We were in Washington D.C. with a group of amazing people :) We were able to share our experiments, see some beautiful sights, have insightful discussions, do some community service, and further explore each other's cultures and lives back home.
I had waffles for breakfast :) and got to prepare for the day in a dry spacious hotel room. It was already a dream come true. Our hiking group took a short van ride in what appeared to be a black Secret Service vehicle to the National Park Headquarters, and Christina was on the aux cord so you know it was a good time. At the National Park Headquarters, we each presented our science projects to the rest of our fellow campers, as well as some international ambassadors who were kind enough to meet with us.
Then we loaded back into the van for one last nature hike on a trail that was notoriously littered. We brought gloves and trash bags, and picked up as many plastic bags, glass shards, and cigarette butts as we could.
The trail ended at the entrance to Washington D.C.'s free zoo, so we went to as many exhibits as we could before closing time. For many of us, it was our first time seeing pandas and bison :) A highlight was the baby monkeys in the monkey houses and Lára's enthusiastic reaction to seeing them.
Next up - a group trip to Starbucks! For many of the non-Americans, it was their first time enjoying America's favorite coffee place.
It was starting to get late, so we began to make our way toward the memorials. The sunset lit up the sky and water in beautiful colors, and made the memorials more dramatic under the lights. Christina and Dani spoke to us about the background of each memorial, and about some of the quotes carved into the stone, and it was a surreal experience to walk through the FDR and MLK Jr. Memorials, talking about their beliefs and how the quotes portrayed peace and justice. One of my final highlights of the night was standing under the lights at the MLK Jr. Memorial and being able to have a very brief but pleasant conversation with Naomi and Tamas in Hungarian.
The next day was spent at the mall and National Air and Space Museum. My highlight was definitely sitting in front of the White House and discussing how America and its policies are viewed in the many countries represented in our hiking group. It never fails to surprise me how eye-opening it is to learn about the differences in our cultures, and to realize how false many common stereotypes are.
We ended the day with a final GRANITE meeting. We debriefed on the entire trip, remembering all the highlights. I realized just how hard it was going to be to say good-bye, and we stayed up late that night making memory books for our hiking leaders, Dani and Christina.
I woke up early the next morning to say good-bye to the Australians, who were the first to head back to the airport. It was crazy to imagine that these people who had been such a huge part of my life for the past 2 weeks were going to be scattered around the globe by the end of the day (or two days, for the Australians with a 28-hour flight). We all said our good-byes, and now that we had all been returned our phones on the last day, we kept checking in with each other through the group chat.
In the future, I can't wait for a reunion, and I also can't wait to go backpacking again. I loved the people I was with on this trip, and I loved how much we were able to bond through backpacking. The value of this trip goes beyond learning backpacking and basic survival skills. I learned so much about other cultures around the world, and have been inspired to prioritize language-learning in my college courses. I want to be able to connect with people with lifestyles drastically different than my own because I love learning how societies around the world operate and questioning why they have developed to operate as they do.
Our Leave No Trace lifestyle has helped me think more about food waste in particular, but also about wrapper and container waste. On the trail we reused almost everything, we did not bring anything unnecessary with us, and any trash was a hindrance that had to be carried on our own backs. My food wrappers no longer seem as trivial as they did before the trip, as I know how much trash can pile up, and how unnecessary a lot of my everyday items really are. Reducing my consumerism has become a more powerful value in my life after spending a week backpacking.
Finally, it sounds cliche, but backpacking with a group of strangers that eventually become your family is one of the best ways to discover who you personally are, and who you want to be. Backpacking takes away all the extra stuff - your house and material belongings, your schoolwork and hobbies and activities - so that you're left with just yourself and the same basic provisions as everyone else. Once all of the clutter of everyday modern life is stripped away, you are able to find yourself and live more freely. I loved not having my phone for 2 weeks, and simply being able to fully engage in every moment. Without outside responsibility, the group and the success of the group became our one priority. We could care for each other and interact with each other without any other variables of society to sway our actions. For example, I much preferred being in the back-country, simply because we could sing and talk and laugh as loudly as we wanted and as loudly as the moment demanded. In the front-country, we had other societal concerns that kept us from being able to react and live as we wanted. I have learned the value of backpacking, and have been sharing my love of it with my friends ever since I got home. And while it feels great to be back, I can't wait to return to the back-country. :)