Allison Dycaico (trail name: Otter) writes about her experience in the Marble Mountain Wilderness, and what Sierra Institute has meant to her:
During our hike up to the base camp for this leg of the
trip, I was stunned by the raw beauty of the landscapes though
which we traveled. Fields of wildflowers – fireweed, Indian paintbrush, and
some species of sage whose small white flowers blessed our trek with their
sweet herbal aroma – flourished in fields of gravel between boulders, in stands
of conifers decimated by a recent fire, and in marshy areas fed by natural
springs and snowmelt.
During this leg of the trip, I particularly enjoyed swimming
in Clear Lake, the water source for our base camp. When we first arrived at the
lake, sweaty and breathless from our uphill trek, we flung our gear down and
plunged gleefully into its tranquil waters. We were delighted to discover there
were other swimmers in the lake: green and brown newts with russet bellies. The
newts were our companions for the rest of our days at Clear Lake, and a
constant source of amusement. The newts, like the other fauna in the area, were
entirely unacquainted with humans. As a result, they were boldly curious about
us. When we dipped our fingers and toes in, the newts swam with serpentine
grace to taste and twine around our unfamiliar appendages.
Newts were not our only animal neighbors. Dragonflies and
damselflies frolicked in the air above the lake water, while lazy trout made
halfhearted attempts to snare their iridescent prey. By day, the raucous
shrieks of Stellar’s Jays followed us as we explored the area, alerting all
other animals to the presence of humans. Tiny chipmunks scrabbled up and down
the many species of conifers, squeaking in rage when we ventured too close to
their home. We soon discovered that our base camp was a favorite night-time
hangout for a herd of deer. The deer did not startle at our voices or freeze in
terror when a beam of our headlights hit them in the darkness; it was truly as
if they had never seen a human being. We were filled with the intoxicating
sense that we were camping somewhere truly remote and pristine, a mountain
landscape that had somehow escaped human detection.
Why am I writing to you now from the backcountry bliss of
the Marble Mountain Wilderness? I love to explore new natural landscapes. I am
fascinated by human-nature interactions and alternative education practices. California’s
diverse and stunning landscapes continue to draw me out into the wilderness.
These factors reigned paramount in my mind when I applied to the Sierra
Institute, but what I didn’t foresee at the time was how much fun I would have,
and how much I would grow as a person through this program. The academic
course, California Wilderness, is similar to those I’ve taken for general
education requirements through the UC system. It requires a substantial time
commitment; we are required to read around two to three articles and
participate in three to four hours of combined lecture and discussion per day.
When I first heard about the course load, I anticipated that I would have
little time for myself or for connecting with the other students. In actuality,
I have ample free time to complete the readings, write in my journal daily, bond
with the tribe, explore the breathtaking surroundings on my own, and bathe or
swim every day. It’s amazing how much freedom we have out here without the
constant imposition of clock time, how the hours dissolve into the golden
present with only the calls of mountain birds to mark that each moment has a
beginning and an end.
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