On the first day of the expedition, an audible "wow" was issued by all ten Earthwatch students as the splendiferous panorama of the Grand Tetons was fully revealed outside the airplane door. We spent the afternoon- a conglomeration of different characters and dispositions - learning our strengths and how to work as a team body.
Contrary to the superb first afternoon, many of the students as urbanites had an atrocious first night due to the absence of noise. The Jackson Hole night, without humming air conditioner units and bustling freeways, contrasted with our usual evening expectations. The nighttime ambiance was also pitch black, and the sky clear of light pollution.
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| The group at our first overlook. |
The second day dawned devoid of all city distractions as we donned our hats and sunglasses for a hike. On our hike, our team leader, true to his boho-chic aesthetic with a flower power shirt, taught us scientific names of all the flora and fauna as well as the inner shell of moose-excrement. He also gave a survey of the four major communities in the area - the aspen forests, where we learned about their unique protection from infection; the conifer forests, which offered the shade we desired from the intense Wyoming sun; the sagebrush, where we learned the dangers of consuming the leaves that serve as valuable sustenance for the animals in the area; and the riparian area, where we honed our stream-crossing skills.
- Kirsten and Suna
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| The picture above is of the Populus gradidentata, or the Aspen tree,
which is coated in a chalky yeast powder that is both antifungal and
antibacterial. Beneath the outer layer, the bark is a chartreuse green,
giving a nod toward the chlorophyll present in the bark even in the
winter. Photo credit Kirsten. |
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| Photo credit Romario. |
As soon as I arrived at Jackson Hole, Wyoming I felt strangely like I hadn't left L.A. yet. On the van ride to the Tetons Science School, I then started to notice a difference but the difference was much more like a shift into a habitat that I am much more familiar with than any other. The agricultural landscape in Jackson Hole is very similar to those in El Salvador, its all very green and wet.
The sun does not completely set until approximately 10:00 p.m. My first night sleeping here was a nightmare. I got about 3 hours of sleep, but I found out why, and the reasons for this are: not drinking enough water, too much silence (L.A. folks are always surrounded by and used to noise), and I'm not in my own bed in my room; but the first night is always the hardest night and I'll get use to it.
The second day was better, we went hiking through rough terrains and streams, observed the sounds of the Grand Tetons National Park, and learned the names and habitats of different trees and wildlife.
I'm looking forward to all the new things and expeditions we'll be doing these next 10 days.
- Romario
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| Human knot untangling. |
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| Our first creek crossing was quite the adventure! |
I would like to capitalize on one of the aspects of the short adventurous hike my fellow students and I set out on on our first true day at the Teton Science School. The ten of us along with our charming friend David and our woodland veteran Benj toured Grand Teton National Park strolling past fields of sagebrush, through idyllic meadows, and across perilous depressions. Now most of this occurred on the trail that had been set by hikers past and as a result, the views and the history along were captivating. However, somewhere along the way, our gracious guide Benj decided to stray off the path in search of true wildlife and to do so, our limits were tested as the dense vegetation sought to make our plight as difficult as possible. Yet, as we are tenacious Earthwatch fellows and aspiring scientists, no obstacle would stop us from inspecting moose beds and searching for nests in the lofty arms of towering Aspens. I will concede to the fact that some obstacles were extra-demanding, even for our troop, but the overarching mentality of going out of our way to help one another through precarious situations involving the like of violent twigs and pernicious voids in the soft earth was ever present. The reason I really heaped on this little, perhaps less significant part of our day in most eyes has much to do with the words of Robert Frost which immediately came to mind as soon as foot left trail because even after I have long left this great beacon of Mother Nature, I will remember that somewhere eons ago, two roads diverged in the wood, we took the one not traveled by and that has made all the difference.
- Charles
