Day 21

9/5/14

            It is 10:30 at night and Haley and I sit here under the group tarp surrounded by the group food bags and tents full of sleeping companions. Why on earth would we be doing this you ask, well we are the first two up for bear watch? Yes, I said bear watch!!! Last night we had our first visitor at camp, but not the kind that we would all hope for. For the most of us that was the first time ever seeing a bear, let alone one with her cub. Jeff has all warned and told us what to do if we encounter one, but it is completely different when it is really there eating your food. This morning was the fastest me tent group has got up all week. Being woken up by something rustling and faint sounds of tin cans moving in the old water silo was enough for me to roll over and wake up John. He looks at me with this annoyed look and says, “It is just the wind Cheyenne, there is no way the bear came back after all of that commotion last night”, then riiiiip. John and I were out of that tent in two seconds flat. There she was with her cub in the old water silo where all of our bear bags were hanging eating on someone’s cheese. Thankfully some cheese was all that was lost and our tent groups fry bake pan.  Needless to say after a few hour search we got the pan back and were able to bake a delicious chocolate cake for our last night together as tent mates. It is always a little sad when I have to change tent groups at the end of the week.  You have your own system of doing things and I like the way that John, Anthony, and I became much closer friends. Kenny has really made me realize this week that I need to be more patient and let people do things their own way. I see myself growing along with the others each and every day. We are all becoming more and more aware of our surroundings, along with the flow of the group. Some days it is hard to be here, but I just need to stay true to myself ant the others, so we can keep growing. Hopefully this group will reach the performing stage. As Haley and I are finishing up our hour of bear watch had quickly passed by. Two of my tent mates are next in the great adventure of bear watching and you think I would be headed to bed, but my other tent mate is not in there yet. So it looks like I will be on the lookout with Kenny and John.

Cheyenne Wilson