No deodorant or shower for a week? Ok not too bad thanks for letting me know. I’ll bring wipes.

Unscented wipes? Oh. Okay. Bugs and all, got it.

Ok so do I bring the toilet paper with me – and how many feet away from camp? Ok. Cool. Wait, I do WHAT with the little orange shovel? Ah got it. Gotta do what you gotta do. And this little red bag is called a bio bag? Ok thanks.

We’ll cook in the woods that’s great. I love cooking and I love the woods! Oh we save the leftovers for the next day? Including the cheese slices? I see

Hey, sorry I know we just woke up but my bag is no longer tied up in the tree and my toiletries are all punctured — oh, oh okay a bear pulled it down. Hmm okay wow. So the bear was how many feet from our tent? Okay, cool, no that’s cool, I wish I saw it.

I have to brush my teeth with my toothpaste and a little water from my water bottle and – sorry show me again – I spray the toothpaste instead of spitting it? oh to not attract animals yeah that makes a lot of sense

I leaned into discomfort in the middle of the woods with a bunch of strangers and chilly nights and no makeup or deodorant

But when I leaned I learned I was standing with an incredible group of new friends

There was enough rain to feel like we took several showers a day
My hair was the healthiest it’s ever been
And turns out, you make friends quickly when you have to find somewhere to use the forest bathroom
I learned how to make my best stir fry and that pepper jack can go a long way without refrigeration
I saw a beautiful black bear enjoying the scenery just like us. Turns out they like sour patch watermelon too
I learned how to protect myself from lightening
We kept walking and walking until dusk was coming and we wondered where we would sleep, and that’s when we saw the water falls and set up our first camp
Good things come to those who walk and wonder
Our fingers were crossed for sunshine but we had to cross a large stream swollen from the rain
I leaned into discomfort and into the hands of our leaders and strangers who became friends as they picked me up to keep me from falling in the river when my foot slipped on a rock
Sometimes leaning into discomfort means falling into something beautiful
A wonderful net of beauty and nature and friendship
Sometimes it’s the intricate silk strings of discomfort that becomes a web, delicate and strong all at once