Imprint

I realized as I was doing my year in review blog that I never actually blogged about Imprint - Westmont's wilderness experience. Well, better late than never. We went up to Sequoia National Park which is about a 6 hour drive from campus. The first and last nights were spent at campgrounds briefing and debriefing the experiences. The rest of the nights were spent in our separate teams hiking, bonding, being challenged and encouraged, and of course having fun. Unlike the experience at Geneva, the RAs do not stay as their RA teams. They are all split into separate groups with 2-3 RAs from each staff on the same team. And since all staffs are mixed gender, it was both male & female RAs intermixed. We did an out-and-back route which meant that rather than doing a loop we hiked to a certain point, turned around and hiked back the same route we came in on. You'll notice that in the pictures.

Here is the photo recap:

the hiking begins

the beginning was lush & green

our leaders of the day mapping out where to go next

lunch break

see the trail at the bottom?

water break

one of many river crossings

drying off the water purifier

where the women slept night 1 & 3

making dinner

good morning!

that was the lake we had been sleeping at - now we make the ascent over the peak

we're at the top. see the lake on the right? that's where we're headed!

these were my two RAs who were on my team. our hiking team name was funky flamingos - hence the photo

the descent

too stinkin gorgeous!

my boss' sleeping bag :)

all our packs gladly taken off for the night

one unlucky hiker who had bad shoes (it happened to be my RA)

I want to bring Andy back to this lake to do some high elevation fishing

getting ready to go!

back massage time! Steven in the gray shirt taught us a new move

(my boss is in the red shirt)

look at this terrain!

just keep hiking! (the ascent again)

group shot!

descending on the other side

gorgeous sunsets

good to the last drop. she was our medic & wilderness guide

trailhead marker

near the end, we got to a point of snow that just seemed easier to slide down

That was my last photo. There are others that I haven't yet gotten from other people's cameras that show us at the end of the trail and such. It was all in all a great experience. Ours was the most difficult trail and I was concerned about elevation sickness, but it never happened. I was also nervous being on a team with my brand new boss, but it was great to see him "in his element"and increased my appreciation for him. I got to know Ava, our guide, and we have hung out off campus - a great unexpected result of Imprint. For those in RD positions, it is indescribably wonderful to have friends off campus. I was really thankful to be paired with Ava. I loved the opportunity to get to know RAs who aren't on my staff and feel a deep connection to them through this experience. I see advantages to both experiences - Geneva's and Westmont's. Whether the focus is on physical strain or on reflection and problem solving - either way, the wilderness is a fantastic environment for team bonding and personal growth.