Day 6: CAP Excecution Day 1

Today me and the glimpsers had an early start: 4:30 am! (4:00 am for LDD’s) However, from the very start of the day everybody had a positive mindset ready to take on whatever challenges the day had for us. Why the early start? Because it was our first CAP Day. As soon as we got to the site we were met with a 3 km(Yes, we speak Metric now) hike to the spot, and this hike consisted of crazy up and downs, twists and turns. To say it was easy is far from the truth but we made sure to keep on pushing and not get discouraged.

-After obtaining gloves, exacto-knives, and a quick tutorial on how to plant the saplings we were split off into different groups of 2-3. We would would be planting many sprouts together, about 1000 to be exact. Once we begun, we would be continuing this labor for a full 5 hours and thirty minutes, non stop, and today we planted around 700 saplings! We even finished a little early and I think its thanks to our amazing teamwork and mentality of pushing through. The weather during our work was thankfully perfect, light sprinkles and cloudy skies that covered the harsh sun. However, our way back was a different story. We were cooked. 🙁

As soon as we started on our way back the light sprinkles turned into heavy pouring. Immediately we were drenched and covered in mud. (It was so bad my [Eli] shoe got stuck in the mud) Everybody fell numerous times, some even standing up, to fall, to get back up, just to slide back down on the floor. Climbing back steep hills with wet socks and dirt caked on us wasn’t the best. But, we persevered. Shoutout to Michael V., Stephen Tyler, and Marco S.; they were big contributors to our success, helping other come up and moved through the tricky mountains always with a smile on their face.

Our hard day was ended off with food in our bellies (fries :)) and a nice walk along the beach. We came back to the hotel, played speed as always, and took it easy, preparing to act the next two days. Thank you to all of our parents and guardians for letting us experience such a unique trip. While you might feel worried for us reading this blog, this all has made us feel more appreciative for our time back at home and is teaching is important lessons of never giving up.

PS: We can’t wait to go home to our family and our own beds (“I’ve never been more grateful for MY BED”- Michael C. ) Love you!!!!! I’M CRAVING CHIKEN FINGERS WITH EXTRA RANCH SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BAD (Marko 🙂 ) I miss the kitties, pet Mei for me 🙁 – (Eli )

– Michael Campbell

– Eli Grijalva

– Marko Said