My Personal Page
20 August, 2002

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My name is Victoria and I will be graduating in June of 2003 from Henry M. Jackson High School. What attracted me to this grant was the fact that it would be a new experience where I had the opportunity to not only learn about nature in the Elwha, but also about web design. In accepting this grant through Wilderness Technology Alliance, I was required to step out of my realm of comfort into a world where basic living was practically non-existant. Living for five days in the Elwha River Valley, in Olympic National Park, forced me to learn how to survive in the wilderness without showers, toilets, running water, and other luxuries. As a compulsive handwasher, let me tell you, this was not the easiest thing for me to do. Also, out of the group, I was the most accident prone. Being stung by a bee and accidentally falling in the river, hence, suffering with hypothermia for a few hours, was not my idea of a fun vacation, but made me appreciate even more my daily living. This experience has made me stronger, not only because I hauled a 45-pound backpack and hiked nearly 24 miles throughout the week (most of that going uphill on a mountain), but due to the fact that I have realized that life does go on, regardless of your circumstances. That if you keep in mind your goal (my goal was to survive the week), you will be able to conquer anything. Solely because of this new understanding, I feel that the whole experience has helped to shape who I am and hopefully I will pass on the life lessons I've learned to others.

Journal Day One: July 29,2002

Today started out with my having only three hours of sleep. I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep until after 1a.m. and was suddenly awakened at 4:18a.m. So, at 5a.m. I finally rolled out of bed, got ready, and was ready for my camping adventure at 6:00a.m., when Chris and his Dad picked me up. We drove and met Ms. Thorleifson at the ferry, and she is such a morning person! She gave Chris and I a space pen, a pillow, and a whistle each. I’m worried about the pillow because it has insects and I’m pretty sure there’s a roach on it. Aaah!

Let’s see, we got to Elwha about 2 hours early so we stopped for brunch and headed to the campsite, where we received our gear. About 2p.m. we started hiking and my pack is so heavy! At least 40lbs. We stopped at this quaint log cabin and peeked inside and then hiked to our camp for the night.

Setting up a tent was a first for me. At least my tent partner, Amy, had camped before and she understood how and taught me. Let’s see, tonight was my night to cook dinner- spaghetti. Amy and I made it and then cleaned the pots/dishes with grass! Going to die! I want to wash my hands soooo bad and I need to pee but can’t find a good breaking point. Plus, I am way too apprehensive about going in the “Great Outdoors”.

Right now we’re sitting by the Elwha River on some rocks. The scenery is gorgeous! We saw deer feeding in the meadow and remnants of elk eating on the branches of shrubs. The water flows so constantly, down a never ceasing bend. The roar of the water crashing against the rocks gives it a sound of a waterfall. The water is so blue and pure, Brita anyone? Ha! You wonder where it will go…this water.

I glance up at all the trees with their “A” shaped tops, all different colors of green and far off my eyes catch a lone brown tree. The birds are flying around. Everything is quiet except for the pounding water. The trees stand still as the cool air remains calm. The sound of the water constantly draws my attention. The white caps bubble to the top and splash as the heavy current keeps it moving downstream.

Right now I smell the bug spray on my face that is keeping the mosquitoes and various other pests away. A cool shiver goes through my arms as the sun is covered with clouds, night is falling. Looking straight ahead I see a mountain filled with trees. The sun gently allows a shine over the top most ones as the others below fall in a sea of shadows and darkness.

I’m scared to sleep tonight with the threat of wild beasts. Most of all, I miss my toilet and shower. I’m not so sure if camping is right for me, I love city life too much. However, I am excited to embark on this opportunity, as I’ve never been camping or hiking before.

The people in are group are very nice. Our guides are Lisa and Dave. Lisa is petite and smiles a lot. I love to watch her listen to people because she not only listens with her ears, but with her whole body. Whether or not she is interested or not is the question, but she always seems to be. Dave reminds me of Richard Dreyfus on “Jaws”, just in looks. Then we have the honor of our grant host, Lou. There is also Ms. Thorleifson, Chris and I, from Jackson High School. My tent partner, Amy, who reminds me of Victoria, in appearance, and her teacher Dawn (who reminds me of Lisolette) and their other student, Cameron. Another teacher Mark brings his two students Mike and John. Mike reminds me of David in appearance.

Well, I have to run and meet for group. This rock is killing my bottom. I love nature, but like Dawn, would much rather be shopping at Nordstrom’s or in a hot shower! So cold! My khaki pants are already dirty, but so is everyone else so I’m not too concerned about it.

Today we learned out 10 safety rules plus “need to knows” about water purifying (icky iodine), cleaning, and “leaving no trace”. Well, let me tell you, this place is so beautiful I can only imagine the first settlers impressions. Anyway…group talk.

Journal Day Two: July 30,2002

Let’s just say that tent sleeping isn’t comfortable at all! My back and shoulders hurt from sleeping on my side. I was really warm and feel well rested, however. I had a dream that there was a hot guy at a restaurant who was looking at me. I kept thinking something was on my face. I went back to the restaurant with my Mom and we ate and left and he followed me out the door. My Mom ran ahead and he went to ask me something and I said, “Why didn’t you ask me before? Of course I’ll go on a date with you!”

Breakfast sucked. Instant milk? No good. Also, wilderness “bathrooms” led to my first bee sting on my left thigh! It burns soooo bad!

Right now we’re going to do a game called “Each One Teach One” and hike up a mountain. The question was just asked why no organism eats moss.

Today we ran into 2 fishermen at separate times on the trail. The first fisherman caught 1 fish, 17inches, and the other caught only one fish, 15 inches.

Well, today has been an “I should have worked out harder this summer” Day. Right now I just finished setting up my sleeping bag, took off my boots, and am waiting for dinner (curry).


Earlier today we hiked and hiked. I think total about 10 or 11 miles with about ¾ traveling uphill. I almost passed out several times from lack of food and had no motivation to put on my 40lb backpack after each break. At least there was an outhouse along the trail, but it stunk like the dickens and if you looked down it, it appeared to
be a bottomless pit.

Ugh! The mosquitoes are horrible right now! After today, I’m not so sure if I ever want to hike again! My shoulders have been bruised raw, I’m walking with a slight hunch, my back is killing me, and my ankles are going to burst. I’m sure I’ll have no problem falling asleep tonight. AAH! I’m SOO SORE! I can hardly move! If I sit down I just want to stay that way for as long as possible. Tomorrow will be a relief: no backpacks! Woo hoo!

I got behind today when walking and had a lot of time to think about things. It is weird because I almost feel like it is better to be alone and take in the wilderness, than to always be with the group.

At least everyone is really nice. Ms. Thorleifson cracks me up because her bug repellant lotion is eating away her nail polish and turning her fingernails black. Man, I really wish I could take a shower, use a REAL toilet with running water, and wash my hands! My hair is all curly and oily from sweating so bad today. Eew!

Dave cracks me up. Today he told me he forgot to give his sister a birthday card, just to get my reactions. He’s pretty funny, but he lied when he said we were “almost there” to the spot where the mountain would start declining. For that reason, I am bitter.

Well, we’re off for another group discussion. I don’t, excuse me, CAN’T move and my bee sting is STILL sore.

Journal Day Three: July 31,2002

Let’s just say that last night after I wrote my last journal, I fell into the river. Tuesday was NOT a good day. See, it was either cross over this log, with a chance of falling in the river, OR cross where the rocks were and have less of a chance of falling in. So, I decided to follow Dave and cross on the rocks. He said, “If you go fast, it is easier.” Well, I went fast and plunged right into the river. My boots, pants, sweater, socks, everything got soaked! Earlier this morning I was almost suffering with hypothermia I was so cold and right now I have to wear plastic bags over my socks because my boots are still soaked and freezing!

We’re about to do our studies for today. I’m not looking forward to the next 2 days of hiking, but at least on today’s hike we won’t have our heavy backpacks to lug around. I’m soo sore!

We went to a rock bed and had a rock balancing game. Lou was the best out of all of us because he was able to balance these very large rocks on other rocks, which everyone believed to be impossible. Mine was quite a dinky, small rock and after I balanced it, I laid down on a long, relatively flat rock. Also, while we are there, we had a discussion on who is the client and the audience for the website. We determined that the client is the National Park Service and the Elwha landscape. The audience is the general youth, with a target audience of youth.

While having lunch, the usual: bagels with peanut butter and jelly, we saw some Harlequin ducks swim past in the river and a few deer came down to the water. It is amazing to see such young life running around, as the fawn must have been born this spring.

After that we went to another rock bed and did a foot of earth. There was another outhouse along the way with a wooden toilet seat! How weird is that?

Also, I have been trying to drink my water, but the iodine makes me sick to my stomach. Ms. Thorleifson gave me a packet of this orange tasting stuff, but it reminds me too much of that drink they give you at the hospital before a cat scan so I almost threw up every time tasting it. So, I let Dave drink that, put in fresh water, and Lisa was kind enough to give me a tea bag. It smelled so sweet! Just like kool-aid, although, without the sugar and VERY watered down. I was so thirsty by this point that I didn’t wait for my iodine tablets to dissolve completely. I pray now that I don’t get giardia.

Journal Day Four: August 1,2002

Last night we had bean burritos for dinner. We walked about 6 miles yesterday and did 1 transect and 2 “foot of earth’s. After dinner we had skits. Hooray for the drama queen! My skit was about the Roosevelt Elk. It said how in 1933 President Roosevelt closed off 620,000 acres to hunters, loggers, and miners in order to preserve the forest and save the endangered elk. When he reopened the area for hunting for a total of 8 days in 1937, 20 percent of the population of Elk was killed. It also showed how people were desperate for money because one man shot his cow (female elk) between the eyes, then propped her up and let other hunters shoot her. When they did, he’d run out and tell them they shot his cow and in those few days, he earned about $1,500.00. Also, that was the first time in the history of the Olympic National Forest that nearby sporting goods stores had run out of everything red for hunters. Plus, it cost $5.00 for hunters to buy a hunting license and they came from all over the country to get in on the action.

The skits taught us more about the area, like Difficulty Hill, which we traveled up on Tuesday (UGH!). In the skit (and in real life) we learned the traumatizing experience of hiking straight uphill for several miles. Another skit was about the first settlers, who were hearing grouse, but they mistook them for geysers, hence, why one part of the forest is called “Geyser Valley”.

Also, we ran into 2 hikers going to tag owls and I learned:
Barred Owl Call sounds like: “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
And the Spotted Owl sounds like:“Who cooks for you?”

I wanted to go with them! I absolutely love owls and was looking forward to seeing/hearing them while I was here but I haven’t seen or heard one yet!

Today we’re hiking back to Lillian and doing another transect and foot of earth. I’m a lot less sore today and feel stronger against my 40lb backpack.

I am ready for McDonald’s.

Oh man! We’re at our campsite and have been for a couple of hours. I’m sooooo itchy and irritable! I look at my hands and nails and cringe wanting to wash them so bad. I tried putting them in the Elwha River but that hardly helps and it makes my hands cold. Antibacterial just smears the grime around worse and so does wet wipes. I was just walking around in my flip-flops and now my feet are brown. My eyes are waaaay itchy, but I can’t scratch/rub them because my hands are so gross and I don’t want them to get infected.

Man, I’ve been spending too much time with these people. You know how sometimes too much time with a person is bad? This is one of those times. Everyone is beginning to irritate me. It is probably because I haven’t really had time to myself to just vedge out, other than when I am walking behind. I guess I am just custom to being independent and alone for most of the time OR I am just uncomfortable because of lack of hygiene. You know, you never really realize how much being clean can affect your mood, but it sure as heck can!

I hate the wilderness. I don’t even want to go to a park for another year! In fact, perhaps never again! The more I hike, the more I want home. I guess you can’t take the city out of the girl, right? I miss my television, my cell phone, my computer, regular DAILY showers, EVERYTHING! I’m so itchy I want to claw my eyeballs out! They said “hooray” for the outhouse tonight, but when you go in there, it smells and if you look down, it is a bottomless pit with all these flies flying around, bugging you (heh…good choice of words there, bugging you…) This has to be the dirtiest I’ve ever been. Neeeeeeeeed shower!!

The only thing I like is the Elwha River that sounds so beautiful with the water crashing against the rocks. Amy said regular camping is more fun, but I don’t even want to touch that one with a 20-foot pole! Man…I’m starting to sound like the Grinch who hated the wilderness. AAH! I’m going crazy!

I want to go home. Thanks a lot Mr. Rod (my step-dad), “Oh…working with the Park Service…what an opportunity…” Bull crap! Let me see you hike up these mountains with a 40lb backpack and every muscle killing you, plus no bath, no toilet, bee sting, and falling in the river, hence, suffering with a slight hypothermia for a day, drinking icky iodine water and then doing it all over again the next day! I’m beginning to think this wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.

However, the good thing about this trip is that I can now appreciate my much “easier” life, filled with technology. I am extremely saddened for those people in countries where there is no running water, no way to purify water, no soap to wash dishes, no regular showers, and all the like. In my way of thinking, these are the strongest people because they can take a bad situation and still turn it into a good one, knowing one’s circumstances and able to conquer, no matter how bad it can be. Also, it has been a good test of one’s durability, whether or not one is able to work together with the rest of the group in order to survive. For me, it is a good trial of patience because I’ve learned that you can suffer through many things, and still keep going, it is only human nature. Although I’ve been apprehensive about the onset of a “Number three” going to happen to me (Since Dawn informed me that bad things always happen in threes…my bee sting being number one and falling in the river number two) and have drudged along when hiking up the mountains, I’ve realized that no matter what, I can survive this hiking trip as long as I set my mind to it. It almost makes one wonder what else can be accomplished if you set your mind to it.

Well, I’m off to eat my last dinner in the Elwha Valley: macaroni and cheese! Oh yeah, baby! Just thinking about a hot meal puts me in a much better mood.

Hahahahaha!! Mark cracked me up tonight!! After dinner we were waiting to have another group talk and he and Dave were having this really deep conversation when all of a sudden he stood up and was like, “Yeah well…. >gasp< THE CHEESE!!” I nearly lost it!! I’ve been laughing about it for almost an hour!! Hahaha!! I asked him what was wrong and he just said, “Well, I was concerned because I realized there was this big plate of cheese and no one had eaten any of it.” That sent me into another burst of hysterics because he was actually CONCERNED!! HAHAHA!! Man…what a guy!! Haha!

Journal Day Five: August 2,2002

Right now we have hiked a little more than halfway out of the Elwha. We’re sitting at Michael’s Cabin having a short recap of the trip.

I think the most interesting things I learned about were:

-Mychorrhizae
-G.P.S. location (Global Positioning Satellite)
-Difficulty Hill
-B.U.N.S. (Big trees/ Under story/ Nurse logs/ Snags)
-“Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?”
-Indian Pipe

We wrote to each person about what they contributed to the group during this past week. Here is what everyone said about me:

“Hey tent buddy! I am so glad to have met you this week! You are a really neat person. I had fun talking to you before bed and all about the day. Thanks for being so cool. I am looking forward to seeing you at Tech Camp. Adios!” –Amy

“Victoria, I thank you for bringing comical views to the group. You were always able to make me laugh.” –Mike

“Thank you for giving me a little extra enjoyment when playing card games ‘One two!’” –Cameron

“You have a great attitude when you could have been allowed to get a little crazy waiting for number three.” –Dawn

“Thanks for saying ‘yes!’ and coming! You have been so positive and determined. I have truly enjoyed getting to know you and am looking forward to this year in the web design class, it will be great!” –Ms. Thorleifson

“Thank you for putting up with me all week, I know it was hard. Also, for always being in a good mood.” –Chris

“Victoria! Could we have had a person who had a better attitude in a difficult situation? Note: you and your mood kept me going. Thanks for the smiles, laughs, and great work.” –Dave

“Thank you for having very high spirits during the whole trip, even though the outdoors doesn’t seem to be your thing. It was very nice to meet you! See you at the next camp thing!” –John

“Victoria, I enjoyed your attitude about everything. You have such a sweet
nature about everything. I love your sense of humor, your intellectual ability and the way you accept any thing that comes your way. I am also impressed with what you already know at this stage in life. You are extremely bright and I wish you were one of my students. Take care and remain curious about life.” –Mark

“Victoria, thank you for your fabulous attitude and sense of humor. I have really enjoyed your perspective on all things as well. I look forward to seeing your work on the web.” –Lisa

Now, only about two more miles back to civilization. It is somewhat sad because I love the peacefulness of the wilderness but yet I yearn for city life again. Being here is a good break from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Perhaps, after all, though I have loathed the wilderness at times, I’m sure it won’t be long before I will be wanting to come back and experience nature again at its best.

Hope you enjoyed reading my journals. -Love, Victoria

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Amy || Cameron || Chris || John || Mike || Victoria
Mrs. Hanson || Mrs. Thorleifson || Ranger Eschenbach || Tech Camp