Digging and Skiing

Yesterday all students were divided into groups and banished into the wilderness with our field instructors. We all learned to put on, take off, fall and most importantly get up on cross country skis. We started the day by getting our hands dirty by digging snow pits and finding the density, depth and depth of each layer of snow. We used the data we collected to learn if an animal would want to burrow under the snow to keep warm from the elements. But we learned many important skills while in the wild, such as how to get snow out of our pants, how to go up hill while on skis and not fall. But the most hilarious lesson anyone learned yesterday was do not fall next to a tree. Erin fell next to a tree and managed to get stuck in the snow up to her stomach after taking her skis off in an attempt to free herself. She would have been imprisoned  by the snow pack if it were not for a majestic bear, aka BEN. Who came to her rescue and lifted her from the snow pack. All in all the first day was an incredible success. This is my third trip to the Teton Science School and I have enjoyed myself many each time. But I must say that so far this trip has been my favorite.