Day 6


7/12/18
              This morning, the Heritage and White Swan students had the option of doing trail work
or vegetation surveys. So I obviously chose the option that didn’t sound boring. Then Omar did
the unthinkable and decided to choose the boring option and go with the vegetation surveys.
So today was the day that my friend Omar became an adult. I don’t think I even know him
anymore. His eyes seem so dull and he has this aura around him that reeks of
responsibility. It’s scary. I just hope he recovers soon and that it doesn’t happen to me.
              Anyways, when we got to the spot where we were to start on the trail, we met Jessie
Larson, a Trails Technician. She provided us with handsaws and all kinds of tools to cut trees
and branches. I say this because I don’t know any of the other tool names, even if I was there
when they were mentioned. When we started walking on the trail with our sunglasses and
work helmets on, we got to cutting the thin trees that were growing on or covering the trail.
There was a couple logs from fallen trees in the way and I would’ve cut through them with the
handsaw because I obviously never get tired, but there was a chainsaw for that. Overall, it was
pretty fun getting to clear and widen the trail. It’s good to do that so that people can walk on
the trail and experience what the area is like. Something that really surprised me, and also
made me feel super lazy, was an elderly couple that was jogging on the trail with a white fluffy
dog. I just wish I’m that healthy later in the future, because I don’t like the idea of talking about
getting old. When they passed by, I tried to get the dog’s attention, but it had better things to
do.
              I laughed for the first time in a good while. It was all Junior’s fault. We were walking
through a meadow by the shore of the Deschutes River when Junior decided to be funny and
almost hurt himself as his foot slipped through a thin, hidden stream cutting through the
meadow. As his ankle went under, he fell forward onto the ground, even though he had been
warned where it was. So I did the right thing and tried to stop laughing as I asked him if he was
okay. But I am thankful that he tripped through the stream as I also didn’t hear the warning.
When we got to Lava Lake, where we ate our lunch, I sat down on the shore that was covered
in big rocks. It was cool because it felt peaceful and quiet, and I could see the lake and all the
trees surrounding it, including Mount Bachelor.



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