During our briefing we were told about the routes that our two groups would be taking. We will be spending 10 days in the field. The group I am in will be taking a path that starts near Pinedale, Wyoming and goes in a circle around to the northeast and then on to the west. Upon examination of a topographical map, I came to the conclusion that the route my group would be on was going to be quite steep. About all I could tell from the map is that there are a lot of lines representing increasing elevations very close together. It should be quite a challenge. Even though there is a general route laid out for us, there is nothing about it cast in stone. We will be able to adjust our plans as we like or as events warrant. We should have an opportunity to do some fishing if we want or climb a mountain peak or two. These peaks are on the order of 12,000 feet high. When I spoke to my Mom later in the day, she pointed out that if we were flying in our plane at that altitude, we would have to be using oxygen!

Also during the orientation we talked about the gear that we will be using. The backpacks we will be carrying will be about 40% of our body weight (ulp!). The good news is that the packs will be the heaviest at the start of the trip. As you eat up the food, your pack gets lighter. Small favors. Each three person tent group also practiced setting up their tents and operating their stove. Since we will be arriving at the trail at about 4:00 tomorrow afternoon, we will need these skills shortly after we set out. Another piece of equipment that we learned how to use is the bear fence. There are bears in these mountains. Even though they usually do not bother people, we will be using the bear fence to enclose our food at night. The bear fence is a portable electric fence that will give a healthy shock to anything that might be trying to get at our food. In addition, we will be setting up our tents about a hundred yards from where our food will be at night, so we should be safe. Or, at least, that is what they are telling us. . . Actually, we will be going with very experienced guides and teachers. They have worked with NASA for a number of years and are the most experienced instructors at NOLS. We are in good hands.

After our briefings we headed out to dinner. On our way to dinner the local bank sign said it was 62 degrees. After dinner it had dropped to 55 degrees. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was in the 40's and still dropping. There are rumors that there might be snow when we start out on the trail!!! Let1s keep in mind that I have spent the vast majority of my life in Houston. Snow is not exactly part of my life. And, neither is anything much above sea level.

I have no idea what the temperature was when we got up Tuesday morning, but there was a good layer of frost on all the cars parked around town. We started our day with a hearty breakfast and then we gathered for our gear issue. We were issued a variety of things - a pair of fleece pants and a fleece top to wear, things called gaiters which are basically fancy sacks to wear over our ankles to keep water out of our boots; a pair of wind pants and a wind breaker for the top; mittens; a knit hat; a cup; a bowl; a spoon; a sleeping bag; and a backpack. I brought from Houston thermal underwear; gloves; a thing to keep my neck warm (a neck gaiter); a shirt and a pair of pants. And socks. Lots of socks. I should have enough to wear to keep from being cold (I hope). We also got our community gear - a tent, our food, some pots and pans; stuff for cleaning; our stove; ropes; first aid kit; etc.

Once we had collected all our gear together, we had a huge pile of stuff. I was not sure how everything was going to fit into the backpacks, but, somehow, we managed to cram it all in. There was a scale in the NOLS facility on which we could weigh our packs when we were done. Mine weighed 42 lbs. My tent mate's packs weighed 58 lbs. I think that they were definitely good to me in taking the heavy items. Though, as a result, my pack does not have much food in it, so it will not get much lighter throughout the trip.

By now it was lunchtime, so we ate and then we headed out to the trailhead. Pinedale is a three and one half hour drive from Lander. The distance is not quite that far as the crow flies, but we had to go around the mountains to get to where we wanted to be. We got to the trail in the late afternoon. The trailhead was at just over 9000 feet and there were a few patches of snow on the ground. But, luckily there was not too much snow and the weather, while chilly, was relatively clear. I was glad that the ground was not covered in snow in that it means that we will be able to pitch our tents in clear areas. It will be nice to not start off the trip with a wet tent. The two larger groups in which our class had been divided commenced the hiking adventure on the same trail. However, a short distance in, our paths diverged. My group only hiked about a mile from the trailhead before setting up camp. Our instructors wanted to make sure that we set up camp the first time while it was still light. That plan was fine by me. Even after only a mile, I was definitely feeling the altitude and the weight of my pack.

For dinner we had sandwiches that we put together at lunchtime. They were a little smooshed after being in our packs, but they were still quite tasty. We also had hot cocoa. It was nice. It took the chill off. Shortly after the sun went down, we saw the Space Station fly overhead. That was an impressive sight. And, pretty nifty considering that we were out in the wilds of Wyoming training so we can fly on the Station. After dinner the instructors talked to us about various camping issues - how to leave no trace and how to sleep and stay warm. They claim that you only need to wear a few layers at night. Ha! I slept with lots of layers on.

The next morning we got up at dawn (about 7:00 am). I slept reasonably well. My top half was warm and my bottom half was cold. I definitely need to wear more on bottom half at night, especially on my feet. I slept with my hat and neck gaiter on and I think that saved me from being too chilly last night. I could not help but notice, though, that there was a lot of frost on the ground in the morning and the water in our community water bags had ice in it.

Luckily, the instructors like for folks to have a hot breakfast in the mornings. Not only does it warm you up a bit, but it gives you a good start on the day. My tent group made toasted bagels and cheese. During breakfast the group discussed the general plan for the trip. We are going to have a rotating leadership. Each person will have the opportunity to be the leader once and the assistant leader once. The rotating leadership plan is to give everyone a chance to try out various leadership and followership skills. The leaders get to plan the route for the day. Another thing we did before getting on the trail was to sort through all the food that we were issued. We had a lot of bags containing a variety of foodstuffs and, for whatever reason, none of it was labeled. That seems to be the NOLS way. While much of the food was easily identified, there were quite a few mystery bags. Luckily, having been around a kitchen a few times, I was able to tell the difference between powdered milk, Parmesan cheese, and mashed potato flakes (powdered milk squeaks, you know). I have to say, though, that the brownie mix and the hot cocoa mix are tough to tell apart.

Our leaders for today decided upon an ambitious plan. They wanted to hike about ten or twelve miles to get to a spot where we could then decide to either do the "high road" or the "low road." We quickly discovered that we would not make our plan. There were a lot more hills than expected (guess someone needs to review map reading skills. . .). And we ended up hiking a slower pace than intended. No surprise, I was the "pace setter," i.e., the slowest of the group. I should probably point out that I am not only the only female in the group, but most of the guys seem to be over six feet tall. Just by leg length alone, I am not in the same hiking category as the rest of them. In addition to holding the pace down, I also made everyone stop regularly for a snack. A couple of measly bagels with cheese is not going to carry me too many miles up a mountain. Luckily our group brought a lot of snacks from home - trail mix, beef jerky, and M&M's. We had a feeling that they might come in handy. Funny, even though they never asked to stop, the guys always seemed to be happy for a break when I wanted one. . .

By the end of the day we had hiked about six and a half miles in five hours. My tent mate had brought along his GPS and, according to it, we had gone up about 800 feet in altitude (we were now at 10,200 feet). Now, that is 800 feet total - lots more when you consider all the ups and downs. We discussed going farther down the trail, but we ultimately decided to stop while it was still light and there were some decent areas to pitch our tents. Our camping location for the night was a pretty spot near some glacial lakes. The catch phrase for the day was, "It's all downhill. . ." I don't think so. . .

For dinner I made macaroni and cheese for my tent mates. It definitely hit the spot. Unfortunately, I was plagued with some altitude issues tonight. I had a really bad headache and ended up going to bed before the rest of the group. I have had this happen before when I went backpacking in the Tetons (hmmm, maybe it is a Wyoming thing instead of an altitude thing. . .). At any rate, there is not much that can be done about it until my body adjusts to being away from sea level. According to those that claim to know, there is not much that can be done to prevent altitude headaches other than keeping hydrated. Because I pretty much expected to be affected by the altitude in this way, I drank an enormous amount of water during the day.

Of course, you know what that means. I had to get up in the middle of the night. At least there was a nearly full moon to help me see where I was going. In the morning the group decided that it was not as cold last night as it was the night before. It still felt cold to me, especially during my middle of the night tour of the campsite. All I know is that when we got up, there was frost on everything - the ground, the tent, the gear outside. And our water was frozen. And my camera was too cold to take a picture. It was cold.

For breakfast my tent group had oatmeal. My legs felt tired and shoulders hurt, but otherwise I seemed to have survived the first full day of hiking. My headache, which ended up being very severe during the night, finally began to ease a bit this morning. I kept throwing back the water, just in case it would help. My pack did not seem as full today, though it probably was. We have eaten some food, but not that much. The bottom line is that I am quite lucky to be paired with two huge guys that are looking out for me and taking some of my load.

Today we did about three and a half miles before lunch. I was the designated pace setter again. (I think I see a trend here. . .) The guys kept saying that it was a good pace. Personally, I think that they were more tired yesterday than they let on. Or, maybe I am just setting a good pace. We passed a lot of beautiful glacial lakes on our route today. After lunch we had a really steep climb; we went up about 600 feet in half a mile. And, this trail alternated between being icy, being snowy, and being muddy. It was hard work.

In the afternoon we went another few miles to what we thought was going to be a good camping spot. It turned out that there were too many boulders and it was too boggy. So we had to keep going. I have to say, that was rough. When we stopped where we thought we were going to camp for the night, my dogs were barking. Not only that, my cats were barking and many other small mammals in my vicinity were barking. I did NOT want to keep going. Not just because I was tired, but also because we were at the bottom of a valley. And this valley was at 10,200 feet! We had to hike up and out. Good grief, I ask you, what is wrong with a little team building at sea level?

We went roughly another mile to our camping spot for the night. And, as I mentioned, we were starting in a valley, so most of this mile was up. Our final altitude for the day was 10,800 feet. The final tally for the day according to the GPS was 7.28 miles total, 1730 feet down and 2170 feet up. You know, I could really use a hamburger for lunch; this snack and trail food just does not cut it for me. I can tell I am not taking in enough energy. It was a very long day. I was exhausted.

Speaking of my tent mates, I have to give them a lot of credit. They are smart. The tents we are using are of a basic design - square with a support pole right in the middle. So, if you have three people in a tent, as we do, the pole is a bit of a problem. My tent mates have figured out a way to eliminate the pole in the middle. They worked out that the tent would still stand quite nicely if the pole was along the back wall and they counter balanced it with a rope tied to a tree or a rock. This gave us oodles of space on the inside. For some reason, none of the other tent groups wanted to set up their tents in this manner. I guess they preferred sleeping like sardines wrapped around a pole.

A fun fact I learned today was that our original food rations were roughly seventeen pounds per person for the trip, one and a half pounds per person per day. Apparently, on most of the regular NOLS classes they usually provide for more food per person, but NASA folks tend to eat a little less. That surprises me - I know I can eat more than a pound and a half a day. Heh! Mere child's play.

Tonight the moon was just about full and it rose from behind a mountain peak that was a stunning purple from the setting sun. There is no way to give justice to the brilliance of the colors, truly a purple mountain majesty.

The next morning did not appear to be quite as frosty. I slept pretty well after having had a decent dinner. Though, when I got up my legs were quite tired and my muscles were sore. However, there is nothing like washing your face and brushing your teeth to feel refreshed. My hair is starting to feel a little stiff, though. My group has taken to calling me "puff girl." They do this because I wear all the clothes I have when we are in camp. I guess I must look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. But, it is the only way I can stay warm when we are not hiking.

To recap why we are on this NOLS trip, it is because it is a good analogy to long duration space flight on many levels. For starters, you have to keep up with your things. Everything needs to be tucked away. On this trip we keep everything in plastic bags to make sure our gear is waterproof, and, of course, not lost. On the Station things are carefully packed away so nothing goes missing. Another reason this NOLS trip is similar to a space flight is that if you are tired at the end of the day, you still have to set up camp and cook dinner. On Station you always have maintenance and housekeeping tasks to do. You cannot take a day off. One more reason is that you have to give each other privacy when required. On the Shuttle, there is really no room to spare. You are in everyone else's space whether you want to be or not. So, you have to find ways to deal with it. On the mountain, the guys let me have the tent if I need to change clothes.

Here and during space flights you have to replan things along the way if the mission does not happen to go the way you expect. You also have to get along with whomever is on your crew, or in your tent. It goes without saying you have to do your share of the work. You have to take care of yourself and the equipment so you can take care of the team. You have to be able to lead as well as follow. You cannot just pick up and go home. You cannot call for a pizza or go out to eat. On this trip there is no way contact your family. Though, on the Shuttle you do have e-mail and there is also a phone on the Station. It is not really clear what the options will be from the moon. There will likely not be the required satellite coverage for such connectivity. But, we shall see. The bottom line is that there are a lot of different types of challenges when it comes to living in space. Doing a NOLS trip lets you examine how you face some of these challenges. And, it lets you examine how you deal with the rest of the team who are dealing with their own challenges.

For me, the challenges on this trip are mostly physical. Suffice it to say, I am a bit out of mountaineering practice.

Today's hike was not supposed to be as long as yesterday's. But, there is still going to be a lot of climbing and descending. We will see how my sore, tired muscles do. My tent mates have taken on a little more of the joint equipment, so my pack is a few pounds lighter than when we started. Their packs are probably about the same weight as when they started because the extra equipment is being offset by the decrease in food. One of my tent mates was a Navy SEAL, who, in his former career a year and a half ago, was climbing around the mountains of Afghanistan. Needless to say, he is quite used to this mountain business. He has so much energy at the end of the day he can not sit still; he runs around - literally. I reckon he can take some of my stuff with not too much difficulty.

The weather today was cloudier than we have had so far. It was quite chilly when the sun was hidden. And, it became more and more cloudy throughout the day. I did not like the looks of the weather. I hoped the clouds did not mean rain or snow was headed our way. After about half a day of hiking we came to Shannon Pass! Who knew I had my own pass? The plan was to have a relatively easy day (I use the term "easy" loosely) in order to prepare for a possible peak attempt tomorrow. Even though we only hiked half a day, my legs were still talking to me. They are not recovering during the night. It did not help that the trail that we took today was really rocky and snowy. And, in fact, it was often hard to see the trail because of snow.

When we got to Shannon Pass, we searched around to find some good camping spots. We found some about half a mile from the trail near some lakes. I do not know at what altitude we were at, but we were definitely above the trees again. Lots of folks in the group said that they were glad that we had stopped for the day. We have really been pushing ourselves, so it was nice to have a break and have a free afternoon. After lunch of leftover beans and tortillas I chatted with the instructors on trail options from here on out. Tomorrow I will be one of the leaders. Even though we have only been on the trail for a few days, we have to start planning for how we are going to get to the pick-up point at the appointed hour. So, my co-leader and I were trying to figure out if we had enough days left to spend a day going up to a mountain peak. Some of the group tried their hand at fishing, but they did not have any luck. Either there were no fish in the lakes or the fish did not like the weather. The wind steadily picked up as the afternoon wore on. I decided to pass on fishing. I took a nap instead. It was heavenly. We all got together before dinner to talk our plans forward. Guess what - it snowed on us! It was just a light dusting, thank goodness. At least it was not rain.

During dinner it snowed again. I have to admit that the snow looked very interesting and pretty as the sun was setting against the brilliant colors on the mountain tops. Instead of going straight to bed after dinner as we had been, the instructors gave us lesson on leadership. We talked about the various factors that go into being an effective leader: competence, communication skills, expedition behavior, tolerance for adversity and uncertainty, judgment and decision making, self awareness (very important), and vision and action (not just having a plan, but carrying it out and having backup plans for contingencies). We also talked about different types of leaders: designated leaders, active followers, peer leaders, and self leaders. I enjoyed the lesson. It was an interesting discussion.

As we finished our lesson, the moon rose over the mountains in the distance. It was nearly full and with the clouds in the sky, it looked as though the mountain was on fire. Then the clouds parted and the Station passed right overhead. It was spectacular.

The next morning we gathered together to try and climb a peak. We left about 8:00 in the morning for a 12,200 foot peak near our camp. Before we headed out, we first made sure that we had all the right safety gear with us. We took along smaller day packs. The bags in which we stuff our sleeping bag are actually backpacks. In the day packs we took extra clothes, food, and water in case there was an emergency and we had to stay longer than we had planned. Once we gathered up what we were taking, we started out. I have to admit that climbing up a mountain was the last thing that my legs wanted to do this morning. They were pretty tired and my calves were hurting. It took a good half hour of hiking before they were warmed up. And, my knees made themselves known. It was definitely nice to travel without big pack.

When we got up to about 11,700 feet, it began to snow. My co-leader and I decided to halt to group where we were and wait a little while to see if it would clear. It did not. Soon, it was snowing so hard, we could not see the peak any more. So, we had to call it a day. It would have been dangerous to continue as the rocks were getting to be very slippery.

We crabbed our way back down the side of the mountain to our camp. When we got down, the snow finally began to let up. We had lunch and gathered together for replanning session. Trying to go back up to the peak was out of the question as it was still covered with snow. We decided on two options - a short hike to a different area or another go at fishing.

As soon as we figured out who wanted to do what, it started to snow again - hard! We quickly changed plans and decided to head to the tents for an hour. After that time we were going to reassess the weather. One of the instructors joined my tent mates and me in our tent. He taught us how to play cribbage. Actually, my tent mates already knew how to play to one degree or another. The instructor and I teamed up against the other two. I must have been really covered in beginners luck as we won every game by a large margin. At one point between hands we peaked out of the tent only to discover it was snowing so hard it was a complete white out. Unbelievable. And, then, the next thing you know - poof! There was a brilliant blue sky. Hiking and fishing were back on.

I decided to go with fishing group. Unfortunately the sky did not stay blue for long. There was no more snow to speak of, just occasional spits, but there were really low, dark, grey clouds. While the others fished, I sat and read through the NOLS cookbook. There were only so many fishing poles to go around. One of the instructors had brought the cookbook along to help us with meal ideas. This was my kind of afternoon, except for the clouds and cold weather part. After reading the whole thing, I decided to "off road" it a bit for dinner. I made teriyaki salmon with bulgur. We had a couple packets of salmon in our food supply and I created the teriyaki sauce out of soy sauce, brown sugar, and some spices. I thought it was pretty good and tent mates claimed they liked it. It is a good thing that we had the salmon with us, as no one had any luck catching any fish. I am not sure that anyone even saw any.

After dinner we, the co-leaders, decided that the group should do an inventory of our supplies. We are roughly at the halfway point so we figured it would be a good idea to see where we stood regarding food and fuel. Doing a check is normally done about halfway through a Shuttle mission and inventories are conducted regularly on Station flights. It was a good thing that we did the check. We discovered that we were short one fuel bottle. Luckily, we eventually found it (it is easy to lose things in the snow). If we had been down one bottle, the group probably would have run out of fuel for cooking next Tuesday. We determined that we have enough food for two hot meals a day for the rest of the trip. We do, however, need to reorganize the snacks and lunch items.

The instructors conducted another lesson this evening. This one was on decision making. We talked about the nuances associated with having one person make a decision versus taking time and having an entire group involved in the decision process. It was a timely discussion as today my co-leader and I had quite a few decisions to make. Although, in my mind, making safety related decisions, as we had to today, is quite straightforward.

The moon was full tonight; it was brilliant. And the light it cast on the sides of the mountain made the rocks look like they were glowing. The leaders for tomorrow have decided on a very ambitious plan. They want to try and climb the peak and then move on several miles down the trail. I voiced my concern that that might be a bit much for one day. But, I was a lone voice. We shall see how the day goes.

That night was ridiculously cold - definitely our coldest one yet. I never got warm. I flat do not generate enough body heat to stay warm. My feet were totally freezing even though they were wrapped in a jacket and were hugging a hot water bottle. I tried to sleep in a ball, hoping that would keep me warm, but that did not work so well. It is hard to do in a mummy-type sleeping bag. I think if I had to classify the night, I would pick a term fairly close to miserable. I am not a big fan of shivering.