Taking the Waste to the Woods

            Julia Fetty

            8/22/17

As I awoke this morning, a mix of emotions rushed through my mind. Today was the day we were starting our first backcountry expedition. I felt immense excitement with a ting of nerve, curious as to how the river would feel paddling for the first time. As we glided through the water (okay, maybe not gliding just yet), I realized why I decided to join ECOEE in the first place. We were surrounded by vibrant green pines, colorful mounds of rock and water which created ruffled waves as we traveled, working hard and (hopefully), focused on each stroke of the paddle. I was in an incredible state of peace and I knew I was in the right place.

After we finished our paddling for the day, it was finally time to learn how our swaggy wag bags and collected maple leaves were going to be our butts bff’s for the next month. We learned how to take the waste to woods. The lesson was an unforgettable one, thanks to Bozman, who showed us all of the nifty techniques on our booty stances and the perfected art of taking a dump.

We also learned how to filter and purify our water for the next month. I had always found this fascinating and it boggled my mind the absolutely nasty diseases that can occur if our water is not perfectly clean. *crosses fingers we don’t all get gardia*

My day ended cooking the first meal on the backcountry stove, which was much more of and devoured our ramen with dehydrated veggies none the less! It is just the beginning of rehydrating our meals and testing out the dreaded…TVP.

I can’t believe I am here and I cannot wait for what this journey brings me next. I’ll just end this entry with a lyric of my favorite tune, which I will be ingrained in my mind for the rest of the river: We’re after the same rainbows end, waiting around the bend, Moon River and me. –Henry Mancini