Interestingly, our entire tent overslept this morning. I guess we were all tired. I woke up thinking about the new mattress that my husband and I purchased a little while before I left on this trip. It was to have been delivered yesterday. Ahhh, wouldn't that be nice and comfy. . .

Today was a special day for me. Being the halfway point I allowed myself clean socks and underwear. Yes, I realize that was probably more information than was necessary. The NOLS folks recommend not taking spares to save on weight and space in the packs. But, a girl has to have some standards.

While I was doing my usual morning reconfiguration of clothes, my tent mates decided to have a go at making breakfast. They went about preparing hashbrowns. It was kind of funny; they consulted the cookbook to check the recommended methods for re-hydrating potatoes (there are two, one if you have hot water and one if you have cold water). And then they did their own thing. Letıs just say that the hashbrowns ended up being just a bit chewy. But, I certainly was not going to complain - the flavor was good. What is a little texture among friends?

Hiking today was much colder than the previous days. I had to wear more layers the entire time. Basically we had thick clouds, occasional flakes of snow, and a lovely fall wind. We spent roughly half of the day on the trail, covering about five and a half miles. By the time we were done hiking, we were at a slightly lower elevation. The nice thing about today's trek was that we spent much of the day amongst trees. It was quite pretty.

We pitched our camp in the early afternoon by another lake. Because it was a tad bare and windy right next to the water, my tent group decided to retreat a short distance and set up our camp in a nearby stand of trees. This would prove to be a great tactical decision, as the next morning the others in the group remarked on how cold they had been during the night. We did not seem to have such a cold night as the rest of the gang did. The trees provided a good cover. But, make no mistake - I was still cold.

Soon after we arrived at the camp, the sun finally decided to come out. It was most welcome. Because we set up camp in the early afternoon, we had a couple of free hours before dinner. Some folks had another go at fishing. Others, including myself, just hung out at campsite and relaxed. As we were poking around the area to see what we could se, we discovered that others had previously camped in the same spot. They were not quite as diligent as we are in packing out trash. But, we also discovered that they had had a fire. There was a very nice rock fire ring just asking for a fire. Well, when in Rome. . . We gathered wood for a fire. Actually, we gathered a LOT of wood.

I tried a new cooking adventure while I was whiling away the afternoon at the campsite. I took a stab at making brownies. It turns out that you can actually do a pretty good job of baking on a camping stove. You do this by putting a low flame on the stove underneath your pot and putting some twigs on fire on top on your lid. I have to brag that the brownies turned out perfect - done on the bottom and appropriately gooey on top.

As we were preparing dinner (lentil rice cakes), we looked up to see a moose strolling around near the lake. It was huge! There was also a herd of elk on the far side of the lake from us. Seeing those animals in the wild was quite awe inspiring.

After dinner we made our fire. It was definitely not a typical NOLS "leave no trace" fire. It was a huge, "communicate with the mother ship" fire. It was grand. I finally got warm for a bit. We sat around the fire into the night and told stories and ate the brownies. They were a definitely a hit.

The next morning we had a brilliant clear sky. Plus, the moon was still up. It is just past full. I am hoping that with all the sunshine it will be warmer today. We had hash browns again for breakfast. This time they were not quite so chewy.

Our plan for the day was to go a couple of miles to an area where there are several lakes with potentially good fishing. The campsite was up a few hundred feet in elevation, which, unfortunately, means no trees to provide a little cover and warmth at night. Once we got the designated camping location we split into two groups - one went to once again try their hand at fishing and the other went to reconnoiter a canyon for a possible climb down it tomorrow.

I went with the canyon group. It was some seriously tough climbing - nothing but scrambling over rocks and boulders. At one point a boulder was knocked loose and it rolled right into my leg. Luckily, it did not do too much damage, just a bad bruise. But, it definitely could have been quite serious had it hit me differently. The boulder was big enough that it had bone breaking potential. Just goes to show, you always have to be on your guard.

While we were down in the canyon, we saw a hawk circling in the cloudless bright blue sky. It was exactly like the John Denver song. We had made it about a third of the way down when we realized that we could not make it all the way though the canyon and back to camp before dark. So, we climbed back out. It was a very challenging afternoon, but fun. The consensus of the group was that it would not be prudent to try and attempt to hike down the canyon with full packs. Tomorrow's leaders are going to have to come up with a plan B.

Dinner that night was tuna marinara with penne pasta. It was quite good, if I do say so myself. After dinner we had a lesson on communication - different options for communicating data, thoughts, feelings, wants and needs. Once again, there was a beautiful sunset on the mountains. After the sun went down, the instructor and I played cribbage with my tent mates by headlamp. Somehow we managed to pull off winning again.

The next morning I woke as sun coming up over mountains. What vivid colors. The sky was totally clear last night. So, needless to say, it was very cold. The nearby ponds have ice on top. I realize that every day I say it is cold, but today the cold made itself known in a new way. My tent mate was getting ready to purify his water. In the five minutes that it took for the purification solution to be prepared, a sheet of ice formed on the top of the water in the water bottle. For breakfast we had "puffed wheat cereal;" it was like a cross between Wheat Chex and Cheerios in the shape of bb's. It was pretty tasty.

The magnificent blue sky continued to be clear throughout the day, so it turned out to be relatively warm. By that I mean that we estimated that it may have gotten up to sixty degrees. Our hike took us back down into the trees. Everything smelled so clean and fresh. While on the trail I saw a butterfly. I did not expect to see that at this altitude (still around 10,500 feet) this time of the year. We went about three and a half miles before reaching a lunch and camping area. At one of the nearby lakes I watched an osprey dive and catch fish out of the lake. That was quite a sight to see.

After we set up camp we gathered to climb a close by mountain peak. This one was about 12,000 feet high. It took awhile and it certainly was not easy for me, but the views were indescribably beautiful from the top. I was glad that we finally made it to the very top of one of the mountains. We could see for miles and miles. We could even see the canyon we tried to hike down the day before. While we were at the top of the mountain, we had a lesson on map reading and how to orient yourself if you are not exactly sure where you are.

As we were finishing up our lesson, we noticed a plane circling above the valley next to the mountain we were on. Most of us did not pay much attention to the plane since we thought it was just someone doing some sightseeing. As it turns out, the plane was a signal to our instructors to call the NOLS base in Lander. The lead instructor pulled out his cell phone and checked in. Yes, cell phone - as it turns out, when you are on the top of a mountain like we were, you can get cell coverage from the towns far away and below us. Go figure.

The reason the instructors had to call in was because there was a hurricane (Rita) churning towards Houston. Houston was preparing to evacuate and our boss wanted us out of the field a day early. When we got word of the hurricane it was about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday; we were supposed to be picked up from the field around noon on Friday. But, now we were being asked to be at the pick up location at noon on Thursday. The way we had been pacing our days, we still had two full days of hiking to go. It was definitely going to be a challenge to get out early.

As soon as we got the news of the hurricane, we sped down the mountain back to camp to regroup and replan our way out. While the senior NASA and instructors checked in with the folks in Houston on the satellite phone (the "real" emergency phone that NOLS has since most of the time you will not have any cell coverage), the rest of us made food. Even if we did not have very many details about what was happening in Houston, it was clear that if we had to do more hiking that day, we were not going to be able to go anywhere without a decent meal, especially after doing the peak climb. I made a rice and lentil stew.

I have to admit that my knees were hurting. Going up and down the mountain peak was pretty rough on them. The last thing I wanted to do was get back on the trail. But, if we have to leave, we have to leave. We finally decided to try to go about two more miles tonight and get up early tomorrow in order to be out of the mountains by noon. Hopefully we will be able to get in touch with our families then. Pretty much all we knew at this point was that the hurricane was expected to make landfall in some unknown location either late Friday or early Saturday.

We ate a very quick diner and then packed up camp. We were on the trail by 6:00 p.m. and we hiked until dark, ~ 8:00 p.m. We managed to go two and a half miles, which left us about six and a half miles or so to go on Thursday. We held a very quick pace for our march out. I felt like I had to run to keep up. By the end I was absolutely pooped. I was definitely motoring on empty by that point. It was obvious that we were coming out of the mountains. The hike tonight had us drop by about 1400 feet in altitude. My knees were really talking to me. Going downhill, especially the on the steep trail that we were traveling, is very hard with forty or so extra pounds. I actually find going downhill harder than going uphill. The good news, however, was that after all this time I think I finally had my pack adjusted properly.

We found a camping spot in a meadow. The ground was all covered in grass, so it was quite a bit softer than on what we had been camping. That was nice. Clouds had rolled in during the evening, so the temperature ended up being a little bit warmer. I had hopes that it would not get down to freezing overnight. And, I was really hoping that it was not going to rain (or snow). The clouds were looking a tad ominous. But, just in case the weather was up to its usual cold tricks, I still slept in all my clothes. . .

We got up before dawn in order to get a quick start on the day. We had a quick cold breakfast and were on the trail by about 7:30. I tell you what, my knees were not happy. Neither was my hair, for that matter. It was unfortunate to miss a day in the field, but, on the other hand, I was that much closer to a shower.

We ended up going about seven and three quarters miles in roughly three and a half hours. We saw a moose and a bald eagle during our trek. We also saw a pretty spectacular beaver dam. But, at that point I was thinking to myself, "Beaver Dam" !?!? Who cares about a beaver dam? When are we going to take a " REST BREAK??" (The answer was not for another hour.) All downhill? Ha!

We made it to the appointed pick up point at 11:00 a.m. The bus arrived at 11:05 - what perfect timing. The total elevation change for the hike out was 1000 feet - but it was 3000 feet of up and 4000 feet of down according to the GPS.

As soon as the bus arrived, we piled in and started the drive back to Lander. We were told that Houston was evacuating. The NOLS folks had brought our valuables to us, so most of us now had cell phones. As we passed the few towns along the way we would have cell phone coverage. There was a lot of furious dialing every time anyone had any sort of connection capability. I was never able to get in touch with Andy, but I was able to track down my mom. It turns out that he had been in touch with her and was on the way to her house. I probably missed him by about an hour.

At one of the towns we passed we got in touch with one of the NASA travel agents and put her in touch with the NOLS travel agent. With Andy already heading out of Houston, there was no reason for me to fly back there. By the time we got to the next town/spot with cell phone coverage an hour or so later, we all had new reservations. I had my flight changed to go to San Antonio.

We arrived back in Lander at about 3:00 p.m. A few folks managed to get flights out this afternoon - no shower, though. I felt sorry for whomever they sat next to on their plane rides home. Everyone else will fly out tomorrow. Rest of us took care of the gear then had a shower. Ahhhhh! Lather, rinse, repeat. . .

After everyone was all clean and checked in with home, we went out for a good dinner. I devoured a steak and salad. That night we stayed in a no name motel. It certainly was not the Ritz, but it was clean and the bed was comfortable. And, it definitely beat freezing all night in a sleeping bag on the ground.

Our flight from Wyoming was at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. We had to catch bus to airport at 4:30 a.m. Urgh! Strangely enough, my fingers and toes felt a bit numb. My knees were OK, though. The folks in my class were going to all different places - basically to where ever either they had family or to where their family had evacuated. There were a couple of us going to San Antonio. We arrived in the afternoon absolutely exhausted. I am sure I did nothing for the rest of the day but stare into space.

Friday I could tell that I had really pushed myself to the limits while in the mountains, especially during the trek out. I felt like I had a head rush over my entire body. I was absolutely ravenous as well. I ate as if I were a growing teenage boy. I pretty much felt like a zombie all day.

Saturday I was still zombified. I finally had to give up and sleep most of the afternoon. After that I started to feel back to normal. I lost a lot of weight during trip, but after a few of Mom's meals, my pants were back to fitting like they always do. . . (Oh well.)

Andy and I returned to Houston on Sunday night. We were very lucky and we did not have any significant damage to either of our houses (yes, we still have two houses). Oddly enough, Andy's electricity went out sometime on Sunday, well after the hurricane blew through. We knew it had been on after the storm because we were able to get the answering machine to answer. So, it was a good thing we still had redundancy in houses.

All in all, the NOLS experience was quite an adventure. We learned a lot about expeditionary behavior. And, the hurricane really taught us a thing or two. I recall thinking as we were heading back to Lander on the bus that even after our expeditionary classes when they told us that we needed to make family plans in case of emergencies, I never would have thought to make emergency plans for a hurricane. In fact, only one of my classmates had talked to his family about what the plan was should a hurricane happen while we were gone. This hurricane was a very vivid example of needing to have things in order when you are gone for training or a flight.