Fall Extra-Day Trips: In Their Own Words

Like riding, camping is both an end and a means. As they are introduced to the outdoor fundamentals of wilderness safety, map reading, food preparation, minimum impact camping, and other backpacking skills, students also come to appreciate the complementary and mutually interdependent values of individual self-reliance and cooperative teamwork; enhance their connection with and sensitivity to the natural world; and, not least, are encouraged to develop a love of the fun, comradeship, and beauty of camping which will remain with them throughout their lives.

But the best argument for camping just might come from the campers themselves when they are fresh off the trail. This fall, as we normally do, Thacher dispersed dozens of SUVs packed with students, faculty members, and gear to trailheads (and a few beachheads) across the state. The freshmen and their prefects go to Thacher’s Golden Trout Encampment in the Eastern Sierra. The rest of the school divides into small, mixed-class groups to pursue itineraries designed to offer something for everyone, from ambitious trans-Sierra trips where daily hiking distances can exceed 20-miles to sailing and sea kayaking to horse packing. Destinations this year included Yosemite, the Channel Islands, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, the Gaviota Coast, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and the Sespe Wilderness.

What did they get out of it? To give you an idea, we asked the returning campers to answer a few questions. Here are some of their responses.

• Hiking with a really heavy backpack (Charlotte Driscoll ‘16)
• Our last day's hike of 26 miles! (Elizabeth Mahoney CdeP 1988, faculty)
• What challenged me the most was having to acclimate to the altitude, whilst enduring an intense hike. (Elizabeth Zhang ‘16)
• My group and I climbed Mt. Langley, about an eleven mile round trip. To be honest, it was probably the most physically demanding thing I've ever done. (Cole Anderson ‘16)
• There was a fire on our trail the day before we left. We didn't know about it until we got there and found the trail closed. We made up a new route from scratch-- only to find that the trails had changed significantly since the maps were made! This created a difficult but sort of fun adventure feel to start out our trip. (Aaron Snyder, faculty)
• Low water levels made using our fancy new gravity-based filter a wee bit challenging. (David Harris, faculty)
• I had severe difficulty breathing during the first two days of the EDT. However, I pushed through and was able to pack about five miles uphill to my campsite at Cottonwood Lake Four on day one and to hike up Old Army Pass and about a third of the way up Mt. Langley on day two. I then had a great rest of the trip. (Colin Troughton ‘16)
• The backpacking to the camp, and from the camp to our second campsite. (John Kern ‘16)
• What challenged me was always being prepared for what the weather brought us. For example on our daily hike in Golden Trout, we were up at the top of the mountain when it started to rain heavily and the wind was making us all go numb. Due to the fact that none of us had our packs or thought to bring pants, we were all stuck on top in shorts and jackets. The next time, it began to hail, but this time I was prepared with my rain jacket and pants in my pack. (Morgana Van Peebles ‘16)
• The day hike up New Army Pass (Elliot Schiff ‘16)

• I enjoyed sleeping outside more than sleeping inside. (Elliot Schiff ‘16)
• I was surprised by the quality of the food we had while camping. (John Kern ‘16)
• What surprised me was definitely the food, I did not expect it to be so tasty and amazing. (Elizabeth Zhang ‘16)
• How tough our kids are--they didn't complain even with blisters and sores. (Elizabeth Mahoney CdeP 1988, faculty)
• I was surprised at how nice everyone was, at how everyone was always willing to contribute, and at the great bonding experience that took place in Golden Trout and in our Prefect group. I knew that the Thacher community would be welcoming but I never knew that on the first day we would all already feel like family. (Morgana Van Peebles ‘16)
• It surprised me that when I had to flip my Kayak I survived. (Stella Frank ‘15)
• A bear! We looked up and saw that it was around 20 yards away, but thankfully, it had no interest in us. (Aaron Snyder, faculty)
• When I saw that my trip was mostly sophomores I was very nervous, but it turns out that I actually got along really well with all of them, and we have camp reunion dinners all the time now. (Emiliano Vargas ‘13)
• What surprised me was what I could achieve when I set my mind to it. All the students and faculty were very supportive and motivational while we were hiking. No matter how much pain you were in they kept pushing you because they believed in you and knew you could do it. It helped me realize I can accomplish anything if I really want it. (Krista Cabrera ‘16)
• How good MacDonald's can actually be after a week in the wilderness (Charlotte Driscoll ‘16)

• I learned that the Sierra Nevadas are full of only three main types of trees. (John Kern ‘16)
• How to identify different types of animals' scat. (Charlotte Driscoll ‘16)
• The location of a spectacular campsite on the Forks of the Kern. (Aaron Snyder, faculty)
• To listen to my instinct. (Elizabeth Mahoney CdeP 1988, faculty)
• I learned that Frank Hernandez (my prefect) elbowed me in the face, which didn't wake me up, then he said sorry, which woke me up, and I promptly said "okay." (Elliot Schiff ‘16)
• We learned a lot about other cultures through group discussions. (David Harris, faculty)
• To always help friends out because when you need them, they are always there for you. (Morgana Van Peebles ‘16)
• I learned tons of marine biology. (Emma Rogowski ‘15)
• That going through this experience has made me stronger, and made me see the amazing nature of Golden Trout. (Elizabeth Zhang ‘16)
• It's not about how many miles you travel with a pack, but the friendships you make on the trail and in camp. (Brandon Doyle, faculty)
• That there was a large pouch for my sleeping bag at the bottom of the backpack. (Irene Limb ‘13)
• I learned that pooping in a hole is the best way to poop, hands down (no pun intended). (Douglas Klink ‘16)

• The best moment of the trip for me was when we saw the great view over Owen's Valley. (John Kern ‘16)
• Getting lost with my group and talking/laughing the whole way. (Sarah Voss ‘16)
• Our day hike to Owens Point and Windy Gap: We saw big horn sheep and a score of less dramatic fauna and flora! (Jake Jacobsen, faculty)
• By far the sunset we saw the first night in Smugglers cove. (Joe Walton ‘13)
• My favorite moment of the trip was bonding around the campfire while Nan and the other senior prefects played music. (Elsabet Jones ‘16)
• The best moment of my trip was sitting around the campfire the first night at Golden Trout while Nan sang. (Casey Gaughan ‘16)
• The best moment of my trip was sitting around the campfire at golden trout and listening to Nan sing! (Margaret Troast ‘16)
• One of the best moments was just sitting around the campfire. Where everyone was singing along to Nan on the guitar, and how everyone just felt at home and that they belonged. (Morgana Van Peebles ‘16)
• The look of amazement on my group's face when they spotted the Big Horn sheep. (Karleanne Rogers, faculty)
• When a pair of dolphins popped up and swam right through our mob of kayaks. (Olivia Simonson ‘14)
• Too many to mention but getting to know the kids at various moments. That or seeing the naked man who just walked along the Kern with nothing but his down jacket and headed off trail into the unknown. (Elizabeth Mahoney CdeP 1988, faculty)
• The entire trip was great, but one of the moments that stands out was sailing back from Santa Cruz with dolphins swimming on our bow wave for roughly ten minutes. The entire crew of students congregated up on the bow to watch and enjoy the special moment together. (Bob St. George, faculty)
• I went camping with the freshmen girls at Golden Trout in the Sierra Nevada. The last night, right before hopping in with five other girls into a four person tent, we decided to stay out and look at the stars. We chatted about what an amazing day it was: summiting the Mesa, spending time with another prefect group, laughing. And then, out of nowhere, a beautiful shooting star fell from the sky. The freshman I was sitting next to and I exclaimed at how gorgeous and brilliant it was, and, of course, we made a wish. (Nan Macmillan ‘13)
• Having great conversations in our tents while caught in the rain. (Charlotte Driscoll ‘16)
• Best moment was shooting the natural waterslide in the Tuolumne River in Yosemite... for 7 seconds (twice) I felt 16 again. (Chris Vyhnal, faculty)
• I had the most fun jumping off a cliff into a Yosemite pool with a girl who I would have never met if not for the great EDT's! (Marissa Lopez ‘15)
• Jumping off of a 30 foot rock with new friends (Skylar Lewis ‘15)
• The best moment was definitely squeezing in the tent and chatting with the girls, it was an amazing bonding experience. (Elizabeth Zhang ‘16)
• Seeing, without a doubt, that all the new sophomores were happy. Also, the opportunity to observe the best student leadership I have ever witnessed out of one of our seniors. (Aaron Snyder, faculty)
• After a nice day of sailing, guitar, singing, and s’mores around a campfire on the beach. (Truman Hanks ‘14)
• The best moment of the trip was when we reached the top of the Mesa, looked down, and were able to see everything around us. (Samantha Baird ‘16)
• Bounding down the steep slopes of the Mesa. (Elliot Schiff ‘16)
• The best moment of our trip was actually afterward. After we arrived back and school and showered we decided to order sushi together and we relaxed and shared one last meal. (Brisha Howe ‘13)