On October 13, 19 UHLers hiked the Goose Creek Trail into
the Lost Creek Wilderness to raise money for trees. As a person who hiked the
trail, I, Jennifer Mayo (2013, English Creative Writing) can attest that it was
quite a bit of a journey. Over the summer, I hiked in Thailand and had
encounters with leeches, mosquitoes, and all sorts of strange creatures. I was
also suffering from food poisoning. So I figured that five miles up the trail
and five miles back down would be an easier feat.
Until, of course, we all reached the first uphill portion of
the hike. I had been holding hands with Natalie Ta (2013, Public Health) and
all was dandy until that part. Then, the pack of UHL students began to stratify
as we hiked. There were luckily no leeches, but the climb was challenging. As
my body heated up, I took off my jacket and my hat. Then, when it began to snow
on us, I put them back on. Later, they came off. My hike was filled with
continuous exchanging of clothing, but also bouts of humor.
Phyllis Chaney noted that my ability to talk while walking
uphill was exceptional. There was also a time when we discussed how Roman
soldiers carried over 50 pounds of gear with them and compared it to how we
were dying from carrying food and water. Such a tragedy to have so many
supplies. However, we all survived the ten mile hike no problem.
The students who did the 15 mile hike… well, let’s let this
video starring Kyle Callahan (2014, International Relations and Biology) and
Maddie Hunsley (2015, Chemistry) do all the talking.