The 3 weeks I spent with some of the greatest people on this Earth in the middle of the Wind River Range of Wyoming was the greatest experience of my life. We hiked about 60 miles in 21 days, reaching about 12,500 feet in elevation. Every day was insanely challenging, but, in the end, worth every second. We had cuddle puddles on top of the mountains, took naps, did some cartwheels, and whipped to "Wagon Wheel". We danced with sparklers and ate backcountry cake on the 4th of July. We caught fish while bonding and talking about our lives back home. Some jumped in freezing cold lakes, while others watched in awe. We enjoyed sitting around a stove, eating out of a jar of peanut butter and talking about our day. We endured bellyaching laughter in our sleeping bags, sitting in lightening position, while the thunder boomed outside our tents. It hailed and rained and yet we still crossed through meadows side by side enjoying each other's company. We crossed rivers, circumnavigated lakes, climbed saddles and sometimes ended up going in a circle. Throughout all of this we cooked some amazing hash browns, Mac and cheese, pizza, and baked brownies, cake and biscuits, while singing "Starfish and Coffee". But while we were having the time of our lives, we were also learning things we would use for the rest of our lives. Things like our impact on the environment, levels of leadership, how to resolve conflict, giving feedback, and decision making. Though three weeks seems like a while to live without a smartphone, laptop, or TV we found that we could make the best memories without all that. I learned so much more about all the people I was with, much more than I could learn about them anywhere else. We saw each other at our best, our worst, and definitely our dirtiest. We saw each other's flaws, and the people we really were. Stripping away the influence of today's society with social media and the way we all live we were able to be ourselves without being judged or picked on and we were accepted. I was surrounded by what I would now call my best friends and my sisters, and I wouldn't trade this experience with them for anything on this planet.
