soar blog ex 4 jake

Soar 2014 4/21/14 blog jake

This expedition was a team building ex, because it was a paddle trip down a river with rapids.  Your boat partner and you have to work as a team to get through it, and to keep yourself safe and others. For example, you were going down a fast moving river and you’re on class 2 rapids going fast. That has to build trust with your boat partner. There was crazy lightning storms and rain. We had to set up and take down camp quickly to make time goals. There were also huge paddle days like the first day that was 19 miles, but went fast because we were on a river. That sums up ex 4.

Oliver's student led blog

                                                            Blog

       The student led trip was a lot of fun because we got to canoe the Buffalo River in Arkansas. We were mostly on class two rapids. We stayed at campsites along the way and had good times. One night Fuller and I were messing around with toads and it was humorous. Our trip was cut short all because of bad weather. At the Woolum campsite was where the bad weather kicked in. Me and the three other guys decided to go hardcore and not to use a tent. We slept under a tarp tied to two canoe paddles. We made a wind barrier with our dry bags. We managed to stay dry throughout the night. There was heavy rain, thunder and lightning that night. We went into the lightning pose several times throughout the night. The storm made the water level rise to a dangerous depth. The next morning we drove to Tyler’s bend and spent two nights there. The group ate smores that night and those were tasty. I enjoyed our trip even though there was bad weather. The student led trip was a good one.

The Last EX By Fuller Schwab

The last ex

By Fuller Schwab

I can’t believe it’s already over but I miss home so much. This expedition we went rock climbing, canoeing, caving, university tours, and explored Memphis. I climbed a 5.10 and tore up my hands. For Trey’s birthday we saw a movie and then went out to eat BBQ and of course he got a rack of ribs bigger than his face. Then we got to go canoeing on the Buffalo and it was epic except for the night at Woolum when there was a lightning storm all night long and the next day the river was flooded so we couldn’t go. Next we went caving with Chester and there were bat s everywhere. There was even an endangered species there. After that we explored Memphis and even got a university tour. Then we drove back to North Carolina.

Last blog of the semester :( by trey Mitchell

For our last ex we went to the Buffalo river in Arkansas. Before we went to Gee Creek in Tennessee. We were supposed to climb there but it rained. So we went to a climbing gym in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After that we went to a movie for my birthday and then we went to a place called sticky fingers.

The next day we traveled 10 hours to the Buffalo river. We got to our campsite pretty late. The next day we went on a hike to a cave. That was cool. Then we did some school after that. Then we went to a historic house and barn.
The next day we went to our campsite that we were going to set off at. When we got there we packed everything we needed for our canoeing part. The next day we paddled out. J    

Erika~Buffalo River

Buffalo River

I must admit I was very unhappy about going on this expedition because I hate canoeing. It turned out to be a very great expedition though. We went indoor rock climbing at high point. It was my first time going rock climbing of any sort. We then saw Captain America 2 for Trey's birthday and got like 50 free movie posters thrown at us. When we arrived at the Buffalo I must say it was breathtaking. The water was a beautiful shade of bluish green. We only canoed two days, thank God…then we ate pizza and ice cream to celebrate our final expedition. We also went caving and saw hundreds of bats. They’re so cute! Then our final stop was Memphis, TN. We went on a tour of Memphis University and the next day we went to pay our respect to the king at Graceland. It was an amazing end to a surprisingly enjoyable expedition.

The COSTA RICA EX YEE HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Trey Mitchell

For our 3rd ex we went to Costa Rica. We left for Costa Rica on the 13th of march at 4:15 am. We left from the Atlanta airport to go San Jose, Costa Rica.  The Atlanta Airport is about 3 hours away from base camp. After we landed in San Jose we went through customs and other airport stuff. After that we went to the backpackers hostel and we stayed there one night. The next day we went La Fortuna and we did horseback riding and zip lining. We also went to pools and some hot springs. We stayed there for 3 days. After La Fortuna we went to Quepos. In Quepos we went on a nature walk and we also went surfing. Surfing was really fun. We stayed in Quepos for 2 days and 3 nights. After Quepos we went back to San Jose for our last day in Costa Rica.

Alan Meyer Cost Rica Blog

Costa Rica was a pretty awesome experience for me. I had been there once before but even though I had already been there I got to try new things. For example, I learned lot more about Costa Rica and its bananas. I also learned a lot about its wildlife and all of its flora around Costa Rica. Another example was that I got to haggle with the street vendors and the shopkeepers. The cool thing about Costa Rica is that a lot of places don’t have set prices like the USA does. There is more room to haggle or make a good deal. I learned that you don’t have to speak the same language to communicate, and that sometimes you can get by with just using hand gestures and minimal Spanish. So anyways, on this trip to Costa Rica I learned a lot sof important lessons from both the people that I already know and random strangers.

Costa Rica ~Erika

Costa Rica. If you’ve never been there then you’re missing out. I’ve never seen a place so beautiful and diverse. There are mountains, oceans, volcanoes and city. It’s hard to choose which I liked more so I wont.

            Our first stop was San Jose where we stayed at the backpackers hostile for a night. There were a bunch of hammocks, which was nice, that night we went to the markets to buy food. The next morning we had pastries, which I soon realized we would have for most of our breakfasts.

            Our next stop was La Fortuna. On our way there we had casadas, which is this delicious dish consisting of rice, beans, plantains, some type of meat and veggies. In la Fortuna we went horseback riding to an overlook of the volcano. Then after a long and tiring day of horseback riding we went to the hot springs to relax. The next day we went zip lining through the rainforest. It was even more fun them when we went in North Carolina. My favorite part of this part of the trip was the volcano. I’ve never seen something so beautiful. I probably stared at it for an hour straight just because a photo couldn’t do it justice.

            Our almost last stop was Quepos/Manuel Antonio. This was the beach part of our trip. It was probably my favorite part of the trip. The Pacific Ocean was so clear and warm. Also I got to see so many adorable sloths, which are kind of my spirit animal so it was a pretty big deal. We also got to stay at the hotels so it was pretty luxurious. The hotel was called El Mono Azul, which means the blue monkey. We also got to eat at this restaurant that was a plane. It was a really nice restaurant with really good food. I wore my new sarong that I bought to the restaurant. I think I spent all my money and I bought all my stuff speaking the language of my people (Spanish)

            My most favorite part of this trip, which made the trip 100x better was our tour guide Willy. He has such a passion for his country that it can’t help but rub off on you. I loved that he sacrificed his vacation time to spend with us because it shows how great of a person he is. Also he has a daughter that looks just like me. Overall Costa Rica was one of the best, actually it was the best.

Expedition 3 by Fuller Schwab

This expedition we went to Costa Rica. Our first day we stayed in a hostel and explored San Jose. The next day we drove to LA Fortuna and had casadas for lunch then got settled in our cabanas. The next day we went horseback riding and after riding horses we went to the hot springs. The next day we went zip lining and then we went shopping then after shopping we went to a swimming hole that was super fun. The next day we traveled to Quepos and got settled in our hotel. The next day we hiked a nature trail that led to the ocean and then we swam and shopped for the remainder of the day. The next day we headed to the beach then swam and surfed all day. The next day we headed back to the hostel in San Jose and explored around the city again. The next day we flew back to America.

Getting scuba certified

So this expedition we went to the keys. The first thing we did was start scuba school with JB (Janis Broadwater) the scuba momma. Then we got into the pool and started practicing procedures and getting used to the gear. Then the next day we took a big test that we all aced. Then the day after that we took a boat out to the coral reefs and went under water to scuba dive. We practiced a bunch of procedures and followed JB around and she showed us around the reef a bit. We also saw a goliath grouper under the boat but I was freezing my butt off. Then the next day which was the big day where we prove our selves as responsible scuba divers. That day we took like an under water test and while I was waiting for others to finish I explored the area and I loved it. And when we were about to practice navigation we saw a sting ray. Then the next day we graduated and took are pics for are licenses.  We also saw swimming mermaids that would go on land and eat the poor birds that were unaware of its presence. It was gory and awesome!!

Alana Meyer Blog Feb 25, 2014 ex 2

On advocating for yourself and your needs:
     This expedition in particular I felt like I should have advocated for some more time to talk. I also feel that even though I did advocate, we were so busy getting scuba certified that it was tricky fitting it in even at the end of the day. I had a lot of stuff to talk about and I did not get enough time to talk about all the issues that I was having. I think that I just needed a good talk to vent and get everything off of my chest.
      Next time I should probably advocate more specifically for what I need, when I would need it, and how someone can help me. I wanted to talk however everything sorta started building up and everything just ended up exploding at the end of the expedition. Next time I need to talk to someone I will, and I will not push away my feelings, meaning bottling them up.
       I think that I will try and practice that both this base phase and next expedition. It is an important skill to learn and by talking to people the stress does not build up in me.

Keys trip with scuba:)

For our second ex we went the Keys. When we got to the keys we stayed at a KOA. The KOA had a bait shop with a dock to fish of off. There was also a pool with hot tub but it was closed. When we got there is was 74 degrees and sunny. On the second day it was sunny till the evening and then it started to storm. When we got to the back 40 which was the place in the KOA that we stayed at and the boys got into the tent and girls did something else. The storm was scary and the winds were really strong. The same day we did some of the tests for scuba diving. The next it was still pretty cloudy and a little chilly in the morning. We did our two confined dives to practice the skills we learned. The person’s name who we did scuba diving with was named JB and she was really cool and she helped me through a lot of things. When we were under water I freaked out on some things and she helped me through it. 

jakes blog keys

Jake.l soar blog 2013 the keys

 

This expedition was amazing!!!!! We got to fish, and went scuba diving and snorkeling at Looe key coral reef, and went lobstering  at the blowout.  We went to crazy restaurants like No Name Pub, and the Hungry Tarpon. We went to the turtle hospital. I saw tons of awesome fish like Lion Fish, Midnight Parrot Fish, Goliath Grouper, Damsel Fish Spotted Eagle Rays. We also got hit by a crazy storm. There was lots of lightning like heat lightning and tons of rain.

Getting scuba certified

So this expedition we went to the keys. The first thing we did was start scuba school with JB (Janis Broadwater) the scuba momma. Then we got into the pool and started practicing procedures and getting used to the gear. Then the next day we took a big test that we all aced. Then the day after that we took a boat out to the coral reefs and went under water to scuba dive. We practiced a bunch of procedures and followed JB around and she showed us around the reef a bit. We also saw a goliath grouper under the boat but I was freezing my butt off. Then the next day which was the big day where we prove our selves as responsible scuba divers. That day we took like an under water test and while I was waiting for others to finish I explored the area and I loved it. And when we were about to practice navigation we saw a sting ray. Then the next day we graduated and took are pics for are licenses.  

Florida Keys- Erika

Erika DeBrabander

2/24/14

They keys have been so memorable. I did the same expedition last year, but I didn’t have that great of a time. This expedition is mostly based around getting your scuba certification. Well last year I had a panic attack my first dive which made the experience pretty lousy. This year I pushed through my anxieties and fears and discovered how unique and beautiful being underwater is. Needless to say I completed the course and got my open water certification. I never thought something I detested so much would become something I love. Maybe I’m too excited about it but it’s just a reminder that life gives you second chances for a reason. I was given a second chance to scuba dive and I took it and it turned out that scuba diving and being underwater was exactly what I needed. It turned all my worries and anxieties into just thoughts. They were thoughts that didn’t matter underwater because I’m in a whole new world.

expedition 1 by Fuller.s

Expedition 1

This expedition we went to the Ever Glades and paddled for five days with one rest day. Let me tell you what happened on this ex. So first we paddled to the Lopez River. Then we did some school work about Watsons place, and apparently there was a man who lived there named Mr. Watson and he would have people work for him but when they asked for their pay he would kill them and bury them on his land. Then the next day we paddled to Mr. Watsons place and it was a really pretty place and it wasn’t that bad.

Also by this time I made a special raccoon defense system that I can tell you about later. So that night we ran into the problem that the tides where really bad so we had to stay longer. So the next day we did not paddle. We had a rest day. So we did a bunch of school and went fishing and explored. But you see we caught this fish and we were dissecting it for science but then all the sudden there was this creepy choking sound in the woods and all the trees where rustling. It was big and strong and it got closer and closer and then everything stopped and then it was silent. We heard it again that night and the next day we left for Rabit Key.

At Rabit Key we got a bunch of school done and we went fishing. Then the next day we paddled to picnic key and that night the raccoons were bad. But that night they didn’t get a single drop of water or crumb of food. This is how we did it and that night the raccoons where hungry.

<                                                     this was supposed to be a pic of a canoe on top of our stuff but the pic didn't com over to blogger :(

                                                                 

The next day we paddled back to the ranger station and started traveling back home. The next day we swam with manatees and it was awesome. They would just love allover you and it was adorable but Sam cheated because he had lettuce in his pocket. The next day we went to manatee springs and we did a service project which was cleaning sea lettuce out of the springs. Also that night we were doing our regular nighttime roles and I was cooking diner but then I heard a rustling in the grass and it just kept getting closer. So I was freaking out thinking it was a boar. So I hopped on top of the trailer to see what it was and then everybody came over. Sam even had his knife out and then a little armadillo popped out of the bushes and stared at us and started running away, and we chased him for a little and we got back to what we were doing. Then the day after that we were on the road back to base.