|
 |
Total Amt. Awarded
(year to date)
$131,250.00
|
Local Representatives |
|
| Name: M.C. Archer |
|
What would you say has been your greatest experience? My month spent out in sheer wilderness in the Olympic National Park on my National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course in 2005. I have never before been so challenged in my life yet so rewarded as a result thereof. We traversed over 170miles of the Olympic National Park wilderness, some by trail but much of it off trail, navigating and orienting our way through some pretty amazing places. We were essentially given a date, time and place to be at the end of the trip and a couple of re-supplies that we had to meet, other than that it was up to us how we got there. We learned many important skills to survival and enjoyable living in the wilderness and put every single one of those skills to use. Because of our dedication to the experience and our willingness as a group challenge ourselves and push through our comfort zones we were able to truly experience the majesty of the place we were living in and traveling through. We saw and swam in high alpine glacial lakes, some crystal clear and emerald colored and others grey with glacial til and silt (we chose not to swim in those ones). We saw bear, marmot, deer and elk amongst other wildlife. We traversed glaciers, explored ice caves (even built a snowman), hiked through meadows of wildflowers, high alpine meadows, and even through the Queets rainforest. We stood atop jagged peaks and camped in forests of trees that were so huge we could have fit ten of us inside. We also learned how to cook gourmet meals from scratch on trail and even made jam from wild huckleberries that we picked and I learned that if you drink hot cocoa with a spoonful of peanut butter in it you will stay warmer through some of the colder nights in the mountains. We saw maybe ten other people throughout the experience as so much of our travel was off trail. And wouldn’t have reached half of those places had we not decided to take the route of “exploration” instead of the trail. The last five days of the trip we split up into three groups and traveled in those three groups separate of each other for those five days and I know that each and every one of us in that time was challenged to the core. We had already spent 25days without any kind of domestic luxuries such as a warm shower, clean clothes, a bed and home-cooked meals, things we all take for granted on a daily basis. We traveled some of the toughest terrain I’ve ever encountered over those days and not only was our individual knowledge, judgment, strength and courage tested over those five days but so was our teamwork. We would have never made it to our destination if it weren’t for our teamwork and perseverance together towards our goal of safely making it to meet the other two groups at the deserted Queets campground. The whole trip was truly humbling and reminded me how lucky I am to be living the life I do here in my daily routine but also to have the opportunities that I have to do things like this as well as whatever else I put my mind too. This trip reminded me that some of the most rewarding things in our lives are created by hard work and willingness to step outside of ourselves and our comfort zones, to be challenged and open-minded to learn something new and experience life from a different angle. The simplicity with which I lived my life for those thirty days while at the same time knowing that I could accomplish whatever I wanted out of the trip that I put my mind to, reminded me that happiness is being grateful for what we have and not to take even the little things for granted as well as knowing that we all have it in ourselves to accomplish whatever we want in life no matter what we have in the present moment. I am truly blessed to have been part of this experience. |
What are your hobbies? I have so many hobbies! Amongst my favorite are skiing, flying airplanes, playing music, listening to music and going to concerts, playing sports, traveling, dancing and going to zumba class with my mom, horse-back riding, enjoying some quality time in the great outdoors, going to the gym, relaxing and more. |
If you had to give one piece of advice to the younger generation what would it be? I would tell anyone in the younger generation that they can be anyone they want to be and do anything they aspire to do in life if they put their minds to it. For any of us, even adults, anything is possible with a little imagination and dedication to a dream. The thing is, so many of us get caught up in what we “don’t have” and “can’t do” because we think our talent, time or resources are limited but the very fact that we have that kind of mentality is exactly what is limiting us to less than what we can be or can achieve and as adults we are passing that mindset down to the younger generations that look up to us. So I would not only encourage them to get out in the world and work towards their own dreams but to also to remember that they have the ability to grow up as role models for those around them and to inspire others no matter what age they may be. |
What is your greatest achievement? Getting my private pilot’s license! I have been flying for over two and a half years now and love it. It wasn’t easy getting my license and I put a lot of hard work, time and money into it and had to get over a few fears I had about doing some of the maneuvers as well as my tendency to get motion-sickness. However, now I have the privilege of soaring through the skies whenever I want whether it’s by myself or with a few passengers. It’s very empowering and liberating and I can’t wait to get more pilot ratings! |
|
|
|
.jpg)
