28 Jun Into the Breach

The bus is my friend. My campus is less than a mile from my house, and I’ve never been enthusiastic about enduring the hill climb that is hailed as the sole obstacle between home and school. Instead, I took the short 5-minute bus ride to and from school throughout the (overwhelming) majority of the school year, walking only when the bus schedule -or my sleeping schedule- faltered. This past Thursday, however, I decided to make a change and went on a gorgeous near-five-mile hike. At multiple points along the trail, I was able to see three volcanoes in a single frame of view: Cinder Cone, Lassen Peak, and Prospect Peak, three different types of volcanoes that looked breathtaking side by side. While I detest walking to places, this hike went by quickly and I enjoyed every minute of it. The hike also served the purpose of conditioning me for a 3-day backpacking trip in a couple of weeks, which has been incredibly intimidating ever since I was asked to participate for the reasons mentioned before. After Thursday, I feel more confident than ever and am excited to spend lots of time enjoying the views and especially hearing and identifying birds. (Video is recommended in HD)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZH-ph_nZjE]

This week also marked the third week I participated in bird-banding with Mike, the Wildlife Biologist. Below are some of the beautiful birds we are studying.