Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures Custom Group program!
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- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
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- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR SEPTEMBER 28
Elian: From the east coast to the west coast it took 6 hours of are life to venture uncharted land ,some of us where happy some of us were scared, we thought are lives couldn’t get more adventurous until we landed here California our last stop of pure wilderness it was a fun ride and our fun trip. It’s not a dream no more but rather a experience a Golden Experience.
Marielys: we waited at the San Francisco airport to be greeted by our amazing GLA staff once they got to us they greeted us with open arms to take us to our five day mystery of adventures. Once we got in the GLA staff van we took our first trip to get pizza, once we got to the pizzeria, we had some salad of our choice till we waited for our amazing customize pizzas, some of us got pepperoni pizza some of us got cheese pizza, after we ate our pizzas we headed to our campsite once we got to the campsite we all put our stuff down. We huddled up and made a game plan which was building tents get comfortable and start giving out role,
After everyone got their roles some of us were in cooking roles. We made some of our famous burgers and hotdogs, everyone was having a great time enjoying dinner.After we ate dinner people in the cleaning crew were picking and washing the dishes.
Christopher :After dinner people started to gather materials to set up the campfire.After setting up the campfire everyone gathered for S’more’s, Stories, and Games. One thing that we did at the campfire was that Scott gave us his keys and he would have to find the keys and he got 2 out of 3 correct by using psychological expression.After all of those activities we called in the night.
BLOG POST FOR SEPTEMBER 29
Last night before lights out, we were told to wake everyone up by 7. Next morning, we as a group awoke everyone to prepare for the day. As Omotoya, Elian, and I arrived back to camp, and then we arrived seeing Scott and the cooking crew laying out today’s breakfast. As everyone started to gather as a group we then discussed the day’s plan. Afterwards, breakfast was served, and we ate chicken sausages, scrambled eggs, English muffins, muffins, and fruits such as apple, banana and orange. Before 9:45, after breakfast we learned a nature song as a group, and it was to remind us of principles of interacting with the natural environment.
At around 9:45, we split off into our vans groups. As discussed as a group we went to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Scott leading the group, he led us in the park, and with informative interaction. Scott discussed dangers of certain plant species such as poison oak. He also discussed biomes we entered and their specific characteristics. We went through the Chaparral biomes characterized by its distinct dry, sandy and barren scenery. The chaparral biome has resilient plants which thrive; the chaparral biome was originally an ancient sea bed and covered with water. We went in the redwoods woodland, with beautiful tall red woods, and Scott mentioned that they are fire resistant from a special oil. We learned to control fire keep in check the population of an environment and prevent wildfires, and allowed for a healthy environment.
Then we had lunch at a shallow river and it was knee deep only for a couple of feet. With permission and supervision by Ms. Hassan (Atmosphere), along side other students, Dashley and I went in to take some photos. Continuing with our hike, Scot told a story of a candidates running for presidency whom spent the night in a Redwood. We arrived, and a group of 5 at a time entered. I personally took group pictures. Arriving back , GLA members pointed out albinism in the RedWood tree characterized by white leaves.
Finally finishing our hike (arrived at 10:40-3:30) we were allowed to buy from the gift shops. As we reunited with our vans-group we began our drive back to camp. My group(Scot, Mr.Gonzalez) we engaged in a series of fun debates (philosophical, historical, and political questions) guided by Scot. As everyone settled becoming sleepy, we suddenly pulled in a parking lot, and to our surprise were being treated to free ice cream. In a good orderly fashion we lined up and received out ice cream.
Everyone here became social with one another, and discussed the beauty of California. Stuffed with ice cream again we assume we were driving towards camp but yet again we suddenly parked. Emerging from stairs we saw, I SAW the most beautiful view ever, cliff side of the coast into the vast pacific ocean. We walked for about an hour, and heading back to camp around 6:30. Today I was out on fire crew, collecting dry sticks, and fuzzy dry fluff. Today we were informed we may start a fire or (due to wind) use the propane to light a fire. After collecting we were today for tonight we will use propane, helping move around the fire pit lit the fire. Currently, am at the fire writing this blog and waiting for tonight’s dinner, a FAT burrito.
By Abrahan De Jesus Martinez
BLOG POST FOR SEPTEMBER 30
We started our morning bright and early ready to eat breakfast in order to have energy. Before that we had to pack our lunch for the afternoon and were reminded to bring extra clothing for after our beautiful kayaking session. We packed our belongings to head out for our experience.
Upon our arrival we were met with the kayaking team and we were taught safety protocols for being on the water. We were instructed to wear life jackets and wet suits for our safety and warmth. Getting on the water was challenging at first but we got used to it quickly. We saw animals like otters and seals and all the fun facts about these animals. We saw 3 sets of mother and pup otters.
We then changed into our warm clothes to prepare for our beach lunch. We ate our in prepared lunch and sat on the sand watching the view which included a pod of very active whales on the horizon. We got to dip our feet in the water, talk with friends, and play electron tag.
We then visited Wilder Ranch State Park and played a game of hide and seek. We are now enjoying our evening back at the campground by the fire ⛺️.
– Dashley Mercedes and Nayleen Warren
BLOG POST FOR OCTOBER 1
As we are reflecting on our final day of this California camping trip, it has been a great experience. We started off the morning with teamwork, working together to break down camp, load up the vans, and make sure we left our campsite completely spotless.
Heading into San Francisco afterward was the best way to wrap things up, as we explored Pier 39, ate dinner at a famous sourdough restaurant and bakery and hung out in the city.
Watching everyone step up and support each other all day really showed how tight-knit our group has gotten over the past few days. It’s definitely bittersweet that it’s over, but we’re all super proud of what we’ve accomplished as a team. I thank all of our trip leaders for making all of this happen, keeping us on track, and creating an awesome adventure we won’t forget!
– Fallon
