Article by Acacia Edeluchel and David Perez
“I think mentally, [backpacking] allows you to recover,” says English Teacher Michael Vaughan. “It gives you a space to go through what you are going through and deal with what you need to by yourself because it’s just you and your brain.”
This week, Vaughan and Special Education Teacher Jennifer Garner took 17 students backpacking in the Kaiser Wilderness. The trip was an amazing experience for those who went and was a great way to kick off the year. Many enjoyed being out in the wilderness, feeling free and rejuvenated from the stress of life and technology and being more connected with nature.
Junior Soledad Lemus explains, “Every time I go camping or go out far into the wilderness for a couple of days, I feel like I just get closer to nature in a way and kind of understand it better. It can just be really calming and soothing and I feel like I should do [it] more often.”
On Friday morning, Aug. 26, the Glissaders Club hit the 3.79-mile trail to Upper Twin Lake. Hiking for around two and a half hours, the group reached the lake and set up camp for the next couple of days. They spent the rest of the day relaxing at camp, jumping off of rocks into the lake, and exploring the nearby cave.
On the second day, Vaughan took a group of students on a day hike to Kaiser Peak passing the beautiful George Lake. Reaching the peak at around 10,310 ft., the group took in the breathtaking 360º view as they ate lunch on the summit. Later making it back to camp, some cooled off in the lake, explored, and ventured deeper into the cave.
Packed up and headed back Sunday morning, the group later went to Hungry Hut in Shaver Lake for some well-deserved burgers and milkshakes. The group had a great time and many reflected on how positive of an experience it was for them.
“I really liked [the trip], it was really fun,” Lemus says. “What I liked about it was meeting all these people that I have gone to school with for a couple [of] years and I never knew that they also liked being out in the wilderness and camping. It was really interesting.”
On the last Glissaders’ trip to Duck Lake in May, there was a group limit for the trail, so only 6 students were able to attend. The club was fortunate to be able to include more students on this trip.
Lemus mentions, “I think everyone should at least go on this trip or do something on their own at least once because it feels pretty freeing just being out [in nature].”
“I think it’s healing [and] it’s very cathartic to go on a backpacking trip,” Vaughan mentions. “The physical [benefits] are obvious but the mental ones are bigger. It lets you figure out who you are by facing challenges [and] figure out what your limit is and really dig deep.”
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