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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2001)
10 DECEMBER 1, 2001 SMOKE SIGNALS David Harrelsoti keeps a journal, takes a Vision Quest, lives through squirrel attacks and returns home better for the experience. -.Jfc.-w . " ' " t " - I L4' ', -t 'A v i L- v- ' "The SawtOOthSw-The state of Washington's North Cascades Mountains were the setting for the adventure of a lifetime when Tribal member David Harrelson took the Outward Bound challenge. The beauty of the North Cascades Mountains draws visitors from all over the world. i Better for the Experience No ordinary student during the school year, Harrelson spent his summer be coming a survivor. He said he appreci ated home more now after three weeks in the wilderness. isunm(i3ifii!TKr( By David Harrelson 22 days In the woods - three days alone. An experience, an adventure and memories that will last a lifetime. 81201 10:15 a.m. - left for airport. 1:30 p.m. - started bus-ride to base camp. 6:30 p.m. - got to base camp. 9:00 p.m. - Summit time (when group gets together). 81301 6:00 a.m. -wake up. 11:30 a.m. - get to trail head. 7:30 p.m. - arrive at campsite. 8:00 p.m. -1 was one of the cooks for the day- so I cooked. 11:00 p.m. - goto bed exhausted. 81501 6:30 a.m. - wake up. Break down camp, eat breakfast, move up to new base camp, set up base camp, talk, eat dinner. Summit, sleep. 81601 Woke up, ate. Mountain goats came into camp, woke me up only three feet from head. Went bouldering (low level rock climbing). Started hiking up steep talase for 800 feet. Most dangerous, so far. Coming down from the pass Miriam fell and started to roll, she stopped but was scared. She seems to be the least capable at climbing, but is a really cool person. Mini solo - one hour (time spent alone). 81701 Woke up to freezing cold wind, Goats everywhere, quite aggressive. Repelled 140 feet off Grandstand. When at bottom on ledge Mac accidentally pushed Porter's pack off, sending it 200 feet down. Finally found water. Then went to the Kangaroo Pouch -its really big and cool. My favorite spot so far. We had a really good dinner. It was just noodles and melted cheese, but it hit the spot. Some political conversations came up during the day - they were tough, very different thoughts among the group, communism, capitalism and socialism. 81801 Agarnathe Pass Woke up late -1 was the leader today. We left the Pouch (or cave) and moved toward where resupply is going to be. That's tomorrow - it's when we get resupplied to go outtothebackcountry. 81901 Crescent Lake We woke up at 7:30 a.m. got ready and headed to resupply. We headed off towards Crescent Lake. "O" was a navigator some and Mac the other navigator had to get us ' there - there just happened to not be any trails. We did find an old abandoned logging road though and it saved us about 2 hours. Monica fell and hurt her nose. Oh, we slept In tall grass and it felt like a gorilla's nest. 82001 The day started off good it was supposed to be really hard day traveling 8 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation to South Lake. Instead we stopped at Twist Lake because the group as a whole, including me, was not capable. Maybe if we hadn't just had resupply we could have done it but were heavy. It's a good thing we did go to Twisp because right when we got there it started to rain. We set up camp in the rain. 82101 Best sleep I have ever gotten - WOW! It's still raining, but our tarp kept us dry. Solo started today and I am now alone. Ill be here for 72 hours and it almost seems like a vision quest. It's still raining. I ate a little more of my tiny lunch, because we only get about three handfuls of food for three days. I have vaguely looked around where I am but I will tell more when the rain clears up. It's getting a little darker now. I feel wet, but oh well. I have been thinking a lot. There is really no better place to be thinking. 82201 Day two of solo I woke up today to find myself a little dryer than when I went to sleep and a little warmer. The rain has stopped, but it's windy now. I do have some protection though from the trees around me. The day basically consisted of me eating, sleeping, and making a cross out of wood. I did write a little though mostly just life goals and situations. I've never gotten home sick before. But I'm starting to feel it. 82301 Day three of solo I was becoming what I would consider crazy so I moved into the sun -it feels good. I have a lot more time and I really don't know what to do. Solo has been just a time to hang out. I was just attacked by a squirrel - it just came straight into my camp and straight at me. So when it got close I hit it and it ran off but not after staying and chirping at me and moving around like it was going to attack again. It is 4:30 in the morning -1 have spent the last 2 hours absolutely freaked out about the noises everywhere - scared out of my mind. Ifs amazing what can happen when one person Is sent to be in the woods for three days alone. I blew my whistle for help I thought something was out there - no one answered. It seemed like no one cared. I decided to stay here at my site it was only ' J, 1 - Jk ' . if . - f id . it i , x S v i j 1, i . . f J S - ;-5 Transformation Tribal member David Harrelson took part in a group of teens selected for an Outward Bound challenge this past summer. Harrelson said everyone in the group was changed by the experience. for a few more hours - I'm alone. I'm writing now. I'm really tired and emotionally stressed. I guess I will try to sleep now but I'm not sure how that will do. So Goodnight or should I say good morning. 82401 Long Night Woke up, broke down camp, packed everything. 82501 Woke, climbed to Hawk Mountain. Dark. Watching the sunrise in silence. Went down peak, hiked really far. Went swimming In Alpine Lake, freezing cold. Hiked to campsite. Hard day. Went to sleep at 11:00 p.m. 82601 Lesson with group about medicine. Moved base camp. Had cheesy Cajun mush for dinner. Moved up to advanced base camp. Slept on snow right below McAlister Peak. 82701 Hiked McAlister (7,928 elevation) Came backdown to camp, gathered gear. Had lunch in basin by big rock. Hiked to camp to prepare to make new base camp. Hiked up to our final base ramp below Reynolds made great time. Had good time. Find kick butt base camp spot. 82801 Woke up at 4:00 a.m. to climb (ML) Reynolds. Attempted but didn't make it. Went Rock climbing. 82901 Hiked out of the backcountry, but not after waking up to a great sunrise with red, big, dark pink clouds. At the trailhead we tied up our instructors - it was great. We came back to our base-camp out of the field and set up camp collected gear and ate dinner. 83001 . Woke up. Ran 7.4 miles in 54 minutes and 34 seconds. Got 2nd out of 17 people. After physically exerting myself for 19 days I thought it was pretty good. Ate wonderful breakfast - first real breakfast. 90101 Woke up. Broke down camp. Ate breakfast. Left for airport. Talked to Monica on ride there. Met Dad at airport. Drove Monica and Porter to hotel, went to grocery store and Starbucks with Monica and Porter to get Tillamook Cheese and Treetop apple juice because Porter lives in Massachusetts and Monica lives in Minnesota - where you can't find those things. It was fun, we then took them back to their hotel, said our goodbyes and that ended the Outward Bound trip but it didnt end my experience. Here's a personal motto that I came up for myself on my solo - "I am not invincible. I have fears. I need things, I want things -don't confuse the two. Remember what is important, not what you might think is important. Don't forget to step back and look at it from the outside. Truly do this -don't let yourself be deceived. It's okay to shed a tear or even a few. But, most of all, always remember to look up, to laugh, to love. . Home? What is home? Is it a place where you feel safe and comfortable? Or is it just a house that you sleep in?"
