camping group. He reclaimed his boat but, alas, his expensive paddle was gone for good. The river was beautiful, carving through steep canyons. Unfortunately, however, it was snow-fed and therefore very cold. Mike and I were both freezing, especially when we were in the shade. Nonetheless, we had a blast and we all survived the run. It took us several hours though so by the time we got back to the camp, we no longer felt like climbing. We had noticed some routes while we were on the river but it was getting late and we needed to head for Wyoming. We watched the second run and then packed up again for a seven hour trek.

Events occurred: June 21-22, 2013

Grand Teton Adventure Part One: The Drive

After a rough summer semester of work, 9 credit hours' worth of online classes, and constantly babysitting my older nephew while my younger nephew was born, I was finally ready for an OAR-esque adventure. So, I decided to embark on a cross country road trip to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming with Mike and Logel for a mountaineering adventure. Mike was already out West for Geology Field Camp in New Mexico and Logel was in North Carolina, where he lived until about a month ago. Logel and I decided to meet in Chattanooga and drive to Colorado, where Mike would hitchhike to meet us. I drove up 7 hours by myself, stopping in Macon, GA for dinner and Starbucks with my cousin Courtney and her husband, Jeff. I spent a few hours with them before trekking on to Chattanooga. I met Logel at his brother's house, meeting even more Logels, including his nieces and nephew. We checked out his new mountaineering tent and set it up in the backyard. I also flipped through some of Logel's mountaineering books.



The next day, we headed to Guitar Center so Logel could sell some of his music equipment before the trip for fast cash and we also met up with JB, a random guy Logel found on Craig's List RideShare. He had been at Bonnaroo and lost all of his money somehow, so he was paying us $40 for a ride to Colorado. I was hesitant about picking up a complete stranger but he was really nice and he just slept in the back the entire ride. I drove the first shift, through Kentucky traffic that Logel's phone routed us around and St. Louis, where I accidentally missed an exit. We stopped off at a gas station in Missouri to meet up with Anna, who I had originally met at Logel's house over winter break. We also stopped near Fort Leonard-Wood, where Liana is stationed in the Army, to meet up with her for dinner. We went to this amazing authentic German restaurant. The food was delicious and the owner was extremely friendly. Soon after that, we took off for Kansas. Luckily for me, Logel drove through the misery that was Kansas. Not only was it boring, flat, and straight but it was also that absolute worst time of day. I slept for a few hours in the passenger seat and when I woke up, I talked Logel through some of the drive.


Around sunrise, we pulled over for gas in Kansas and I took another turn driving. I was somewhat delirious but the coffee helped. I drove us straight to Denver, where we dropped off JB at REI and spent some time at the flagship. By this point, I was beyond delirious. I passed out on one of the display cots at REI and made Logel drive the rest of the day. We went to Garden of the Gods while waiting for Mike, who we had been tracking via GPS on my phone. We finally got an address from him in Colorado Springs and met him at a Carl's Jr. He looked miserable. Apparently he had been hitchhiking from Texas and he had spent the night near the border of Texas and either New Mexico or Oklahoma. He slept in a ditch and was picked up by a trucker the next morning, who took him all the way to Colorado Springs. The three of us piled in the car and headed to Boulder, CO for the next leg of the trip.

Events occurred: June 19-21, 2013

The Return to Bob's

As I've mentioned numerous times before, Bob's River Place on the Suwannee is a magical place. When my friend Chris returned home from MIT for the summer, he brought back two friends, Adam and Leslie. Neither of them had experienced Florida before so Chris set out to show them the best of Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. Obviously, this meant a trip to Bob's. Since there were six of us (me, Chris, Leslie, Adam, Lloyd, and Ryan), we piled into my mother's mini van and headed west. 

We arrived at Bob's and immediately headed for the rope swings. The slides were also open this time, unlike the first time I went to Bob's when most everything was closed down. I finally faced my fears and attempted to jump off of Demon, the highest rope swing. Luckily, it was a total success. Everyone shouted for me to jump at the perfect moment, when he swing reached its peak and, despite my intense fear, I let go and dropped into the water. The water rushed up so quickly, pulling my hair towards the surface. I emerged and started swimming as quickly as possible toward the shore, since the current was swift and I saw the kid behind me in line getting ready to jump. I also braved the slides for the first time. The taller one was actually less intense because the end of it was about a foot or so off the water. Therefore, you just slide right off the end and into the water. The other one, however, ended in the water because the water levels on the river were so high. Thus, as I was sliding down, gaining speed, I just abruptly stopped while still on the slide. Not the most comfortable...

While at Bob's, we also played beach volleyball. The court had been filled with water and we were all terrible. I had difficulty playing because of my past shoulder injury but that was mostly just an excuse; None of us could really play. We cheered at the thought of keeping the ball in the air for multiple passes and eventually gave up. At some point, Cameron met up with us from Orlando and we all took turns trying to cross Bob's log roll and battling each other. We also partook in karaoke, joined by a random little girl who was at Bob's with her family and really liked to sing Taylor Swift. We stayed at Bob's until he closed down at six and then we headed to get dinner. While driving home, Chris and I noticed that the van was shaking a bit more than normal but I knew that it shook at higher speeds so I ignored it. I discovered the next morning, when my mom drove it and realized something was wrong, that one of the tires had separated and we almost lost a tire on the highway. I have since learned to pay more attention to cars.