22 October, 2016 (Tyler Gebel)

Today we woke to an easy start after a hard day of winding to Lady Lake. We had our LOW meeting this morning and enjoyed a nice breakfast between our tent groups. My group had a scrumptious breakfast of hash browns and veggies, and Nick was able to replenish his need for a hearty meal. My feet were looking a lot better this morning too. After the LOW group debrief we were summoned to another meeting with Jeff and Ryan as a group. Only able to bring things like our thermarests, sleeping bag, and whistle, we packed carefully and considered what may come ahead. We were also told to not bring our watches and our headlamps. When we arrived we soon found out we were partaking in a solo. We were told to only bring what food could fit in Jeff’s mug, and some chose to fast during the reflection even so. After we were all ready to go, Jeff and Ryan escorted us to our spaces. After reflecting for a while and thinking a lot, I decided to go to bed. The next day I woke up a bit later than I normally do and hung out drawing pictures and reflecting a bit more. Due to the weather coming in, we were brought back for debrief a bit earlier. I never got to experience a solo before, but from my experience I was definitely glad I had the opportunity to do so in the Sierras. I know this experience will be good for the group and what is to come ahead.