Sunday, 1/8/17
Will
Yesterday we learned about avalanches at The Whitefish
Mountain. The experience began with a
compelling journey on a ski lift to the summit.
The ride forever solidified my perception of my teacher’s true
nature. This experience was truly
remarkable, as I had never made so deep a connection with a teacher over
something like fear. As he sat directly
next to me, I exposed my true nature and decided to try and bully the fear out
of him. Through numerous tactics, I was
successful in my attempts to further scare him.
All in all, this was a memorable ride.
Colson
Once we reached the summit, the learning truly began. Following a series of presentations
concerning various aspects of avalanches, including triggering factors and what
constitutes an appropriate response to an actual avalanche. After the lectures concluded, we moved to
into the field, and took part in activates at two stations. The first consisted of practicing digging in
the snow to experience the true weight of accumulated snow. We were then shown how to test a column of
snow to test its avalanche risk. Moving
on to the second station, we were able to practice using a transponder to
locate someone under the snow. The
process was complex, utilizing a series of increasingly fine grids to locate
the buried person. This concluded our
education atop the mountain, and the ride down was just as impactful as the
ride up had been. All in all, Sunday was
an incredibly informative and unique day.
Monday, 1/9/17
Jake
Today we awoke to find a fresh blanket of snow. Two red buses arrived at our lodgings and
conveyed us to a large barn. This barn,
we learned, housed thirty-three other such buses, which were used primarily to
transport tourists throughout Glacier National Park. Each bus was coated in the same shade of red
paint—Glacier red—the hue of which resembled a particular red berry found in
Glacier National Park. Each bus had six
wheels, fifteen lights, and sixteen windows.
After we were shown the buses, we were treated to a presentation
regarding bus tours, and we heard a few local ghost stories. Briefly, we watched a film about trains, and
we ate lunch. Though we did not spend
any time exploring the wilderness, we were exposed to an interesting aspect of
Glacier Park.
Helena
After we ate lunch at the Red Bus Barn, we went to an art
museum in the heart of Kalispell. The first little exhibit that we toured
through was full of beautiful water- color, all done by one artist. Our tour
guide pointed out artwork that was originally hanging in the Plains Indian
Museum, where we had visited with Jack a few days earlier. She said that the
paintings were not allowed to hang in the Plains museum, because although they
were of traditional Blackfeet Indians, a registered member of the Blackfeet did
not paint them. We then went into a gallery, which was in the newer extension
of the art gallery (originally a library). This gallery was full of artwork
that specifically reflected Glacier National Park and it’s beautiful scenery. We
saw an original painting by Charlie Russell, whom we again learned about from
Jack at the reservation. After our tour of the artwork, we made our own “one
page sketchbooks.” We took one large piece of paper and folded it, cut a small
slit, and folded it again until we had our very own little sketch book, where
we sketched a piece of artwork that we saw in the exhibit. Overall, the museum
gave us even more information on the Blackfeet Indians, and the artists who
painted the beauty of Glacier National Park.
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