23 August, 2016 (Alex Olson)

At this point in time of our river expedition I have come to realize that there are unavoidable things that you cannot get away from.  Water was expected since a river is obviously made from running water.  I never thought I would hate sand as much as I do now.  It is just simply everywhere it is not supposed to be!  In my sleeping bag, in my tent, in my dry bags, in my hair, in breakfast, lunch, AND dinner!  I could go on and on but the only positive I see from it is the ability to make a comfortable night’s sleep from the soft surface it makes and the ability to make a lounge chair to my own specifications wherever I need to sit.  Enough on that rant for now.  Today we got started right away after breakfast with lesson plans and outdoor education topic introductions followed by making our own version of a section from our map, but of course, with sand.  Like I said I just cannot get away from it.  After our morning finished up we spent the afternoon with another cooking lesson from the best chef out here (Jeff) to learn how to bake with camp stoves.  The only problem we always have with cooking out here is that none of us can ever get anything to look or taste as good as Jeff’s delicious food that he sometimes shares.  It’s almost like he’s done this before?  Of course the day could not be complete with even more sand.  Pots, pans and any type of cooking utensils are not the place for sand to be.  I can’t stand the taste of it as I bite down onto my pizza and every single bite my teeth crunch.  At least I was not like Joel by spilling mine on the beach though. We eventually got finished up with dinner, met back for debrief, and eventually Ryan’s life story.  Definitely looking forward to hearing what makes these amazing people who they are and so glad to call some of them my friends. Just kidding! We are all one big 12-person happy family for the next 109 days!