The Outer Banks Expediton by Mitchell Wilkinson- Harrison

This expedition the Tickle Sticks went to the Outer Banks. The drive over to the East Coast was about eight hours and it was very long drive. The first night in the Outer Banks there were a lot of bugs and other things biting us. It was a hard time for us because we were itchy and not supposed scratch our bug bites.

One day at the Outer Banks, we went to the beach to have some fun. I went body surfing, and I did a 360 under the water. The wave knocked me over and turned me full circle under the water.

We had a tour of the Coast Guard Station and we got to go on the Coast Guard boats that they had at the station. We went to Jockeys National Park to go dune jumping and we had a lot of fun when we were there.

One day we went to some of the lighthouses around the island we were staying at. On some of the days we went shopping to buy things to remember the trip.

We took our kayaks out to the beach to have fun in the water. We went kayak surfing in the ocean. When we were in town we out for dinner two times, the first time we went to a pizza buffet and the second time we went to a seafood restaurant.

Most of the campsites that we stayed at had cold showers, colder then the ocean. Most of the mornings we played ultimate Frisbee on the beaches near our campsite. One of the days we were on the beach, we played 500 in the water and the water was so shallow that we could walk for miles. 500 is a game that we played with a Frisbee where you get points by catching the Frisbee. You have to call out a number and then if you catch the Frisbee, you get that many points.

The last of our expedition we went to the Wright Brothers Museum to learn about the two brothers from Ohio. I liked this trip because it had air conditioning inside.

When we were playing 500 on the beach I saw some dolphins swimming around in the water. W e took a field trip to the aquarium in the Outer Banks and they had a shark’s pit that you can dig for shark’s teeth. One of the days in the town we drove around for a long time because we couldn’t find anything to do. I had a fun time at the East Coast because I had never been there before. I want to take my parents to see the places that I visited.

S At our last campsite, I made a big fire for the group. It kept everyone happy. I can’t wait to see my family and friends when I get back home for the summer.

Dune jumping at Jockey’s Ridge by Alec Thompson

The Tickle Sticks decided to go to Jockey’s Ridge for the day. I brought my football to play with when we got there. The ride was short and we got there in 20 minutes. We got to the visitor center and we got to the dunes and started to climb them. It was hard work climbing them and many of us fell down on the way up. We were all ok though. We climbed to the top and it was a great view of the ocean. Mark said to jump off the dune so we could take a photo of the group. We all jumped and landed softly on the sand. We took one more photo of us and moved on to a new dune. Mark, Mitch, and I played with the football. Mitch threw some great passes. One headed for the edge of the dune and I had it in my grasp and missed. I fell down the dune and caught up with the ball and stopped it. There was a problem with falling down a sandy dune. I had sand everywhere in my clothes and my mouth. It was really sandy. I was ok though. I walked back up the dune and showed Mark and Mitch where I caught up with the ball and they said good job. After we played for a while we went down the dune and found a phone in the sand. We picked it up and called the owner. He said to meet us back at the visitor center in half and hour. We walked to the original dune where we started and the phone rang three more times. It was really funny. We took one more picture of all of us jumping of the biggest dune and we all wiped out in very funny ways. We grabbed all our stuff and started walking back. We made it back to the visitor center and gave the phone back to the owner. Then I realized I left my football at the dune. I didn’t care for it so I left it there. We talked to the visitor center secretary for a while. We got some free stuff from her. We got a sticker and some sun block for our lips. We went back to camp and showered to get all the sand off. It was a very fun day in the Outer Banks and a great last expedition.

THE CLIMB TO THE TOP

As we the Tickle Sticks spent our expedition in the lovely Outer Banks we decided to climb the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, which is located in Corolla, North Carolina. The completion of this incredible structure was December 1, 1875. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse was built from approximately one million red bricks and stands at a towering 162 feet. The climb was quite fun, some of us were a bit skeptical of the old building and the height but we all made it up the 214 stairs to the top. The view from the top was incredible. Even the people who were afraid of heights made it to the top just with slight issues. It looked out over much of the northern Outer Banks on a warm, sunny, clear day. It was wonderful, the lighthouses are definitely something worth going to while in the Outer Banks.

Jake DeHaan

On the Tickle Sticks last expedition we had an amazing time in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One day around mid-way through the expedition we had found a restaurant the group had been interested in going to. The name of the restaurant was Dirty Dicks Crab House. After spending about half a day at the beach James and I had the idea of presenting this scheme to Mark. We half joking ask him seeing at the group didn’t have a lot of personal money and it was a far drive. Despite the odds, Mark shot us with a challenge. The challenge was to bury him in sand, up to his head. He gave us the time limit of 10 minutes for him to get out, and if he couldn’t, SOAR would pay for the dinner. The team was ready and exited for the challenge. Right away we got to work. We used a skim board that James had bought a few days before to cut through the hard sand. After about 3 feet we had David go face-first into the hole while I held his legs so he didn’t fall in. After about four feet we hit water, which made it even harder to go through. But some how we had it deep enough for him to stand upright in. Not all to surprisingly Mark was able to get out in around 3 and a half minutes. Despite him beating the time, Mark was so impressed with the group’s hard work he allowed SOAR to pay for it. So we hopped in the van after a quick shower and in about an hour we arrived. I ordered calamari and alligator tail, which was absolutely amazing. We left Dirty Dicks and went to bed right away. The next day on out way to the ferry Ocracoke, which was about 10 minutes from our campsite we passed another Dirty Dicks. We all laughed as we realized we had done two hours of driving when all we could had done was 20 minutes. Over all it was an amazing trip with a lot of really great experiences.

Our Expedition to The North Carolina Outer Banks By David Hollander

The tickle sticks went to the Outer Banks last expedition and we had a lot of fun. We had many surprises such as bowling, and going to eat! My favorite day on our expedition happened when we were on the beach and I was craving seafood so we ended up talking Mark into letting us go out to dinner. Before he said yes, he said we needed to build a deep enough hole in the ground for Mark to stand up in. after we dug the whole Mark stepped in it and we got to bury him. We timed how long it would take him to get out of the hole. He told us that if it took longer then ten minutes he would pay for our dinner out. Unfortunately it only took three minutes, but because we worked so well together he decided to pay. We each had a $25 limit for our meal. The restaurant we went to was about an hour away, so we all piled in the van and arrived there at about 8:00. Our manners and behavior was so good at the restaurant even the waitress commented. After we ordered our seafood and ate we stopped in the gift shop and several people bought shirts. J Then we headed back to our campground and went to bed. The following morning we got up and packed camp. We headed the other direction on Hatteras island and then realized there was the same restaurant about five minutes away, it made us all chuckle. I am really happy we all ended on such a good note!

 

Our Experiences in The Wild Wild West Whitney Theriot

The the Nothing But G's started off the expedition living a luxury life at the Wyoming Base, Eagle View Ranch. When we first arrived at Eagle View Ranch it was under 6 inches of snow. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it to upper base, where the cowboy tents are, so we settled for Plan B. We camped in our tents by the gear shed. Camping there could have been the best decision we made all expedition . Not only was it right next to the school house, that we were allowed to use during class, but it was near the lower base kitchen and director offices. It was great to be able to use this area and be out of the snow. While at EVR, the group partook in various activities that made our stay more enjoyable. The group spent a lot of time outside creating giant snow balls and sledding down the hilly Wyoming Base. The group went snow shoeing up the Two Oceans Ridge Section of the Continental Divide. The Trail we took up to the ridge was only partially cut; Evan and Jeremy had the pleasure of doing the rest. While on the way up the mountain, there was a very narrow trail that we had to follow. I found out the hard way if you veered off the trail you will fall into various tree holes packed with 4 feet of snow. This hike was not a piece of cake; part of the hike we were climbing up a vertical wall of snow that would have been impossible to climb if we were not wearing our shoes. Once we made it to the top, the group enjoyed some cold pizza bagels. Some of the boys peed off the ridge, which according to Jeremy will eventually end up in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. The way down was the most enjoyable part of the trip, because the group created our own personal trail down. Getting a hang of the snow shoes was not an easy task. The whole group ate many falls while stumbling\skiing on oversized shoes down the mountain. The group also enjoyed riflery, which we did twice through out our stay in Dubois, Wyoming. We shot a .22 caliber rifle. Some of the boys even got to shoot an old World War II rifle. After this the group went on to better explore this scenic state. The group went to Thermopolis, Wyoming. Once we arrived in Thermopolis, the group was pleasantly surprised when they found it was 66 degrees. While there, we went to a hot spring mineral pool park called The Star Plunge. We enjoyed relaxing in the hot water. While there the group partook in many water fights and played basketball in the pool. While in the warm pools the time flew bye. The 3 hours we had allotted for the Star Plunge quickly disappeared. After the Star Plunge, the group spent the next day fishing at Boysen Lake, which was very unsuccessful. The nothing but G's didn't catch any fish, instead we caught numerous rocks and trees. The next day we began our two hour drive back to Dubois,Wyoming where we had dinner at Jeremy's house and split wood. Unfortunately, while splitting wood I missed and split my toe with the maul. While I was getting fixed up, the group started making hobo dinners and had fun around the campfire. The next night the group went out to dinner at the Cowboy Cafe for our final outing, bringing an end to our spectacular expedition.

Our Experiences in The Wild Wild West Whitney Theriot

The the Nothing But G's started off the expedition living a luxury life at the Wyoming Base, Eagle View Ranch. When we first arrived at Eagle View Ranch it was under 6 inches of snow. Unfortunately, we were unable to make it to upper base, where the cowboy tents are, so we settled for Plan B. We camped in our tents by the gear shed. Camping there could have been the best decision we made all expedition . Not only was it right next to the school house, that we were allowed to use during class, but it was near the lower base kitchen and director offices. It was great to be able to use this area and be out of the snow. While at EVR, the group partook in various activities that made our stay more enjoyable. The group spent a lot of time outside creating giant snow balls and sledding down the hilly Wyoming Base. The group went snow shoeing up the Two Oceans Ridge Section of the Continental Divide. The Trail we took up to the ridge was only partially cut; Evan and Jeremy had the pleasure of doing the rest. While on the way up the mountain, there was a very narrow trail that we had to follow. I found out the hard way if you veered off the trail you will fall into various tree holes packed with 4 feet of snow. This hike was not a piece of cake; part of the hike we were climbing up a vertical wall of snow that would have been impossible to climb if we were not wearing our shoes. Once we made it to the top, the group enjoyed some cold pizza bagels. Some of the boys peed off the ridge, which according to Jeremy will eventually end up in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. The way down was the most enjoyable part of the trip, because the group created our own personal trail down. Getting a hang of the snow shoes was not an easy task. The whole group ate many falls while stumbling\skiing on oversized shoes down the mountain. The group also enjoyed riflery, which we did twice through out our stay in Dubois, Wyoming. We shot a .22 caliber rifle. Some of the boys even got to shoot an old World War II rifle. After this the group went on to better explore this scenic state. The group went to Thermopolis, Wyoming. Once we arrived in Thermopolis, the group was pleasantly surprised when they found it was 66 degrees. While there, we went to a hot spring mineral pool park called The Star Plunge. We enjoyed relaxing in the hot water. While there the group partook in many water fights and played basketball in the pool. While in the warm pools the time flew bye. The 3 hours we had allotted for the Star Plunge quickly disappeared. After the Star Plunge, the group spent the next day fishing at Boysen Lake, which was very unsuccessful. The nothing but G's didn't catch any fish, instead we caught numerous rocks and trees. The next day we began our two hour drive back to Dubois,Wyoming where we had dinner at Jeremy's house and split wood. Unfortunately, while splitting wood I missed and split my toe with the maul. While I was getting fixed up, the group started making hobo dinners and had fun around the campfire. The next night the group went out to dinner at the Cowboy Cafe for our final outing, bringing an end to our spectacular expedition.

SOAR’S CRACK SHOT SHOOTERS by Isaac J. Inglis

“BANG! Click. Chink. Clink. Click. BANG!” The sounds of the firing and reloading of a .22 rifle. It’s quite a simple set of sounds that were heard frequently by the Nothin’ But G’z while they were in Dubois Shooting Range in Wyoming. While here they all shot about 15 .22 caliber rounds in 3 different .22 caliber rifles, provided by Jeremy Neidens, the SOAR director of the South West group.
The Nothin’ But G’z were hanging out at the EVR, Eagle View Ranch, Base just outside of Dubois, Wyoming where they had set up camp in the snow because they could not get to upper base. It was planned to go snow-shoeing that day, but then Jeremy called and asked if the G’z would like to switch their plans and go shooting that day and snow-shoeing the next. It was majority rule and the G’z packed up their daypacks and headed down the road to meet up with Wes and The BBB, the van that is used out west called The Big Black Beast, because the ice on the roads made it to unsafe to drive with everyone in it.
At the rifle range, the G’z ate lunch and had a meeting with Jeremy about safety. Now most people would think that shooting rifles is a dangerous thing to do but, in fact, it is one of the safest things SOAR does. This is because of all the safety measures that SOAR has during this activity. Some examples are that you will always treat the rifle like it is loaded, anyone can call “STOP!” when they see something unsafe, if your rifle does not fire, keep it pointed down range for a short while and then if it still doesn’t fire, call stop and call over a staff. These are just some of the many safety procedures that are involved while shooting.
Now to get the fun part, talking about the guns and shooting them. There was much joy from the G’z when they did this activity. There were even some amazing shooters in the group, such as Isaac Inglis and Evan Anderson. II, or 2, was the crack shot with the .22 rifle, making all 5 shots in the 8 circle and 4 shots in the 9 circle! The requirement for getting shots with the Mosin-Nagant, a high power Russian rifle from World War II that shoots 7.62X53mm and 7.62X54mm rounds, was to get at least 3 shots in the 7 circle, which would grant you 1 shot with the Mossy. If you managed to get 4 shots in the 7 you got 2 shots with the Mossy, and you got 3 shots if you got all 5 .22 rounds in the 7. There were 5 circles on the grading paper with numbers ranging from 5 to 9. For size comparison on the circles just look at the circles on rifle targets.
The G’z went rifle shooting 2 times, once during the 1st week and once during 2nd week. The first time the G’z went shooting, everyone shot the .22s and Evan, Ben, Isaac I, and Isaac V got to shoot the Mosin-Nagant. There was only one round of shooting the .22s and only 1 round of shooting the Mossy. Each person took their turn, Isaac I going first with 3 shots, then IV with 2 shots, followed up by Evan with 3 shots, and finished by Ben Sacks with 2 shots. In this group the crack shot with the Mossy was Evan, who placed all his shots in a nice little pattern. If you didn’t hold the gun right then the kick from it, which is very strong, would seriously hurt your shoulder. Plus, even if you did hold it right, it would still hurt after a few shots and definitely hurt later on in the day.
The second time the G’z went shooting, they did two rounds of .22 shots. This meant that there was a chance of getting six shots with the Mossy, although no one managed to get all 6. Most everyone shot the .22, except for Whitney Theriot, A.C. Berry, and Ricky Diez. Once again 2, IV, Ben, and Evan were able to shoot the Mossy, but 2 decided to trade his 5 shots with the Mossy for another 5 shots with the .22 rifle, leaving 3 people with Mossy shots. Once again, 2 went 1st with his 5 .22 rounds, proving his title of .22 crack shot, followed by Evan with 4 Mossy shots, defending his title as Mossy crack shot, then it was IV with 5 shots, and it was finished by Ben who had 4 shots.
When shooting, you don’t look for score on the target, but rather patterns of shots. That’s why we had a clear sheet that we used to grade the shots. When it came to grading, Evan and Isaac I were at the top of the class, each using a different rifle. II was the best with the .22, he said it’s because he has the shooting genes that his grandma has. Evan was the best with the Mossy, he said it’s because shooting the Mossy scares him so much that his grip is solid and not wavering.
Shooting the rifles was an activity that everyone of the G’z enjoyed and will remember with crystal clarity. “Just the act of holding the rifle is heart pounding.” Says Isaac I, “It’s exhilarating to lay there on the mat, leg propped up to help you keep stable, as you look down the sight at your target, finger horizontal across the trigger guard, and you breath in and out. Then you take a deep breath, steady your hands, slip your pointer finger onto the trigger, and pull it slowly so you don’t jerk the gun away from your target. The gun roars, kicks back against your shoulder, and the bullet whizzes towards your target. You lie there for a second and let out your breath and take in another. After that you look up from the sight, slide the stock of the gun back under your arm. You lift your trigger arm up to the bolt action, flick it up, and slide it back, releasing the bullet cartridge, sending it spinning through the air. After that you reach down for another round and place it into the chamber, then you slide the action back into place, raise the rifle back up to your eye and get ready for another shot.”

Nothing but G’s at E.V.R. by A.C. Berry

Soar has two bases, one in North Carolina that you guys may know about, but do you know about Eagle View Ranch? E.V.R. is the base in Wyoming. Something interesting about E.V.R. is that they have cowboy tents. We did not stay in them because they take too long to set up. The day that we flew in, we went straight to E.V.R. to set up camp. We stayed right beside the stable. When we got up to the spot where we were camping it was covered with snow. Ben, Evan and myself decided to clear a spot for our tent. It took a while, but it was worth it because we did not get wet what so ever, I cannot say that about the others tents. Something else we thought about was to make pee trails so when we woke up in the middle of the night we did not have to walk in the snow.
This expedition was one of the easiest for warmth. Why? Because E.V.R. has a kitchen at the upper and lower houses, and a schoolhouse that has two rooms. it would have been a complete disaster because it was so cold.
I think the coolest thing about E.V.R. that it is the complete opposite from the North Carolina base. North Carolina has cabins while E.V.R. has cowboy tents with a fireplace in them. Awesome! Also there are so many views from the top of the mountain that you can see at E.V.R. There are alot of mountains at E.V.R. and from the base in Wyoming you can really tell when weather is coming. In North Carolina you can sometimes tell, but the weather can throw you off. Although I really hate the snow with a passion, it was really cool to see the Nothing But G’s having a good time with about three feet of snow. Some of the activities we did were sleding. I could not because of the doctor’s orders. Something that we could have done if there were not a lot of snow, would have been throwing hatchets and archery.
I think that the nothing But G’s had a very good time at E.V.R. I personally think that it was a very good change to let us finish our final expedition on a good note. Why? Because if we did not have the inside for school and eating we would have not finished it off as well as we did. This was a great way to end our final expedition.

Hobo, Party of 12... By Ben Sacks

During the last week of the final expedition to Wyoming, the Nothing but G’s had dinner at South West Course Director, Jeremy Neidens’s house. That special that night was hobo dinner. Hobo dinner is when one takes a sheet of aluminum foil, folds it into a bag-like shape, adds the ingredients, cooks the food on an open fire, and then enjoys. The ingredients that were available were potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cheese, onions, butter, garlic powder, ketchup, and elk and deer meat. For dessert, there were chocolate chip cookies.

Before the group could eat though, they had to earn their “meal tickets”. The task, like usual, was to split logs for fire wood. Each member needed to split a grand total of 5 logs with a maul or blunt axe. Some had an easy time with the log splitting; others not so much. One group member in particular, Whitney Theriot, had the unfortunate experience of missing the log and instead cutting her toe. Whitney, after a little medical attention from Wes “Wonder Bread” Stanforth, in the form of some wrappings, reported having some discomfort but felt better. Her shoe on the other hand, didn’t fare too well and suffered some “internal injuries” and might need stitching.

After completely downing the second round of food, Ben “Sack Attack” Sacks contently said “That dinner was wonderful!” He wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the food. Apparently, the entire group enjoyed the hobo dinner and the chocolate chip cookies. “If I ever had the chance to make a hobo dinner again,” Ben “Sack Attack” Sacks said, “I would definitely do so again.”

The “G’s” With Fire Power By: Evan Anderson

Have you ever imagined the ferocity of the rifles used in WW2? On the Wyoming final expedition, the nothing but G’s got to test the strength of the Russian WW2 Mosin Nagate. After firing rounds from a .22 rifle, the few accurate people such as Isaac Vaisberg, Isaac Inglis, Ben Sacks, and I got to shoot the Mosin. Derek and Wes, our staff, were probably the best with the rifle. Derek shot straight through his second hole with his third shot. And Wes owns the same gun, so of course he is good with it. He shot a small piece of wood all the way down range. We were allowed to fire a few rounds from this rifle. This gun is a beast. It was extremely powerful, loud, and had a fairly good kick to it. When it fired, a storm of smoke would fly out in front of you chasing the bullet. It was hard not to close you eyes. The logs we used as targets were more then enough to stop the .22s but when you take a Mosin round to it, the log stood no chance. The bullet went straight through and plunged into the hill a ways back. If not held right, the rifle could prove potentially dangerous to the handler. A few people did have aching shoulders after firing. Not long after our first try with the rifle, the G’s came back for more, hoping to get one more chance with the rifle. Of course we got that chance. We just couldn’t get enough. A question frequently asked was, how did soldiers fire the rifle without blowing out there eardrums?? We were wearing earmuffs and it was still loud! They must get used to it was our answer. A sense of satisfaction came over the group when the Mosin was fired, and everytime we left we were happy and ready for our next challenge.

Split-Pee ... By Isaac Vaisberg

Imagine, if you will, Big Foot lending you his feet for the afternoon to do a little hike. This is what the Nothing But G’s felt like as they strapped on their snowshoes for the first time at the bottom of the Two Oceans hike. Snowshoes , for those of you that don’t live in Wyoming, are footwear for walking over the snow. They work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation". Technical stuff aside, they’re giant feet. Anyways, up went the Nothing But G’s through the Two Oceans hike. Many of them struggled, ran out of breathe, and fell on their faces (cough cough, Whitney), but they pushed on and on up the side of the giant mountain. The journey was long and hard. Jerremy’s dogs, Lucy and Birch, would run up and down the line of G’s, swiveling in between their legs, checking up on everyone, making sure the “herd” wasn’t slacking. Two and a half long hour later, we were at the top.



Now, bear with me through this, for my title will make sense in just a quick second. The Two Oceans Hike is famous because it lies on the continental divide, that is, half the mountain’s melted snow winds up in the Atlantic Ocean, and the other half winds up in the Pacific Ocean. My title make sense yet? Well, for those of you that need a little clarification, there is a magical deed to be performed at the top of the mountain. See, if you pee and swing yourself from side to side, half of your pee will end up in the Atlantic, and the other half will end up in the Pacific. It is truly incredible if you think about it: a cross country pee. Many of the G’s partook in this awkardly-delightful right of passage and were proud of it. I know I was.



Split-peeing aside, it was time to head down the mountain. A question was posed: take the trail, or off road it and ski with our giant feet down the powder snow? If you know us, you know what we decided. All you could hear from afar was the sounds of “WOOOHOOO’s!” and tons of snow falling down in mini avalaches as we skiied down the side of the mountain. At one point, the avalanches got so big that one of the G’s, me, surfed his way down as another one, Evan, was literally doing the breast stroke to keep himself from drowning in the powder snow. It was a thrilling ride down.



All in all it was an incredible experience. From the difficult hike up, to the split-pee, to the “kawabonga”-style descent, it was a good time for all.

Suwanee 30 mile paddle by Christian Humber

The SEC team did 30 mile paddle in one day on the Suwanee trip. This challenged the group physically and mentally. Most of the group members were in foul moods due to exhaustion and hunger. The paddle took eight long hours to complete. When we got to our destination we set up camp and began cooking dinner. We then had to take down camp to go to the campsite because we stopped at a boat ramp and we couldn't sleep there, which blew big pink bubbles, because we had to take down camp repack the canoes and paddle upstream though an eddy to reach our campsite. The path was flooded so it was sketchy paddling around the trees in the darkness of the night with only headlamps to guide us. Some of the students took the tents and set them up at the campsite while dinner was being cooked.

When dinner was over we got all our stuff packed in the canoes and began paddling to the campsite, which did not take very long to get to. the team got the rest of the chores done and went to bed. The next morning we found out the host was a cranky-old dude who made us clean the bathrooms, which was annoying, but we got it done. Some boy scouts came and trashed the bathroom so the grouch said we did a bad job and some of the members had to clean half before the boy scouts admitted they trashed it. Some of them had rather ill mouths while going to clean the bathroom. We finally got to paddle to a national park where we did some community service, which was raking leaves and helping take a tree down. After we did the community service we got to swim in the spring, which felt really good on the hot day, and finally finished up the expedition. Most of us forgot to put sunscreen on so we got burned. The final spring's water was so crystal clear that we saw turtles swimming, and the animal that gives the spring its name, the manatees. This was one fun expedition because it challenged us and helped us enjoy the river.

The Kestrel and the Ducklings, by Jake DeHaan

On The Tickle Sticks last expedition we had some very exiting moments on the Suwannee River. The moment that stuck out to me the greatest was around half way through the trip the group had been paddling for a while when my boat (which was on of the boats closer to the front) heard a strange sound. The sound came from what I believe to be an American Kestrel hawk. The hawk was attempting to catch some very small ducklings as they swam with their mother in the river. As the hawk began its attack, the ducklings and their mother got separated. The mother went for cover, with a few of her young ones under the protection of a tree, that’s branches hang into the water. The ducklings that were separated began to swim down stream, away from the protection of the tree and their mother. Having the sudden urge to help these small ducks, I began to herd the ducklings back to the protection of their mother. The task was not very easy. Paddling up stream was very hard. The river was flowing at about four miles per hour and paddling upriver makes coordination much harder. Luckily the paddle wasn’t extremely far, only at most 30 feet. Once we returned the ducklings to their mother, and saw that the hawk was gone, we decided it was safe to continue our way down the river. It was an amazing experience to see a hawk hunting in its natural environment. I have had experiences with an injured Kestrel before, so it was nice to see in out in the open. Overall the Suwannee had some truly amazing experiences that can’t be forgotten. Their were many great times, which made it very hard to choose from, but watching the hawk duck interaction was absolutely amazing, and I’m so proud of myself and my group from making it through all one-hundred-twenty-five miles.

My Favorite Memory By David Hollander

 

The South East Coastal Tickle Sticks paddled the Suwannee River while on our last expedition. We paddled a total of 125 miles in about ten days. There were many great memories on our trip but my favorite memory didn’t happen till after our paddling. It was the first morning off of the river and we all knew there were some surprises coming our way.

            After we packed up camp we drove about 30 minutes to Atlanta where we stopped at a mall, we shopped around for about one hour. We all thought that the mall was our surprise but that wasn’t it. We then headed to borders bookstore where we shopped around for about an hour. People also bought some books. It was a good time because everyone loves reading books and listening to music. After the bookstore we went to the movie theater and saw Alice In Wonderland! I didn’t think it would be a good movie but it wasn’t that bad. We even had the opportunity to play games in the arcade before the movie. We played air hockey and basketball. After a hard day we headed back to base to go out for dinner. We ended up eating dinner at a place in Asheville called Mellow Mushroom they have very good pizza. I shared a meat lover’s pizza with James. We also shared garlic cheese bread. Unfortunately we forgot to invite April to dinner and she is disappointed because Mellow Mushroom is her favorite! L   Our day was a success and we all really enjoyed it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Actually Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea by Whitney Theriot

t most definitely is not Sponge Bob Square pants but a variety of sea creatures. The Monterrey Bay Aquarium was a fun look at the under the sea mix up for the Nothing but G's. We all enjoyed gazing in awe at the large assortment of marine life and birds that the aquarium had in it. I really enjoyed the bright colors and beauty there truly is under the sea. All the animals live and work as a team within the ecosystem. This aquarium was the first that I have seen that included fish along with birds that may be on the beach. The aquarium contained a variety of sand pipers and also included sea gulls. I also enjoyed the touch tanks that the aquarium had; one of the many tanks had bat rays, grouper, and other fun fish. Another tank had slimy sea animals, such as starfish, sea cucumber, sponges, and some crustaceans. Next, we went into a observatory that contained sharks. They had a cool camera that allowed us to view the sea life as if we were under the water with them. Next we went into the jellyfish exhibit. They had this one species of jelly fish that you cannot sea unless there is a light being flashed on them. On the way out to our surprise, we ran into the Black-footed penguin exhibit. I thought it was cool the way they had a brand on the penguins wing that had its name on it. Finally, we ended in the seahorse exhibit. I was surprised to find out that our 3rd expedition staff member, Derek, thought they were fictional creatures, like unicorns. I found the variety of seahorses spectacular; I was amazed at how many different types there were. I also thought it was cool that they had a pouch of live seahorse embryos that they had figured out how to show to the public. This was an adventure under the sea I will remember for a long time.

Nothing but G’s in the back country by A.C. Berry

The Nothing but G’s + the Backcountry = pain and awesomeness. On Thursday the 18 of March, we started our decent into the backcountry. For the first 20 minutes we were all hiking together. After that I had to fall back because Ashley (my backpack) was giving me a hard time. I had to stop and adjust my hip belt. While I was doing that, I saw Evan not too far from me. I caught up to him and we started to talk about our lives at home and how we miss them. We stopped a lot as well because the first mile was all up hill. That killed my hips. Some people said my hips were lying. Then it was killing my knees. Evan was a rookie to hiking, so he stayed in the back and hiked up that beast. I was already in the back with Evan, so I thought of cheering him on because it was his first hike with a very big backpack. After the all that up hill, it was a nice smooth breeze down to camp. Our campsite was called Barlow flats. A little fact about this campsite is that if you go to the restroom it is on top of a hill and you can see people passing by. Awkward, but the out come of the campsite was great; we had enough space to sleep and play.

While we were at this beautiful campsite, we did school everyday, but we also did some other fun activities. The day after we got in we took a hike to the hot springs. During that hike Evan, I.V., Ben, and myself got to know each other a little bit more. When we got to the so-called hot springs, we had to cross a river many times. We cheered Laith on because he was scared. When we got across the river we could not find the hot springs, so we took a break and ate snack while Ricky and Andrew dunked there heads in the water. Then we headed back to camp to finish off the day. The next day we had to clean up in the river. Some people jumped in right away, others like myself were pansies about it and did not want to get in. That water was some of the coldest water I have ever felt.

Then on the hike out again Evan and I were I the back up until we saw the van then I asked him you want to run to the van. At first he said no but then he took off and I tired to catch up but I could not because he did not give me a warning

As I wrap this blog up I just want to say that the nothing but G’s have gone through a lot to be at the position that they are in. I think that we can handle the next expedition, the one that we will run by ourselves, very well.

Megaman Battles by Ricky Diaz

Evan, Ben, Isaac, and I invented a game called Megaman Battles. As everyone should know, Megaman is a little blue dude with a blaster for an arm that kills viruses. It’s totally awesome! It really is! When have you seen a little blue dude that runs around with a blaster for an arm?!? You don’t see that anywhere other than Megaman games or the television show. Anyway, so what Evan, Ben, Isaac, and I did is we took our sleeping pads, rolled them up tight and tied string around them so that they would stay rolled up. Put them on our arms, and started battling each other with them. Here are the rules of the game. What you are trying to do is kill the other Megaman.The kills only count when you get a point blank face shot and two body shots, when you rip off their pad (it counts as a instant kill), or when you use their special move and the other person doesn’t block it within two seconds of you using it. Everyone has his or her own special move that you can use. You have to come up with one before you can play. Your special move is a move that can only be blocked by an energy shield, which means you punch the ground with your pad arm. It is a one on one match. We have played this game many different times but in many different forms. For example, at one point we were playing in a kind of arena. Other times we would do just free for alls at the campsite we were staying at. Basically, all I’m trying to say is it was a big game that anyone could join. That’s what made it fun. The more people the better. The reason why it made it more fun was because the more people the greater the challenge. Everyone has a different fighting style and brings different strategies to the table. It makes the game more interesting. This has been Ricky Diaz with SOAR news, over and out.

The nothing but G’s and Rock Climbing By Andrew Berry

The nothing but g’s went rock climbing in Santa Barbra. The road was in the middle of nowhere and was hard to find. It was hard to look for the trail down to the rock because it started back in the trees.
Once we got to the climb site, Jeremy helped us to set up the climb. He threw the rope down, we tied the rope in our harness, and we were ready to climb. Right when we got to the top we could see the ocean. The group finished their school work at the climb site. It was a nice place to do school because it was calm.
We enjoyed seeing the ocean from the top of the rock. I recommend you go visit this rock in Santa Barbra because it is a pretty cool climb.

The California Expedition Part 2

By Ben Sacks

Previously on the California Expedition, the Nothing but G’s went surfing. “Radical! Way to shred the waves!”

This expedition was extremely exciting. Three of the activities that the Nothing but G’s had were going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, going to the beach, and celebrating my nineteenth birthday.

-It is now time for the exciting conclusion!

The first major group activity on the list is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Now, this aquarium was really cool, not just because the group actually got to go to an aquarium, but because the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in the United States. The group really enjoyed seeing the incredibly wide assortment of animal life that was there. Some of the favorites were the Blackfooted penguin, Leafy Sea Dragon, Seven Gill Shark, Bat Rays, Giant Kelp Bass, Mahi-Mahi, and jellyfish. One of the best parts of the aquarium was the coral reef exhibit. Unfortunately, time was running out and the group needed to move a little more quickly. It was a great day though and the Nothing but G’s had a really great time.

The beach was the most physically active of the three activities. The final game in the Soaring Eagle Championship Series (SECS) was scheduled for that afternoon between the team Slash ‘n’ Smash (Derek “Strait Thuggin”, A.C. “Pretty Boy” Berry, Whitney “The Riot” Theriot, and Ben “Sack Attack” Sacks) vs. team Shock ‘n’ Awe (Wes “Wonder Bread” Stanforth, Suzanne “Sneak Attack” Siegel, Ricky “Ricky Bobby” Diaz, and Evan “Mr. White” Anderson). Three hours later, after the fourth quarter drew to a close, the final score was Shock ‘n’ Awe = 6 and Slash ‘n’ Smash = 8. That was a football game for the ages.

Last but certainly not least, (not by a really long shot) was my nineteenth birthday celebration. The Nothing but G’s went to an Italian-American restaurant called Fresco Café. The food was extremely good and was super affordable too. To add icing to the cake, there were two musicians playing an arrangement of blues and jazz music next to the table that the group was sitting at. After the group had full stomachs and was happy, the Nothing but G’s prepared for the return journey back to base.

A Visit Home by Isaac Inglis

The Nothin’ But G’z had just come on from a long and exhausting flight. It was late at night, but everyone was hyped up over their destination for that night, the house of the Inglis family. They had prepared a delicious meal of shepherds’ pie, ice cream, pavlova, chocolate cake, and soda. It was a feast to remember and was enjoyed thoroughly by all. They spent the night out on the front lawn, which was made of astro-turf, where counselor Derik, and student Andrew slept too close to the sprinklers for the few plants that needed the water, and got water on themselves.
In the morning, the G’z woke up to a wonderful breakfast, prepared by Annie Inglis, of homemade McMuffins with orange juice. It was a delicious breakfast. During breakfast, the guys talked with Zoe Inglis, Isaac Inglis’s sister, about different cars, and Isaac grabbed a few books to take with him on the expedition. Overall, this was an amazing time shared everyone and will be one of the things the Nothin’ But G’z will most certainly remember.

Camouflage with the “G’s” By: Evan Anderson

While the G’s were in the back country, at a campsite called Barlow flats, a game took place. Hidden in the trees, creeping up on you while you weren’t looking and when you least expected. It was called camouflage! This games objective was to hide in the forest, in a set of boundaries, and not be spotted by the person on the hill. When the person can’t find any more people, if any were found, they close their eyes and count to seven seconds. During those seven seconds, everyone that remains hidden must move three steps forward to a new hiding spot. You may use anything available to hide: trees, grass, dirt, rocks, under sleeping bags, behind tents, just anything to keep from being spotted. A.C. even put his hat somewhere other then where he was, to use it as a decoy. It sure fooled me. To win the game, you must get behind the seeker’s spot, or be the last person to remain hidden. This game is incredibly fun and I’m more than positive there would be no hesitation from the group to play again. This was our wonderful game of camouflage that the nothing but “G’s” played.

One Moment of Serenity….........By: Isaac Vaisberg

After a 9.4-mile hike through the redwood forests of Big Sur, the Nothin’ But G’s arrived at Barlow Flats. The campsite at Barlow flats was simple, cozy, and had a view of the mountains in the horizon, but its most magnificent feature was the river that flowed adjacent to it. The crash of the current against the rocks in the river gave the campsite an air of freshness unparalleled to anything I have ever smelled before. Along with the freshness came a sense of peace, a sense of belonging. While at Barlow Flats we all felt more connected to nature than we ever had before. One moment in particular remains in my mind. I was sitting on my Crazy-Creek by the river reading my book, The Fountainhead, when Ben Sacks came and asked if he could join me. I gladly invited him to sit next to me and join in my time of relaxation. Within seconds of Ben sitting down we were both in a trans-like state; our eyes attentively following the text, our ears eagerly listening to the running of the river in front of us, our noses vigorously taking in the scent of fresh mint from the surrounding foliage. We both, as I later found out from Ben, were, at that moment, at peace with ourselves as well as nature. Somehow, by silently reading next to each other, we managed to build a connection so strong that a small interruption by one of our teammates caused us both to, in unison, ask him to leave us to our Zen-like state. It was a moment of pure serenity and bliss. We were both focus on our reading, focus on our breathing, and focused on the rush of the water in the river. Nothing else mattered at that moment. No one else existed save the characters in our books and each other. When we were called to dinner it took us a while to be able to leave that tranquil state. We were both so in tune with nature at that point that it was hard to let go. We soon managed to get up and rejoin the group for a night of conversation and feast. Although the moment was gone, the memory remained. I’ll never forget that moment of pure serenity with Ben by the side of the river a Barlow Flats.

The Belize Expedition By Mitchell Wilkinson-Harrison

Have you ever been to Belize? It is an awesome place to visit. There are fun activities to do in Belize. You can learn about different things in Belize, such as the culture and languages.
On Tobacco Caye most of the Tickle Sticks went snorkeling and the rest of the team went diving. On one of our days in Belize, Big John took the tickle sticks to a beautiful waterfall and then I fell off the waterfall into the water, but I was okay. Then our last day of the Belize trip we went to buy stuff from Belize. The TIckle Sticks went to Black Rock to go swimming and they had wild horses on the property. Then Big John took the Tickle Sticks to the baboon center to learn about different kinds of baboons that live in Belize. On the last day of our trip we went to the Belize zoo to see all of the different kinds of animals that they have there. On one of the days in Belize we went to caracal and caye. The Tickle sticks met two people in Belize that were staying there, and their names were Eric and Colin. They got to hang out with us for two days in Belize.
In Belize they have a different kind of culture, speak a different language, and food different in Belize. The main food that they have in Belize is Chicken, Beans and Rice. The money is different from American money and everything costs a lot and the prices were different. Most of the Belize speaks Spanish and sometimes English too. They drive on the other side of the road than we do in Belize, and all of the roads were dirt and bumpy.

I like going to Belize because it is a nice place to visit. There are a lot of things you can do, and the culture is interesting. You can learn about a lot of different things in Belize and enrich your brain.

Caracol by JAMES PARKER

The Tickle Sticks took an amazing trip to Belize. One of the main attractions was Caracol, which is a Mayan Ruin. Big John, who was the staff on this trip, wouldn’t have done it without the help of two friendly fellows staying at the Trek Stop with us. These two fellows were Eric and Collin, both of whom were extremely fun and it was a joy to talk to others outside of our group for once. The drive was not something normal people experience. A large majority of the drive was on unpaved roads with large potholes all around. Not only was it not on paved roads, it was fairly long, about two hours. As we drove down this long lonely road we all thought to ourselves what this ruin would be like. After Big John described it he made it seem like it was the most incredible structure around. Anxiousness struck everyone in the van. We all wondered how much longer this drive was going to last. As we neared our destination and could see the park in the near distance. The excitement in the large 15 passenger van rose. We were here. The long journey ended and we were finally at Caracol. As we stepped out of the van into the warm tropical air everyone was full of energy from sitting for so long. We walked through the jungle a bit until we stumbled upon some massive trees. The name given to these trees are the Trees of Life. They have been around for ages upon ages. After seeing such incredible trees we continued the walk through the jungle to a clearing. We were behind an incredible structure. This structure was the great Caracol. Some of us climbed to the top of this structure and the views were incredible. Looking out you could see a court yard and another structure. Big John had definitely made this place up to seem what it really was. Everything he said was so true. After seeing this we didn’t think it could get any better but boy were we wrong. Following a trail we stumbled upon another massive and incredible structure. This was the main part of the ruin. As we climbed up towards what you thought was the top of this incredibly steep ruin we thought we would come upon a courtyard. Climbing up here was exhausting and just as you saw the courtyard and thought it was the top, there were more stairs to climb up till you were really at the top. Once we were at the true top of Caracol the views were amazing. What we saw is something that your average person never gets a chance to see. A courtyard below us followed by another part of the ruin then over the top of that part you could see miles and miles of mountain tops. It was so beautiful. Big John definitely was right. This was possibly the most amazing thing any of us had seen. Climbing down from such a height on such steep and oversized stairs was a bit sketch, but we all made it down safe and sound. After eating lunch in the provided picnic area, we hung around and discussed what our favorite parts were. After all this was done it was time to continue the long journey back to the Trek Stop. On the way back Big John surprised us by taking us to a swimming hole that had a huge waterfall flowing into it. There were some rocks that we were allowed to jump off of and everyone in the group pushed their comfort level and jumped off. After about an hour or two of having fun in the warm waters of Belize, it was time to pack up and continue the drive back to the Trek Stop…Joy.

Trip to Tobacco Caye By Dylan Smythe

While we, the SEC Tickle Sticks, were in Belize, we took a trip to Tobacco Caye. Tobacco Caye is a small island about three miles off the coast of Belize. When I first got there, the first thing I thought about how small it was. It was no more than the size of a large parking lot. I was amazed of how many conk shells there were around the island.
When we finally got unpacked and set up in our rooms, we went to get some lunch from the dining area. After finishing lunch, we went snorkeling off the beach a ways. There were so many fish it was ridiculous. There were many eagle rays and sting rays. There were massive schools of tarpon. There were small schools of barracudas and red snapper. There were many different kinds of fish that I cannot name but can say were exotically beautiful.
After we finished the snorkel trip, we went to the bar and chilled out for a bit. When it was time for dinner, we went to the dining room to some lovely fish. After that, we went to the rooms and chilled out on the hammocks that were already set up. After a few hours we went to bed, anticipating what tomorrow would bring.
The next morning we woke up and did some small exercises. We went to breakfast as soon as we heard the bell ring. After breakfast, and a cup of Belizean coffee, we went to the scuba master and got rigged up. After the first dive, we went to lunch. Soon after, we went back to do a second dive. After our dive we hooked up with the group and decided to chill on the beach. When it was dinner time, we went to eat and after a nice dinner, we went to bed early while some people did a night snorkel. We woke up then next day and packed up, ate breakfast, and jumped onto the boats that took us back to Belize.

Jake DeHaan

The Tickle Sticks had a fantastic time in Belize and had some amazing experiences that will be impossible to forget. The time that sticks out most to me is our time on Tobacco Caye (Key). Tobacco Caye is about 40 miles South East of Belize City and around 10 miles of Dangriga. Tobacco Caye has a permanent population of around 20 people. The people on the island were exceptionally kind and helpful. The group was greeted by some amazing prepared meals; that was a nice break from always having to make our own. The first meal we had was chicken, which, due to my distaste of meat on a bone was not fantastic, but everyone else seemed to enjoy greatly. After lunch that day we went out for a snorkel. It was one of the best snorkels I have ever been on. The abundance of wildlife and living coral was sensational. I have never seen so many eagle rays and conchs in my life. The eagle rays seem to just flow like slow moving birds through the water. After that the group had some time to relax. I had a great time reading now, one of my new favorite books, Ender’s Game. After this relaxing time, we went to dinner and had a fantastic meal. The dinner was red snapper with a sort of tomato sauce. We were all quite tired so we decided to go to bed. The next morning being so enwrapped in my book I got up early and watched the sun come up and read. When it was time to get going for the day we went to get breakfast, which was like all the meals before it quite good. Then the group went out for the morning exercise, which got some funny looks from residents and guest. The group then divided into two groups, the groups we’re divided into the snorkelers and divers. I was in the snorkeler group with Christian, Mitch, Shane, and Big John. We didn’t see as much as we did before, but we still had an amazing time. Then we went in for lunch. After we ate some of the students had extra spending money and decided to spend it on a second dive. The others went on a snorkel around docks and had a great time. After that we ate we had some more time to relax. The island had a bar, which we were able to use our money on drinks and small snacks. I had a really good time spending sometime with James and getting to talk. We then ate dinner, spent some more time relaxing then went to bed. The next morning we got up and packed our bags and left the island. Leaving was very sad; I had an extremely good time. I’ll never forget the time on Tobacco Caye and I hope I can take my family there sometime.

Our Trip To Belize By David Hollander

The South East Coastal tickle sticks went to Belize on our last trip; it was amazing. We arrived in Belize at about three pm, and we drove about two hours to the trek stop where we stayed for about five days. Our first adventure was to Cahal Peck, which is a ruin. Unfortunately the ruin was ruined.
There were two guys that we met at the trek stop and they were in Belize to volunteer. They were both audio engineers and they were helping out with sound in churches. They came with us on my favorite trip. We woke up really early and drove about three hours on a very bumpy road, and then arrived at a ruin called Caracal. After Caracal we ate lunch and drove to a cave. The cave we saw was huge; there was even a river, waterfall, and beach in the cave. It was possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. After the cave the day was finally heating up and we were all sweating. John took us to a place called Big Rock where we had the opportunity to jump off a 15-foot rock into the water. It was a blast! The day ended with a nice dinner out! The food we ate there was amazing and it was so nice to have food prepared for us for almost every meal.
After our journey at the Trek Stop we headed to Tobacco Caye. The ride out to the island was crazy. We were in a small boat in huge waves! We were drenched by the time we got there but it didn’t matter because it was paradise. We snorkeled a lot when we were there. Some of us even had the opportunity to scuba dive. The diving there was amazing and some day I would love to bring my family back there. I had never been in a country so amazing, everyone there was so chill and I’ve never felt so welcome to another country. Everyone there is so kind. I would love to visit Belize again in the next couple years.

The Habanero experience by Alec Thompson 3/15/10

In the beginning of the Belize trip everything was going fine. Then during the expedition the tickle sticks thought about trying a habanero pepper. Most of them didn’t want to try one but Christian decided to do so. He knew what had happened to his friend last semester so he wanted to try it. There was a bag of peppers that he had purchased from a local market. We were in the van when he ate a big orange pepper. After he finished chewing his face turned red and tears started running down his face. He yelled in pain as the spices started to kick in. Big John handed him some tortillas and told him water won’t help. Christian drank some water anyway and his face was still red. He was still hot in the face when we got back to camp and he rushed to the kitchen. Then Christian drank some milk and ate some bread. This helped a lot and he soon started to feel better after a ton of milk. There was a problem,. Christian’s stomach didn’t agree with the milk and the bread he had eaten. 10 minutes after finishing the milk, Christian tossed his cookies (or threw up). Then later that day he wanted to eat another one in front of Cassy so she could see it but he never got to. Later the next day, Dylan decided to try a habanero pepper too. There was a big difference between Dylan’s pepper and Christian’s pepper. Dylan’s was a fingernail-sized pepper. I would say it had the same effects as Christian’s, but I can’t because it was so small. At first Dylan’s face got red and he said his tongue was on fire. He went to his cabin to try to cool down from his pepper, later he said it wasn’t hot at all. Now that the peppers are gone everyone on the tickle sticks team have thumbs up for Christian and one thumb up for Dylan.

The Magic of the Open Sea By Whitney Theriot

Even after the massive, 8.8 earthquake on the Pacific coast of Asia,the group in the channel islands experienced mediocre effects. Unfortunately, due to large waves and small amounts of flooding the group kayaking trip was postponed for 2 days. By waiting the 2 days, the effects the earth quake had on the water had calmed down dramatically. The ocean waves were almost completely back to normal and the Nothing but G's were able to embark on their epic sea kayaking excursion.
While on this adventure, the Nothing But G's experienced beautiful scenic views and beastly activities. One of these activities included an intense water fight in which 7 out of the 12 members of our team took part in. The war started off small, when A.C and Evan drenched Ricky. What they didn't know is that this was the start of a water war that would go on for the rest of the trip. This particular war involved kelp grenades and whips, and lots of water. Suzanne and myself made the mistake of joining in the middle of a battle. We were able to out paddle A.C and Evan the first time and seek safety without getting wet. But, when
Evan, A.C,teamed up with Ricky and Laith they cornered us and their was no escape. Shortly after this event , teams began to form, Ben, Evan and A.C vs. Ricky, Laith , Suzanne and I.It was not long until Evan, A.C and Ben Started using kelp as ammunition. By separating the buds from the kelp, grenades were formed and began flying through the air at rapid speeds. My team was sure to avoid Ben, He had a giant kelp whip and was not afraid to use it. The battle ended in a truce at the end of our kayaking extravaganza.
Another opportunity the group had on this trip was paddling through sick caves. The first cave we went through, Andrew and Derek crashed into the side of the cave when they were trying to figure out how to maneuver the kayak. One cave in particular that the team enjoyed, exploded water at us when we came near it. In the cave, there were huge waves. After Suzanne and I had paddled out of the cave and looked back we could not see anyone behind us because the waves were so big. The group seemed to enjoy moments like this because the ocean became a giant wave pool . This was because of the boats passing us as we paddled by.
We learned about Geographical features and sea plants. We saw an arch that looked like an elephant drinking, and that is how it got its name Elephant Arch. An interesting fact that I learned was kelp is an ingredient in many products in popular demand today. Kelp can be found in toothpaste, make up, food, and many other items we use everyday.
The group very much enjoyed this expedition through the south Pacific ocean. The group will forever remember the beautiful blue-turquoise water, the massive rock islands, beaches, and overall beauty of the magnificent Channel Islands.

California G-Surfing By Ben Sacks

For those of you who read the title of this blog (which you should have done so give yourself a big pat on the back), then you should know that this blog is about the “radical” surfing experience that the group had during the California/Channel Island National Park expedition. If you didn’t read the title (and you know who you are), then this introduction paragraph is for you.

Before we started “hanging ten”, we met up with Chipper Bro who is an extremely laid back, hilarious, and awesome dude. He was the head instructor in the surfing lesson. The first part was to find out foot positioning. There were two different stances, regular and goofy. Regular is with your left foot forward and goofy is with your right foot forward. Next he told us the proper way to catch the wave. Step one is to paddle hard until your feel the main part of the wave. Then you do a cobra, which is when you place your hands under your chest and push up until your upper body is off the board. Lastly, and this is by far the hardest part, you “pop” or quickly hop up into a crouch and eventually stand up to ride the wave.

When we actually put these tips to the test, it wasn’t so easy. Most of the time, the wave pummeled us, which was still really fun. I got smashed about eighty percent of the time. However, when one of us did stand up, no words could describe the feeling. There were many cheers of triumph and excitement which included “Cowabunga Dude!!”, “Yeeeeaaaahhhh booooyyyy!!”, and my personal favorite, “Rock on freaky bro”.

By the time our two hours of “gnarly wave ripping” were up, we all felt ecstatic, accomplished, and extremely wiped out. It was a very good day and one that we will remember for a while.


Part two of the California/Channel Island National Park expedition will be coming soon to a computer near you.

The “G’s” Frisbee Times By Evan Anderson

So we, the “G’s”, LOVE our Frisbee, no lie and no denying that, anytime, anywhere, or any weather, nothing gets us in the mood to not throw a circular spinning object through the air. During our expedition, we probably spent more time with a Frisbee than doing anything else. We might have played football more, but it’s hard to use a football when someone in our group named A.C. Berry, kicked it into a tree and got it stuck. Even the strongest winds won’t blow it out of its roost, so we stuck to Frisbee. Not even the miserable rains that usually keep everyone indoors kept us at bay. We would just throw on our rain gear and keep playing! Sadly however, one of the Frisbees cracked against a rock out on the beach, BUT, luckily, Derrick, one of the staff brought a Frisbee he found back home with him. He also made up a game or at least told us about this game, called hole in one. The point of the game is, you get a bunch of people to play and the first person chooses a spot to throw from, and also a target. The first person who hits the target first goes to the spot they just hit (along with everyone else), and that becomes the spot you throw from and the person who hit the last target gets to choose a new target for everyone to hit. And you keep doing that till everyone gets sick of it (no one ever did). The best place we played Frisbee, was at the beach in Carpenteria, near Ventura California. Reason being was that there was really no restriction to how far we could throw. So me, Ben, Wes and Derrick would throw the Frisbee incredibly far down the beach! Another good place was on Santa Cruz Island; near our campsite was a rather large gravel area with a road running along side it. There is so much more to write about but that would literally take forever! But from what you just read, you can probably tell that we love our Frisbee, told you I wasn’t lying.

Channel Island Ferry Boat By Andrew Berry

The boat we got on to take us to the Channel Islands was a catamaran. It went 25 knots. The name of the boat was Island Packer. You could see dolphins from the boat. The dolphins were surfing behind the boat.
We were 19 miles away from harbor on the Channel Islands. You do not want to get hurt out on the island. The helicopter ride would cost $9,000 to emergency lift you to the hospital.
There is only one departure time a day. You do not want to miss the 3:30 departure time to get off the island when you are ready to leave. You might run out of food or be behind on other plans.
So next time you get a chance to go to the Channel Islands, remember to look for dolphins, don’t get hurt, and make sure you make the 3:30 departure time off the island so you don’t get stuck.

Some of the Nothing but G’S favorite moments in California By A.C. Berry

There are so many exciting moments that the group had this expedition. Some of these moments consist of the Channel Islands, surfing, sea kayaking, and of course just the wonderful things about California.
I would like to start this off with an overview of California. California is wonderful. The ocean is always beautiful. It is also very cold. Something special about California is the Channel Islands.
Wow, what can I first tell you guys about the wonderfulness of the Channel Islands? One of the interesting facts about the Channel Islands is that it is in the Pacific Ocean. We got onto the island by ferryboat. Luckily no one got sick on the ferry. Wes was close to being sick, as was Derek. When we got to the island we had to make a chain of people to unload all of the stuff that was put into the boat. We stayed at the island for five days and four nights. The coolest thing we got to do as a group was sea kayaking. We had planned to do it Wednesday but it got canceled do to the fake tsunami that came in the day before. On Friday we got to go sea kayaking. That was so fun. We were splashing throwing kelp, pretending we were pirates bombing each other.
After we got off the island we went to Carpinteria, the cool thing about this campsite was there was a beach right next to the campsite. We went there and chilled for a couple of hours. The positive thing was that I got to go in the water, along with Ricky and Inglis. Once we got in we were got used to the water because we went numb.
A couple of days after that we went surfing. The negative to that was that we had to wake up at five thirty so we could be at our class that started at eight o clock. Everyone got to experience the wonderfulness of Chipper Bro. He was our surf instructor. Chipper Bro is fifty but he acts like he is in his twenties. The coolest part about surfing was that Chipper got a couple of his professional Canadians buddies to help us surf. They were on a road trip that was the only reason that they could help, but still it was awesome. A lot of us stood up on the surfboard. My teacher who happened to be Derek, has never surfed in his life. He started yelling out random things and I understood and stood up on the board. It was fun for him and I.

As I wrap this up, I just want to say that our team is doing wonderfully. I think that is mostly because of California. California made us chill surfer people. So we get along better now.

Talk to you guys soon
A.C.Berry

Does Curiosity Kill The Fox? – By Isaac J. Inglis

Well, apparently it doesn’t, because the South West SOAR group, the Nothin’ But G’z, seemed to encounter a lot of them on the Santa Cruz island in the Channel Islands National Park. They seemed to be everywhere and anywhere they could. Not to mention that they seemed to have the courage of a lion. So, it didn’t matter if you hissed at them, chased them away, swung sticks at them, or tried to catch them, they would just keep coming back without a single hit of fear, and even more sly and cunning ideas running round their minds about how to get to your food.
It didn’t matter what time of day it was, morning, midday, afternoon, evening, or even at night, you can always see 1 or 2 of these little guys slinking around the island’s campsites. They would even walk or trot their way up to you and try to steal some of your trail mix right out of the bowl next to you, as Laith Staffo found out one day while doing school work at the campsite. Another experience, one Andrew Berry and I both had, was when a fox just trotted his way across the campsite and right up to our feet and then passed on by to go and do whatever he or she was planning on doing. It was a very interesting experience considering how small they are.
These foxes aren’t that big, the island fox is about 12 to 13 inches in height and weighs only about 4 to 5 pounds. To put it simply, they’re about the size of a house cat. Their scientific name is Urocyon littoralis santacruzae and is in the Canine family, which means it’s related to dogs, wolves, and coyotes. They reason it has such a unique scientific name is because there are six different sub-species of Island fox, one for each of the Channel Islands. Island foxes have gray coloring on the back, rust coloring on the sides, and white underneath. The face has a distinctive black, white, and rufous-colored patterns.1
In the end, the entire experience with the foxes was really nice. They did manage to steal an empty can from the table once, but we were able to retrieve it from the fox. Plus, do to the sneakiness of the foxes I was put on fox patrol every night, me being the one on patrol because I have exceptional night vision and hearing, I could pinpoint the location of the 4 foxes that were in the trees waiting for a chance to try a grab for our food. The reason I’ve got good night vision is that I’m use to having to move about in the night without a flash light, my parents know this because they’ve caught me sneaking round the house at night a few times. This is also why I’ve got good hearing, after all, I’ve got to know when someone is starting to be woken up by my night’s excursions right? So, in the end I got put on fox watch during dinner, I got to wield a big stick I found as a deterrent to the foxes, and in the end we all had a lot of fun and excitement from our experiences with the foxes.

Bibliography
1 - The United States of America. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Island Fox. National Park Service. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. .

The Serene Beauty of Santa Cruz…........… By: Isaac Vaisberg

Upon nearing the island, all of our troubles seemed to just melt away. The light ocean air made its way through our noses and filled our lungs, lifting us up to the highest state of Zen and tranquility. We were approaching what would be the most serene and beautiful place we’d ever seen.
The island was rather large; around 26 miles in diameter, but its hidden groves and harbors made it seem small and cozy. We camped about a quarter of a mile inland. The eucalyptus trees filled the air with a scent of mint and fresh air unparalleled by anything else. Wild foxes roamed the campgrounds in search of food and possible company but were driven away by the slightest of sounds. The hills were covered with green grass and the bloom of thousands of yellow and purple flowers. It appeared as though a painter had come and painted each and every individual flower in its perfect place. The beauty of the ocean and the plains were unparallel by anything else I had ever seen. The serenity too, was something magical.
At night I’d lie on my back and stare at the stars. The wide-open sky, free of pollution, appeared to be a canvas upon which a myriad stars were drawn, each one in its perfect place, shimmering in the splendor of the night, rivaling the moon’s brightness. The sound of a passerby Frisbee filled my ears. The guys were at play, enjoying the cool breeze of the night and the smell of the eucalyptus trees. The island seemed to calm everyone down. Its tranquil air brought everyone down to a state of peace. While on the island we all shared an unspoken bond; we were one: one with each other, one with nature.
We spent our days hiking the massive trails the island had to offer. Our footsteps echoed across the wide-open plains as we marched over to Smuggler’s cove. A covering of trees gave way to a small, hidden beach that we had all to ourselves. I stood and watched the guys run out and start throwing rocks at the ocean. As I took a deep breath I gained a new level of self-awareness. Somehow, just by taking that one deep breathe, I was more in touch with myself, my goals, my challenges, even my inner most thoughts, than I had ever been before. The serenity of the island brought out the best in me. It made me want to be a better person in every way possible.

Highland Beach-Lost Man's Five by Christian Humber

The paddle was long and hard for some of the group members. The campsite was a ways away, so we set up our camp in between highland and another site. The group was very tired. The fishing was not good at the campsite but the skeeters were, good thing for bug spray, a palm branch bonfire, and bug nets. The next morning was well...unpleasant, because we had to walk half a mile through knee deep silt, and one of the members lost his shoe to the silt. Logan made a judgement call to walk though the silt barefoot while carrying our gear, which was hard due to the silt. When we got the canoes into deeper water, we could push the canoes a half mile. Then we got to a part of the water that was too deep to walk anymore so we had to paddle. We paddled through many bays which is not normally hard, except when you're freezing cold after being exposed to the cold water.
We got to our next campsite around 4:00. We checked the damage on our feet from all the shells hidden in the silt. Nothing but some scratches and a few of us had small gashes on our feet, but nothing too bad, we were just sore. After the paddle, most of us were tired and in foul moods. The only thing that got the group back into a good mood was Dylan face-planting into the deck which was hilarious. David cooked a really good dinner which was a mixture of curly noodles and angel hair pasta with sun-dried tomatoes in pesto sauce. Most of the nights were cold so we had to bundle up in sweatshirts and rain gear to stay warm. Most of the days out on the expedition were nice except for some cold days with very high winds. This was probably one of the most intense days of the expedition, and the most hilarious as well because of the strain on our bodies and minds.

Fishing in the everglades By Dylan Smythe

When I first heard that there was a mass die off of fish because of the extremely cold weather in the Everglades, I thought that there were going to be no fish biting the bait this visit. I almost didn’t bring my tackle and rod because I was thinking it would be a waste of space. My stuff could get broken or lost when I wasn’t even using them, but something inside of me told me that there will be fish biting.

After a few days of not even getting a bite, I was so upset that I felt stupid bringing my gear with me. On our second day at Picnic key, we were anchored about 100 yards off shore, just casting. All of the sudden I hear Jake start yelling with excitement. I quickly weighed anchor and paddled to his canoe. When I got up to his cone, he had a massive spotted sea trout in his boat. I quickly chained it and measured it at 19 inches. I attached the other end of the chain to my boat and lowered the anchor; I was ready to catch a fish now.

Even though I didn’t catch a fish that day or even for three days to come. We were pulling in at least one fish a day. Finally one big day that we were in the open water, I began trawling my line with a rooster tail hook. After three minutes I brought in a 17 inch lady fish. I chained it and decided that it would be good for shark bait. I threw my line back out. After about 15 minutes I brought in a 13 inch Spanish mackerel. I didn’t know the size limit on them so I let it go but it was 12 and I was a little bit upset. I didn’t let it get to me so I threw my line out again. After about an hour I got a big bite. I thought it was a permit so I was really excited. What I brought in was a 24 inch spotted sea trout. I was so happy even though it wasn’t a permit.

Through out the rest of the expedition we began to bring in about two fish a day. But after we got deep in the bay, we didn’t get any bites so it was game over for fishing and we began to chat a lot more about different things. I was as happy as could be with what I caught and so were everyone’s stomachs, including mine.

The Everglades expedition By Mitchell Wilkinson-Harrison

This expedition The Tickle Sticks went to paddle the everglades in Florida. We paddled 80 miles of the everglades and we stayed at different campsites. We saw many different kinds of animals in the everglades. We planned a nature walk to find some cool things. When we were finishing our nature walk it started raining so hard that some of my team members ran in the rain to get to our campsite. When the tickle sticks arrived at our first campsite, I got out of the canoe and the water was so deep that I fell in and the water damaged my watch. When the tickle sticks got up the next morning the tide was out about half of a mile. We had to walk our canoe to the water line.
On the last day of our expedition we got up at 2 am to paddle 20 miles to the ranger station where our van was waiting for us. When we were at New Turkey campsite when we were sitting on the beach trying to our night meeting when a raccoon walks to our campsite. Then we get to our campsites we will did some homework than we will go to do an active. On Valentines Day we stop at a sand bar to eat lunch and have some valentines candy and I share all of my candy with the group and the staff. I think the group had fun paddle the everglades and I saw a lot of wild life in the everglades. My group and I catch different kinds of fish and we stayed at different places to. On the first day of our paddle trip we paddle 6 miles to tiger key that was our first campsite. On the way down to the everglades we stayed that Logan’s beach house in Florida and we meet Logan’s parents again. Then the next day after Logan’s house we were goings goes to the everglades for 2 weeks. On some of the days when we padding the sun was out most of the time when we were canoe and we would get sunshine. Every night at our campsites all of the bugs and other things were biting us a lot. It was hard work to paddle in the wind was trying to push us away from the group. It was awesome to paddle in the morning before the sunrise was coming up and the tickle sticks saw some dolphins when we were padding in the moroning.

The Everglades expedition By Mitchell Wilkinson-Harrison

This expedition The Tickle Sticks went to paddle the everglades in Florida. We paddled 80 miles of the everglades and we stayed at different campsites. We saw many different kinds of animals in the everglades. We planned a nature walk to find some cool things. When we were finishing our nature walk it started raining so hard that some of my team members ran in the rain to get to our campsite. When the tickle sticks arrived at our first campsite, I got out of the canoe and the water was so deep that I fell in and the water damaged my watch. When the tickle sticks got up the next morning the tide was out about half of a mile. We had to walk our canoe to the water line.
On the last day of our expedition we got up at 2 am to paddle 20 miles to the ranger station where our van was waiting for us. When we were at New Turkey campsite when we were sitting on the beach trying to our night meeting when a raccoon walks to our campsite. Then we get to our campsites we will did some homework than we will go to do an active. On Valentines Day we stop at a sand bar to eat lunch and have some valentines candy and I share all of my candy with the group and the staff. I think the group had fun paddle the everglades and I saw a lot of wild life in the everglades. My group and I catch different kinds of fish and we stayed at different places to. On the first day of our paddle trip we paddle 6 miles to tiger key that was our first campsite. On the way down to the everglades we stayed that Logan’s beach house in Florida and we meet Logan’s parents again. Then the next day after Logan’s house we were goings goes to the everglades for 2 weeks. On some of the days when we padding the sun was out most of the time when we were canoe and we would get sunshine. Every night at our campsites all of the bugs and other things were biting us a lot. It was hard work to paddle in the wind was trying to push us away from the group. It was awesome to paddle in the morning before the sunrise was coming up and the tickle sticks saw some dolphins when we were padding in the moroning.

"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"

Jake DeHaan

On this last expedition we had many fun and memorable experiences. The one I would to talk about is the amazing rainstorm we went through on Picnic Key. One day we were deciding on what to do since we had some time in between lunch and dinner. The conditions were looking unfavorable and the vote was between capture the flag and taking a hike down the beach. My vote was on capture the flag so if it began to rain we could easily get into our tents and wait it out. The group decided on the walk and we began walking down the beach. It was absolutely amazing. There were old trees half immersed in sand; it was just the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The way they seemed to come from nowhere and snake through the ground, plunging into the sand, only to reappear close by. We made it as far back into these trees as we could before they became to close together and we had to turn back. Almost instantaneously it began to rain as we began walking back to camp. It began to fall amazingly fast and hard. It was rain I have never seen before, at first it fell extremely hard and fast, like someone pouring bucket of water on you from hundreds of feet up. Soon after that, the rain began to fall. It almost seemed to begin falling sideways. The wind was so strong that it was pushing the rain incredibility hard against the side of our faces. Cassy and I, being the only ones with long hair decided to take our hoods off and let the rain flow through our hair. It was one of the most special movements of my life and I’ll never forget how beautiful it was, how peaceful and insignificant everything in the world seemed to be at the moment. When we returned, most people went straight to their tents, but I decided to just spend some time out in the rain to appreciate how absolutely beautiful everything in the world can be, no matter where you are, or what your going through, if you look hard enough you can always find it.

Highland Beach By Alec Thompson 2/22/10

When the South East Costal Tickle Sticks went to the Everglades National Park we visited a place called Highland Beach. When we got there it was a calm and windless day. The Tickle Sticks set up camp and started a fire to cook dinner. After dinner we had a big bonfire. We had it in the sand near the water because the low tide had started. We used palm fronds to start it. It was very big and hot because the palms started really quickly. It only lasted about 45 seconds but it will be my favorite bonfire that I have had in my life. After the fire we went to bed and talked for a while before going to sleep. In the morning we woke up to find that the water was about ¼ of a mile away from our canoes. The Tickle Sticks had a morning fire to cook breakfast and ate while doing some reading homework. After all the homework was done we decided to walk our canoes out to the water. It was easy at first then we hit the sinking mud or silt. When we went closer to the water the muck sunk the group in knee-deep silt. Many people lost their shoes so Logan made a judgment call and told us to take our shoes off. There was one problem with that. There were shells in the muck and our feet were getting cut up and poked by sharp shells but we were all ok. After getting all the gear and canoes in the water, we went back for a bathroom break and I lost my shoe in the muck. I quickly grabbed it before it sunk down deeper in the muck. After getting out of the muck we walked our canoes out a little bit and paddled. We soon found out that the water was only 1 foot deep and we could barely get anywhere. After a while we walked our canoes out for about 1 mile and stopped to rest. The place where we stopped was a bad place. When Mitch was walking his shoe came off and sunk about 3 ft down in the muck. He couldn’t find it so he left it there. After about 10 minutes we left and paddled to the Lopez River. Finally, after getting out of the muck we got back on track and went 9 miles to our destination. Our destination was Lostmans five. After all that work we chilled out at the camp hoping never to go to Highland Beach again.

The Tickle Sticks Night Adventure By JAMES PARKER

Ever since we, the Tickle Sticks, arrived in Everglade City, we had wanted to do a night paddle through the Everglades. The topic was discussed a number of times but was never done. Finally the chance arose for us to do a night paddle. The only thing was it was depending on if we were well behaved. We all behaved, or so what we thought was behaving. We turned out to be right and later that day we were told that that night we were to wake up at 2 AM, pack our gear into canoes, and begin our 20 mile paddle. After dinner we moseyed on over to our tents and attempted to sleep. It was fairly early in the night so getting to sleep for some of us was a bit of a challenge. After our short sleep we awoke to find ourselves in the dark campsite in the early hours of the morning. We packed up and headed outwards down the river. Relying on starlight and our own vision we navigated the bays of the Everglades. Many of us questioned our decisions on turns because for a while we hadn’t seen a marker indicating it was the right direction. We soon came to a marker, as soon as it had appeared everyone cheered. We were heading the right direction and were making great time. It was an amazing feeling and something that most people in their lives will never experience. As we paddled through the morning the water was full of phosphorescence, which if you don’t know what phosphorescence is, it is the process in which energy absorbed by a substance is released relatively slowly in the form of light. As our paddles moved through the water and as our canoe created ripples it would glow a greenish light. As we moved on past the bays into Lopez River the current started to pick up and slowly start moving out into the bays pushing us back. The bay feeding into Lopez River hit us with high winds and a fast moving current. All of which were going in the opposite direction. Paddling through here was our biggest challenge, but eventually we all made it. Around the corner at about 9 AM we saw the ranger station. I don’t think anyone could describe the feeling they had when they saw it. We had just completed our biggest paddle ever, and our first night paddle through the Everglades. It was a great experience and those who believe they are up to the challenge of navigating the Everglades at night should give it a try. It was an awesome experience as a whole and I would recommend it to anyone willing to give something new a shot.

Our Everglades Adventure By David Hollander

The Tickle Sticks second expedition was to the Florida everglades; it was a blast. There were some cold days, but most of the days were warm and sunny. In my opinion, it was cool to go to the everglades because of the wildlife. There many different types of fish to see. We paddled about 90 miles total, so we averaged about 10 miles a day! We had many funny moments, for example on Valentines Day Mitchell shared his sweethearts with us. We all had a valentine, which made the day even better. Our schedule was hectic because we had a lot of paddling each day and we also had homework. We woke up at about 7 each morning and packed up our sleeping bags and tents. After we packed up we would breakfast! Once we had finished breakfast we would pack the canoes and then finally we would be off. There would always be incentives through out the day. For example we would have the opportunity to fish once our daily homework session was done. These incentives made me try a lot harder through out the day. Unfortunately we only caught about 10 fish because of the fish kill. ☹

The final night we were out we decided it would be great if we did one night paddle so we ended up waking up at 2 am to began our longest paddle day to our take out spot. That final day we paddled 20 miles. ☺ It was a long hard night but once we stepped back onto land we felt amazing. We also had decided to drive all the way back to Logan’s house in North Carolina with out stopping. We didn’t arrive until 2 in the morning. Luckily we were able to sleep in till 10. The next couple days were really fun and we were able to go to the rec center for our morning exercise. Our last night before heading back to base we all went out to the Chinese buffet where we gorged ourselves ☺. It was an amazing trip and I really look forward to Belize which is hiding right around the corner.

Swimming With Fish!

It seemed like Balmorhea State Park was just another campsite in Texas with just another pool in it, but the Nothin’ But G’z were in for a big surprise. The pool that they were going to swim in was a natural pool fed by San Solomon Spring, keeping the water at temperatures between 720 to 760 F0 year round.1 It was 1 3/4-acre pool going down to depths of 25 feet, holding a total of 3½ million gallons.1 It is home to endangered species of fish, assorted invertebrates, and turtles. This wasn’t just another day at the pool, it was a unique experience. There were many things in the pool to occupy the SOAR students, from a low and high diving board, to getting a manicure and pedicure from the swarms of small fish in the pool, to going snorkeling to see the catfish and other creatures at the bottom of the pool.
The diving board was a big highlight of the pool visit. There were diving, splash, and most outrageous trick competitions galore. Ricky Diaz, A.C. Berry, Isaac Vaisberg, Ben Sacks, and Andrew Berry all participated in these competitions. The splash, trick, and diving competitions were all won by IV (Isaac Vaisberg, aka four)! This was a great triumph of IV’s. Another thing that was done on the high dive was a trick invented by Jeremy, the director for the south west part of SOAR. It was a trick in which you lie down on your belly and lean of the edge of the diving board and flip over the end and end up hanging onto the board, followed by letting go and dropping into the pool, this dive was therefore named The Jeremy Dive. This dive led to the creation of yet another dive, following the same beginning of leaning over the edge of the board, but instead of flipping upside down you grab the board with your legs so that you are hanging from your legs, head down, feet up to the sky. You then let your grip on the board go and fall head first into the water, often doing a belly flop in the process. Isaac Inglis, otherwise known as two, invented this dive.
Another thing that was done was to sit on the edge of the pool and leave your feet in to be nibbled on by the small fish that swarm at the edges of the pool. Often if you had feet that were filthy and stunk to high heavens, after leaving them in the pool for the fish to nibble on them for 30 minutes they would come out clean in both look and smell. The fish would bite and nibble off all the excess skin, dirt, and anything else. You could also leave your hands in to get the same treatment. Isaac has this to say about the experience, “It was really freaky and weird at first. You would put you feet in and within a minute the fish would be nibbling on them. The very first time they nibble, it is supper odd and creepy feeling and you just jerk your feet out of the water, but as you get use to the feeling, your reactions to the nibbles become less and less until it’s just the occasional foot twitch when one bites a patch of thin skin. But at the end it’s really cool and a practically once in a life time chance”
The other thing that was done was to dive down deep in the water to go look at the catfish and other creatures in the deeps of the pool. When doing this you could even touch a catfish on the back, even if only for a second. However, for some, this idea was a bit scary and freaky, Whitney Theriot was one of these people. For a while she even refused to go into the pool do to the knowledge that there were catfish in it, it was a new thing that we learned about Whitney, that she was scared of catfish. It seems irrational at first, but when you look at the facts about catfish, like how they could bite of a finger, and take into account the other fears of the group, like how Ben Sacks is afraid of small spiders, and Isaac Inglis is utterly creped out and scared by weevils, you can see Whitney’s fear as rational. Overall though, the experience was amazing and truly breath taking to do.
The Nothin’ But G’z visited this pool twice, one day after the other, and there were great times had by everyone in the group. This experience was quite unique and not one that many people get to experience. If other people in the world got to have this experience I’m sure it would severely change their outlook on both the prevention of Global Warming and the conservation of what little nature we have left, because when you get to swim with fish and nature in such a great environment, it seriously changes your view on the world and what humanity is doing to it with all it’s pollution and urban development. It is hoped that others will experience things like this in their lifetime to make them think about their actions and effects on the planet, I know that it made me think hard about what I should be doing for the Earth. – Written by Isaac John Inglis

Bibliography
1"TPWD: Balmorhea State Park." Texas Parks & Wildlife Department | Welcome. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. .