Ripplebrook is off the HOOK!

So0o this past week has been yet another week of training, but far more boring... We had an introduction to the US forest service and safety protocols, on Tuesday we did a CPR/first aid certification (my 3rd time through), and Wednesday we had a defensive driving class. Not too much to talk about during these sessions except that the only way my group got through was lots of snacks, about 10 cups of coffee each, 2 eggs of silly putty, and a collection of markers I found in my backpack. 

Aside from classroom work, my free time has been occupied by exploring the Clackamas river area (the river which Ripplebrook is based off of). We found this really cool camping spot next to the river on this exposed bedrock which we plan to camp on this weekend. 

But I do have a few pictures of us checking out the area. (Mom - please skip next part ) There was a giant log spanning the length of river, something which I could not resist climbing across.

 

Everything in the area was covered in moss, but luckily I was wearing my trusty toe shoes which are basically spiderman feet.

 Awesome! I also found the perfect place for a little meditation. :) 

Aside from daily exploring, my crew and I spend many of our evenings grilling out, listening to music, watching movies, stargazing on our roof, and just plain talking. So this is a picture of my group, from left to right - Eric, Miles, Hunter, Janelle, and Shannon. They're great! 

 

Our first night of stargazing yielded some amazing results. You would not believe how brilliant and crisp the night sky is out here. 

Shannon and I started flipping out when we walked outside late on a clear night on which we could see dozens of constellations and satellites. We even saw some shooting stars which was just so cool! 

SO -- today was the last class today - field trip - and was so much fun! We took a trip headed up by the station's main fisheries biologist to the various restoration projects in the area. Almost everything in the woods was covered in thick layers of moss, and everything was HUGE! It felt like a scene from a Jurassic Park movie. 

We found a huge hollowed out tree, obviously, we had to do a cheezy picture inside of it. 

We did a lot of walking in the woods, wading in rivers, tripping on rocks, and picking of flowers. It was by far my favorite day so far!  

!!!0_o!!!

This weekend we will be going camping, possibly be driving to the coast to see the sunset and checkout the record low tide levels! I'll update again after this craziness goes down :) 

Cheers!

***Photos provided by Shannon S. THANKS! ***