Adventure is out there.

featherduster

Adventure is out there.

the

Westlake High School

Volume 44

Issue 2

Jan. 8, 2013 4100 Westbank Drive Austin, Texas 78746

January 2013

special issue

Editors-in-Chief

Hailey Cunningham Monica Tan

Brains + Brawn Marco Scarasso Asst. Peyton Richardson Asst. Sara Phillips Andy Brown Asst. Emily Martin Asst. Jacob Prothro

People + Places Selah Maya Zighelboim Asst. Caitlyn Kerbow Asst. Rachel Cooper

Trends + Traditions Jessica Stenglein Laura Doolittle Asst. Josh Willis Asst. Monica Rao

Rants + Raves Ben Wallace Catherine Mear

Asst. Michael Deisher

Web Master Nikki Roop Asst. Erin Armstrong

Business Manager Josh Willis

Art Director: Michaela Moss Ariana Gomez Reyes

Phographers Editor: Ryan Stankard Cade Ritter Carley McNicholas Mackenzie Franklin Nikki Humble Shelby Westbrook Tim Whaling Zoë Nathan

Reporters Alexis Huynh Brendan McGrath Brian Wieckowski Cierra Smith

Colleen Pletcher David Tulkoff Elizabeth Emery Emily Martinez Emma Pennell Erica Schwartz Georgina Kuhlmann Hannah Turner Jack Speer Jack Stenglein Katelyn Connolly Katherine Spencer Kathryn Revelle Katie Mitchell Laura Jessich Liam Gerrity Madeline Dupre Margaret Norman Martin Celusniak Michelle Fairorth Olivia Kight Sabrina Knap ZZ Lundburg

Adviser Deanne Brown

The Featherduster, the newsmagazine of Westlake High School, attempts to inform and entertain in a broad, fair and accurate manner on subjects which concern the readers. The publication also seeks to provide a forum of ideas and opinions between the staff of the newsmagazine, the faculty, the student body and the local community about issues presented.

All material produced and published by The Featherduster staff is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without the writer’s consent or that of the editors. Content decisions rest in the hands of the staff, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. Opinions expressed in the columns that appear in The Featherduster do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire staff, the school administration or the adviser.

The staff encourages letters to the editor as an avenue for expressing the opinions of the readers. All letters must be signed to be considered for publication. Due to space limitations, not all letters will be published, and the editorial board reserves the right to edit them for purposes of placement. No material will be printed that is libelous, advocates an illegal activity or which the editorial board deems is in poor taste. The restriction includes letters to the staff, advertising and anything else the board feels presents an inappropriate message. cover photo by Ryan Stankard cover photo manipulation by Ryan Stankard and Tim Whaling table of contents courtesy photo Gazing over the rocks on a trip with Venture Crew Dec. 28, 2011, junior Sarah Thompson takes a break after rock climbing at Hueco Tanks near El Paso.

action

11

Physics at work Former skydiver gives glimpse into past

personal

22

The last frontier Teacher reminisces about living in Alaska

travel

38

Just around the riverbend Family encounters storm while kayaking

misadventure

52

Bite me

Taste testers try bizarre cuisine

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{staff editorial} “Security is mostly a superstition.

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

—Helen Keller

To infinity and beyond

Page 11 courtesy photo

Students stuck in a rut need to try new adventures “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

—Albert Einstein

Wake up at the same time you’ve gotten up every morning. Get dressed.

Get to school at the same time you have every day before. Go through the first half of your day. Go to lunch. Eat with the same friends you’ve had since middle school.

Go through the second half of your day. Go home the same way you've always gone home. Start your homework. Eat dinner. Continue homework. Fall asleep when you can't stay awake any longer. Repeat.

That, fellow Chaparrals, is a fine example of a mindless and repetitive routine that will get you absolutely nowhere except for exactly where you already are right now. Don't let that be you, Westlake.

Page 22 Deanne Brown

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

—Eleanor Roosevelt It’s safe to say that most people desire more excitement and adventure in their lives. It’s a sensible and understandable wish, but how do you expect something amazing to happen when you are doing the exact same thing every day of the week?

Here's the thing: You are never going to get the adventure you hope for unless you put yourself out there and make an effort to change it up.

Maybe you're not the type of person to go scuba diving with great whites or summit Mt. Everest, but that doesn't mean you should assume a permanent absence of adventure from your life. Talking to that cute boy or girl next to you in English for the first time or trying to learn how to cook a filet mignon can be just as adrenaline-pumping for some as a skydiving excursion is for others. If you continue to try and push yourself out of your safe and comfortable box, no matter how big or small that box may be for you, new and exciting things will follow. Adventure is always waiting.

“Adventure is not outside man; it is within.”

—George Elliot

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Action

It’s the rush of adrenaline as we submerge into the depths, the thrill of stretching the limits of our comfort zones. We live for those moments of freefall — when we’re just barely in control. They drive us to roll out of bed in the morning and venture out into the world.

Along for the ride

Forty-five mph wind blows through his hair as he storms down Lost Creek Boulevard — just him and the longboard. This is what junior Kevin Brewer experiences every time he longboards, whether he’s with his friends on the weekend or in local competitions that push him to new limits. “[I first got into longboarding] after watching some videos,” Kevin said. “When I saw those videos, I was baffled. The way the rider’s movement was so smooth and the way they looked almost fearless when coming down a hill, I wanted to know everything about it.”

Longboards look similar to skateboards; however, longboards are about 43 inches, 10 inches longer than skateboards. The objective is to go down a hill as fast as possible — usually getting up to 35-45 mph speeds. In addition, there are some tricks that can be performed.

“A lot of the tricks in longboarding involve turning the board sideways and sliding the wheels,” Kevin said. “A lot of this is 180s, holding the sides out over distances, or sliding out your wheels before a tight turn to shave off some speed. There’s also freestyle, which is like kick flips, manuals and other things that are common in street skateboarding. And also dancing, which is walking up and down your board in a smooth rhythmic way.”

Although plenty of people longboard just for fun, there are many amateur and professional competitions created by the International Gravity Sports Association. Ranging from less than or up to three miles, these races are like that of any other speed sport — there are qualifications, time trials, heats and awards. Kevin has competed several times in local contests.

“There’s something special about going down a hill by yourself,” Kevin said. “But when you’re surrounded by people, all feeling the

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Junior Kevin Brewer seeks thrill in extreme sport

same rush you are, you just want to push yourself more and more.”

After competing successfully, riders can earn points and money, gaining recognition and getting sponsored.

But going down hills at speeds up to 45 mph can be dangerous.

Countless injuries and even some deaths have resulted from accidents.

Kevin has had his fair share of mishaps and tries to avoid injuries at all costs. He is a strong advocate for protective gear on the road.

“I try not to crash a lot,” Kevin said. “It [contributes] to the stereotype that longboarders are reckless, but there was a miscommunication between me and a couple guys during a run down a hill in Lost Creek. I didn’t quite make a turn and I ended up going head first into a guardrail going about 40 mph. Helmets save lives.”

Some are led to believe that longboarding is a sport for adrenaline junkies, but many people longboard for other feelings.

“I can go from relaxed when just cruising around with my music, to scared and shaking after a super fast run where you are constantly about to fall,” Kevin said. “Then you get that perfect balance in between both being relaxed and having a rush. You get into a perfect flow when you don’t think about what would happen if you fell into that guardrail to your right or what your escape plan is if a car is coming your way, or even that test you have, you just ride.”

Even though longboarding is all about pushing limits, there is an idyllic appeal to the sport.

“Longboarding is all about finding your own style,” Kevin said.

“When you find that perfect flow in your riding and the smoothness in your style is extremely rewarding.”

The sport is exciting for both athletes and fans. Although, some onlookers have automatic judgements about the people who longboard.

“Longboarding kind of gets a bad rep with other people,” Kevin said. “Either we are seen as stoners or rebels. The judging that comes from drivers’ eyes always makes me self-conscious too.”

Although these stereotypes have come to pass universally, the longboarding community sticks together and always looks out for each other, especially when it comes to safety.

“The longboarding community is something special in itself,” Kevin said. “It’s super close and super friendly, if you ever have any questions about anything, someone will help you, whether you’re an advanced rider or just starting out. And safety is a big part of the community. If you’re going down a hill and don’t have a helmet on, people will heckle you constantly until you put one on. There have been way too many crashes for people not to always wear a helmet. A lot of the community stresses obeying the law, especially on the road.”

Through adventure, safety, tricks and competitions, longboarding is a thrilling sport full of speed and uncertainties. However, the passion that these athletes have for their sport is undeniable.

“The best part about longboarding comes when you’re with friends,” Kevin said. “You all start on one hill, go around that first tight corner and you feel this pit in your stomach that you get when you’re going down a first run. Then you look back and your bud has that same feeling, and when you get to the bottom of the hill, when your hands are still shaking, you know that all your friends are feeling the same thing.”

—Sabrina Knap photo manipulation by Jack Stenglein and Tim Whaling

They see me

rollin’ Daring riders master the Segway

A transportation craze has rolled its way out of malls and into the streets — Segways. These two-wheeled, battery-powered vehicles are often seen zooming around downtown Austin and many other cities across the nation. The people riding atop them may look like tacky tourists, but don’t be fooled, because anybody can take a spin on one. We recently tried our hand at conquering the formidable art of Segwaying, and discovered that it was easier to pick up than we had expected.

There are multiple Segway tour companies in Austin, but we chose Segway Nation, on the corner of 12th Street and Lavaca. Inside, we suited up for a one-hour Fun Run tour, which cost $39 per person, plus a recommended $5 insurance for a $6,000 Segway. The tour ventured through the Capitol grounds, Congress Avenue, Sixth Street and the convention center. Other available tours, ranging from $49-$69, include the Ride It tour, the Executive tour and a nighttime Haunted Ghost and Bat tour. These are all longer with a different range of destinations.

Riders at Segway Nation are equipped with helmets — a look that pretty much no one can pull off — and of course, Segways, along with training that takes approximately two minutes. Segways are self-balancing, so anyone can stay upright while riding one. You can rock back and forth all you want without falling over. To move forward, shift your weight to your toes, pressing your body towards the handlebar. To slow down or reverse, shift your weight to your heels. For an abrupt halt, the trainer recommended , “When in doubt, stick your butt out.” Steering was relatively uncomplicated as well, and the Segway turned with ease. All seven in our group could handle their Segway easily after 10 minutes, although some were still too scared to try the top speed of 12 mph.

Immediately following our graduation from training, we proceeded down our first hill, an intimidating prospect that we were assured was “safe.” Our guide informed us that this was the steepest slope we would encounter on the tour, so we confronted the biggest obstacle right off the bat. Much to our surprise, everyone successfully navigated the challenge and arrived at the bottom intact.

One of the best parts of the tour was racing around the Capital grounds because there were fewer people around and we had the opportunity to push our Segways to the limit.

Automatic controls in the vehicle limit it to

“

The speed, along with the prospect of almost falling, made Segwaying the perfect activity for our adrenilane junkie alter egos.

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”

12 miles per hour and it lurched backwards when we hit that top speed. This forced us to shift our weight abruptly to our heels, making us feel as though we were about to topple off.

The speed, along with the prospect of almost falling, made Segwaying the perfect activity for our adrenaline junkie alter egos.

Soon we were adept enough at maneuvering our vehicles that we were allowed onto the streets. As the tour guide, Elizabeth, informed us, “Once we enter the streets, we become the most dangerous things on the sidewalk.”

We felt pretty hardcore.

Weaving between pedestrians and other obstacles on the sidewalks, we received many

Sophomores Emma Pennell, Katelyn Connolly and Quiana Jeffs try to balance on their Segways in front of the Capitol.

courtesy photo

strange looks from passersby — they were clearly just jealous. Without bells we simply yelled, “Move out of the way, Segways coming through!” which showed to be effective methods of clearing a path for ourselves. We rolled down Congress Avenue, onto Sixth Street and eventually to the convention center. There we tried our hand at a slalom course consisting of trees. Luckily, no one lost control and ran into one.

Throughout the tour, there were many opportunities to take photos around Austin landmarks, like the Capitol grounds and the painted guitars. Groups were even encouraged to take no-hands photos so they could show off their masterful control of their vehicles. Just be careful not to roll backwards — only one person in our group could balance without gripping the handlebar. The type of tour we chose was more focused on having a fun time riding around the city rather than hearing the guide spew rehearsed facts at every city landmark.

However. we heard a few interesting things about the haunted Driskill Hotel and the Capitol, but this tour was perfect for locals.

If you are ever looking for a fun activity on a weekend, consider booking a tour with Segway Nation. Sundays are recommended because streets are much less busy than other days of the week. The $40 price tag may seem hefty, but they give you a coupon at the end of your visit for a $35 tour the next time you Segway, no matter the regularly advertised price of the tour. Regardless, Segwaying is an enjoyable and unique experience.

Although it may appear to be a challenge, if you take a chance on this increasingly popular activity, you are sure to return after the weekend with many stories about your daring adventures.

—Emma Pennell and Katelyn Connolly

Down

to

earth

In Malone, New York during the summer of 1983, physics teacher Bob Witowski jumps from 7,500 feet and reaches a 30-second freefall.

Physics teacher jumped from 15,000 feet as former skydiving instructor

H

e was a thousand feet up in the air looking down upon the landscape below, resolved that he would jump. As the wind whistled through his hair and the sound of the plane engine droned in his ears, he jumped into open sky.

“I was really nervous,” physics teacher Bob Witowski said. “I don’t remember a whole lot because it was really scary, but I do remember being glad that my parachute opened. I had to just relax and let the parachute do the work, and it turned out fine.”

Witowski’s first jump was a nerve-racking experience. He remembers the plane engine being a lot louder than he had anticipated, and the wind being stronger, too.

“It was from 3000 feet on a static line that opened my parachute automatically upon leaving the plane,” Witowski said. “The plane was a Cessna 210. It required two days of ground training followed by the jump. The first time I tried to jump, the winds were too high so I had to wait a week to try again. I remember after the jump getting to the ground and being so excited. I remember looking back up at the plane circling above and thinking how much fun it was to jump. It was something I had always dreamed of from when I was little, and never thought possible.”

This first jump was in 1979. Witowski began skydiving in graduate school because his campus happened to be near an airport which had a skydiving program. He loved skydiving so much that he went on to teach it from 1982-1985.

“I didn’t enjoy hanging around graduate school on the weekends because people went out drinking and I didn’t enjoy those kinds of activities, so I had to find an activity to do,” Witowski said.

The vast majority of Witowski’s jumps took place with the Malone Parachute Club in Malone, NY. His jumps were mainly in or around the airport. He used a square parachute which is very maneuverable, allowing him to land almost anywhere he wanted. To become an instructor, Witowski went to the airport on the weekends where he learned how to pack the parachutes used by the club.

“After jumping a lot, learning how to pack parachutes and helping the instructors around the club, I was asked if I wanted to take a class in becoming a jumpmaster,” Witowski said. “After completing the class and the training class that followed, I was able to teach students how to jump from planes. It was great being able to skydive as a grad student. Because I was working there as an instructor and jump master, I was able to jump for free.”

All skydivers need to have special training before they can jump.

Witowski had to go through a licensed facility and have a licensed aircraft to jump from. In his training, he had to learn about how to deploy his reserve parachute and how to correctly go into a freefall.

“When you go into freefall, you have to learn how to fly,” Witowski said. “Although that may sound silly, it is very hard to fall straight down. If your body is just slightly out of position, you move out of the group. You have to continuously work on maneuverability and body

courtesy photo

positioning. Try sticking your hand out a car’s window that’s going 60 miles per hour. Make slight adjustments and you will feel the forces pushing against your hand. Now, double the wind speed and that is what you feel skydiving.”

In the early 1980s skydiving in tandem, where divers are strapped to an instructor to do the work for them, didn’t exist. Today, most people skydive in tandem.

“Back then, tandem wasn’t allowed and everyone that was going to jump was required by the Federal Aviation Administration to have their own parachute,” Witowski said. “I had to learn solo using a system called a static line, which is a method used by the military.”

The static line activates the parachute after the jump without the jumper having to pull the ripcord.

“Then, once I was ready, I progressed to pulling my own ripcord and extending my freefall time,” Witowski said. “With today’s perfected methods, it takes a lot less time to become proficient.”

Witowski has jumped from the highest elevation allowed by the FAA in an airplane without oxygen, which is 15,000 feet. From this height, he achieved a minute long freefall. Witowski said this jump was relatively easy compared to Felix Baumgartner’s jump.

Baumgartner broke his own world record on Oct. 14 by jumping from the atmosphere 128,000 feet (24.3 miles).

“It was an amazing jump, although it was very difficult,” Witowski said. “Without air resistance, Felix had a hard time ‘flying’ because air resistance is used to regulate the speed at which you are going. Up there, he had no air resistance to control his body and he went into a spin which is very dangerous.”

Skydiving requires frequent practice and routine jumps. One of the reasons Witowski stopped skydiving was the amount of time it required and the dedication needed to stick with it.

“Skydiving is a fun activity,” Witowski said. “I enjoyed it, and it was a big part of my life. When I first got together with my wife, she tried it four or five times but she didn’t get the excitement and enjoyment out of it that I did. Once we got married, I had a lot on my mind and I was really busy so I eventually stopped skydiving.”

There are inherent risks to participating in the sport. Witowski had a close friend who died while skydiving.

“He was going to be the best man of my wedding and when I called him to ask, I found out he had been in a skydiving accident the week before,” Witowski said. “It was a normal jump. His parachute opened and he touched the ground just fine, but the ground was a little bit wet from morning dew. He was landing in a parking lot and his sneakers slipped and he slid into a car, breaking his neck. He ended up being a quadriplegic for a few years. Then he contracted pneumonia and died. It was a really hard time for me. He was a dear friend of mine and also my instructor when I first skydived. There are risks to skydiving, but with life there are risks with anything.”

—David Tulkoff

Bigger and

boulder

Junior Elliot Knowles boulders in the Barton Creek greenbelt near Spyglass. He has qualified for two different national climbing competitions five years in a row.

photos by Cade Ritter

Climber competes in National Climbing championships, finds passion on the rocks He could see the top. After 100 feet of climbing, he was ready to clip himself to it. But a gust of wind altered his course and he was blown off of the wall. Now he was at the mercy of gravity. Only the clip he’d fastened himself to 20 feet down saved him from severe injuries.

But after nursing bruised toes, junior Elliot Knowles was back to the walls and rocks. He couldn’t tear himself away.

Rock climbing has been a part of Elliot’s life since he was nine. Once his dad introduced him to the sport, he was hooked.

“When I first climbed, I felt a connection right away,” Elliot said. “I felt a love for the sport that I had never felt with other sports I did back then.”

Elliot started climbing at Austin Rock Gym every chance he could find.

He then joined the gym’s climbing team, Team ARG. “Competing in rock climbing was an early dream for me,” Elliot said.

“It became a reality when I joined the team when I was 10. I have been on Team ARG ever since then and have competed every year.”

There are three types of competitions in rock climbing: red points, onsites and speed climbing. In the red point competition, climbers have four hours to climb around 60 routes that each have their own scoring system.

Climbers select the five most challenging routes they can complete in the time allowed. During on-site competitions, climbers are given four routes that they have never seen before to perform in four hours. Each handhold is one point and participants are scored on the height that they reach.

“On-sites are my personal favorite because they really test your climbing skills,” Elliot said. “They are more of a challenge, and they really make you think.”

Elliot also enjoys speed climbing, where climbers race up a 10 to 15 foot wall as fast as they can.

“My best time is 7.46 seconds on the 10 meter wall but the national record is like 4.9 seconds,” Elliot said. “In my total climbing career I have competed in about 47 competitions placing mostly in the top six [in local competitions].”

Elliot has qualified and competed in the Youth Climbing National

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Championships for both the Sport Climbing Series and the American Bouldering Series for the past five years. Participating in these competitions has taken Elliot to places like Colorado Springs, Boston, Atlanta and Los Angeles. SCS is rope climbing, where walls are usually no higher than 65 feet. ABS, on the other hand, is difficult bouldering. In bouldering competitions, athletes climb a short wall of four to five meters. Red points and on-sites are used in both series, however national and regional competitions always are on-sight. Elliot’s best place in a national competition is 10th out of 30.

Almost all competitions are held indoors so that climbing routes can be set and competitors can climb on equal playing fields.

“Outdoor climbing is where all of my training is put to use,” Elliot said. “I love it. Every chance I can get I go outdoors to climb. My favorite spot is a place called Hueco Tanks near El Paso. This place rocks.

The rock is perfect, the town is perfect, the scenery is perfect and the climbing is perfect. It’s like a playground for climbers.”

As much as he loves to travel around the country to climb, Elliot also appreciates the camaraderie of the group of climbers he’s surrounded by here in Austin.

“The climbing community in Austin is very tight, Elliot said. “Everyone knows everyone. An Austin climber can’t go to the climbing gym or to the outdoor climbing areas around Austin without seeing a familiar face. That is one of my favorite parts of climbing: the interesting people you meet along the way.”

Elliot plans on continuing to climb and competing in the College Climbing Series.

“Climbing has always been special to me,” Elliot said. “I love how the rock feels, I love the feeling I get when I complete a difficult wall and I love how the movements feel as I scale the wall.”

—Emily Martin

Taking the plunge

Diver explores ocean floor, escapes death in the depths One second she was swimming past the coral and admiring the fish. The next, her world was turned upside down, and she had no idea which way to swim. Disoriented, she swam even deeper as her precious oxygen supply dwindled low. Junior Bethany Beago is a scuba diver, and her sport has almost cost her her life — twice.

Although fun, scuba diving can be a dangerous sport. In addition to environmental threats such as poisonous fish and sharp coral, a diver’s body is at risk of suffering from “the bends” or nitrogen narcosis. The bends occurs when divers ascend too quickly, causing gases to form bubbles in the bloodstream.

Nitrogen narcosis is caused when a diver swims too deep for too long and nitrogen builds up in the body. If a diver narcs, or experiences nitrogen narcosis, she is unable to think logically, much like someone who is intoxicated.

“My first dive ever I dove the Devils Throat [in Cozumel], which is 135 feet deep,” Bethany said. “I swam even deeper than that and narced. I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down and my dive master had to catch me and pull me to the surface. I didn’t think I was doing anything weird at the time –- I just suddenly really wanted to swim deep to look at something. I was OK again after a few hours on land.”

Damaged or malfunctioning equipment is always a concern for divers. Using the buddy system while diving is one of the main safety rules. Bethany learned the importance of it while on a night dive in Cozumel with her dad and his friends. After a current sucked her under a concrete pier, she found that her air tube was slashed, leaving her without oxygen.

“We came up to the surface for air and found ourselves trapped in a small space between the water and the bottom of the pier,” Bethany said. “We all managed to put our regulators back in our mouths so we could breathe again, but when I put mine in I realized that no air was coming through it.

All at once I started to sink because my vest was losing air, and I couldn’t breathe. It was terrifying. Then another strong current pulled us all out from under the pier and we were spat back out on the other side. I held onto my dad’s buoyancy compensation vest to stay afloat while the dive boat came to rescue us.”

Despite these close calls, Bethany has a long list of places where she intends to dive.

“It’s my dream to dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia,” Bethany said. “My family doesn’t want to because that’s where the

Junior Bethany Beago scuba dives off the Carribean shores of Cozumel, Mexico. “My parents go to Cozumel each year on their anniversary and my sister and I tag along so we can scuba,” Bethany said.

Bethany encountered a sea turtle on the ocean floor while on one of her day-time scuba dives in the waters of Cozumel, Mexico. “We see everything from sea turtles to octopi to sharks,” Bethany said.

courtesy photo

courtesy photo

really dangerous shark attacks are, but I think it’s very unlikely that I could get attacked by a shark. I’ve also wanted to dive Jacob’s Well [in Wimberley]. I’m not sure if it is still illegal or not because there have been about eight deaths, but it would be awesome.”

Getting certified for diving can be a long and grueling process, containing dives and written tests.

“I learned to scuba here in Austin when I was 12,” Bethany said. “I took a two-week course from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. A surprising amount of math is involved. We had to memorize a dive table, which is a chart that shows you how deep you can go for how long before you will get nitrogen narcosis.”

Diving requires a buoyancy compensation device, an oxygen tank and regulator for breathing, a PSI gauge and a weight belt, all of which can be quite expensive. Renting from a dive master is also an option.

“Initially it is expensive to buy all of your equipment, but once you have it it should last you for life because dive equipment is very well made,” Bethany said. ‘In Mexico I highly recommend that you buy your own equipment when diving, as opposed to renting from your

dive master because that’s when you get low quality equipment. Plus, it’s just kind of gross to use a regulator that has been in hundreds of other people’s mouths, no matter how clean it is.”

With scuba, a whole new world, usually never seen, including underwater caves and strange fish, becomes available to divers.

“One of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me while scuba diving was when I saw a giant sea turtle swim past me,” Bethany said. “It got about a foot away from me before it swam away. Sea turtles are so beautiful underwater because you look up, see them above you and they look like birds, like they’re flying.”

Bethany dives with her family every summer in Cozumel, Mexico, which is known in the scuba world as one of the best diving locations.

“We dive in Cozumel because my parents went there 25 years ago for their honeymoon,” Bethany said. “The dives were so great that they have come back every year since. We do up to four dives every day, two in the morning before lunch, one at four and a night dive at eight.”

Bethany loves her sport and encourages others to learn scuba diving and make their own adventures.

“It’s definitely something I recommend to everyone,” Bethany said. “Scuba diving is so amazing — you get to see this whole other part of the world that you never get to see usually.”

—Jack Stenglein

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The Featherduster offers prize for student who finds hidden treasure concealed on campus

Austin is known for being a hotbed of technology, as well as a premier fitness and hiking destination. Geocaching mixes both of these elements of the Austin scene into an activity that takes the best aspects of hiking and treasure hunting and turns them into a fun game that anyone with a web connection and a GPS can play. Players use coordinates that other players leave for them to trek to a certain area to try and find a hidden container, known as a geocache. You can also hide containers and post coordinates yourself for others to find.

You can either use the official geocaching website and your own GPS, or you can download the convenient (and pricey, at a hefty $10) geocaching app. The app uses the built-in GPS on your smart phone or tablet, although if you are using an iPad it may be hard for the GPS to work if you are in an area without a Wi-Fi connection. It’s best to download the app on a smartphone, because the GPS still works on 3G or other cellular networks. Accounts are free to create, and you are able to find geocaches near you, as well as around the world.

Geocaching is easily picked up, but if you apply some useful tips and tricks you can make your outing much more enjoyable. Try, if you can, to pay attention to newly posted caches. If you are the first one to a cache, the prizes tend to be better. Also, make sure to bring something to put into the cache. The containers, which can be any shape or size, from large ammunition containers to small film canisters, are usually filled with small knickknacks. If you want to take something out of the geocache however, you need to bring something to put in it. Baseball cards, foreign coins, travel souvenirs, and of course, money are all good choices.

While most geocaches are on trails or parks, some are in urban areas, malls or even cemeteries. Pay attention to the descriptions.

Most good descriptions of the cache will make some note about how difficult the terrain is, or at least the general area of the cache. The hiders also like to put hints in how they word the location of the cache (example: “Once you get to the bank, you will ‘see da’ cache.” See da … cedar … cedar tree. You get it.)

—Ben Wallace

A lot of geocaches require you to hike into some pretty picturesque areas, so you may want to take a better camera than the one on your cell phone to take pictures of the landscapes.

Bring a pen or pencil so you can write in the log, where you can see all the names and dates of who has found the cache.

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Wear comfortable, breathable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty or wet. Wear layers if it is cold.

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Having a few bandages can never hurt. Bug spray and sun block are also good precautionary items.

Bring your phone. Not only can you use the geocaching app, you can also use it call someone if you get lost (see page 45). Make sure to charge it though before going out.

Nothing is worse than having it die in the middle of searching.

Take a baseball cap or a pair of sunglasses to protect you from the sun. And, on the plus side, you’ll look super cool.

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Solid, durable hiking boots and thick, comfortable socks will protect your feet from blistering. Some of the terrain can be tough to climb, so you are going to want a fair amount of traction and stability.

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A water bottle is our highest recommendation, although, if you have a CamelBak, you can knock out the problem of water and storage in one convenient step.

There are specific “night caches” that can only be done in the dark. The hiders will draw arrows that point in the direction of the cache in reflective paint. Bring a flashlight to not only see the arrows, but to guide your way over any rough terrain.

If the weather is questionable, you should bring a light raincoat to keep yourself dry.

You are going to want to bring food if you are going out for multiple caches. Clif Bars, trail mix and dried fruit are all recommended.

Zoë Nathan

To give you a taste of geocaching, the Featherduster has hidden a cache on the Westlake campus. It isn’t on the app or the website, and there are not any coordinates. The only hints you have are right here, in this article. What we can tell you is that the cache is not in the stadium, a classroom, or a bathroom; it is in a place all students have access to. It could be indoors or outdoors, but it isn’t buried or covered up. If you are the person to find the cache, you will find a bright yellow slip of paper explaining what to do in order to claim your prize. The prize is a $50 gift card, compliments of Texas Honey Ham.

Happy trails Crew 42

tackles the great outdoors

Hiking up a steep mountain side is something many teenagers will never experience. They will never feel the weight of a backpack full of everything you need to survive for a week in the wilderness and they will never set up camp with a sunset on the horizon.

However, this kind of adventure is a norm for the members of Venture Crew 42.

“Venture Crew is basically co-ed Boy Scouts without the hassle of merit badges,” junior and three-year member Travis Norris said. “We basically just go camping, hiking, backpacking, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking, [horseback riding] and ziplining.”

The group gets together monthly to go on a new adventure. The cost varies based on the activity, starting at around $20 for a day trip.

Some equipment, such as tents and camp stoves, are provided, but members should have their own camp gear. Travis said that for him, Venture Crew is a nice relief from the routine of school.

“I love being able to go outside and have something around once a month that I can go take a break from school,” Travis said. “I can relax, do something really fun and just hang out with all of my friends.”

Travis says that students don’t have to be super athletic to enjoy Venture Crew.

“If you enjoy fresh air and good friends, it’s a great thing to do,” Travis said. “Some people join because for some reason, they like to walk for miles with really heavy things on their backs. Other people do it because we’re really cool people.”

Behind every great group is a great sponsor, and Venture Crew is no exception. There are many parents who donate their time on top of the official head of Crew 42.

“Mrs. [Audrey] Bartmess is the leader of Venture Crew, so she basically sets everything up,” sophomore and two-year member John Michael Austin said. “She’s an experienced backpacker, and she knows what she’s doing. She works really hard to make sure that we always have something to do, and it always goes off without a hitch. She’s really great because she teaches us how to do everything. I could never go backpacking [alone] because I don’t know how to backpack, but she does, and she’ll teach us.”

Around two times a year, the group goes on a larger trip which normally includes backpacking in the summer, and a “luxury” trip, which means not camping, in the winter. These are the trips that truly define Venture Crew to Travis.

“Every summer we do a big backpacking trip, and [last] summer we were in this really cool campsite in Yosemite,” Travis said. “It looked out over Half Dome with a sunset in the background, and we were all hanging around a campfire, chatting, playing games and eating food.”

While Venture Crew may seem primitive with their camping, no expense is spared on the cooking. Outback Ovens and dried meals can be used to make foods that may seem gourmet for a camping trip. Those who do not cook, clean.

“The Iron Chef is in charge of cooking, and my sister was always the Iron Chef,” John Michael said. “She would always cook everything because she was the best biscuit maker, so we made her cook. While camping, you do one of two things. You either cook or clean. If you’re cleaning, it sucks, so you always want to cook. My sister was really

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1. Sitting in his backpack cover, junior Michael Bartmess sleds down a snowy hill in Grand Tetons National Park.

2. Junior Travis Norris climbs over a ledge at Hueco Tanks. “It was a pretty fun climb,” he said. “It started out upside down and you climbed over the edge and up.”

3. Westlake grauduates Eric Bartmess, Elliott Foreman, Ryan Kelley and Emily Austin along with parent leaders and a guide, raft down the Arkansas River in Colorado.

4. Junior Mathias Hanssen and senior Corrine Smith float down the Guadalupe river in kayaks after passing the rapids.

5. A baby snake winds around senior Corrine Smith’s finger at Grand Tetons National Park.

“We went on a day hike and found a baby snake,” she said. “It stayed wrapped around my thumb for the rest of the hike before we released it where we found it.”

6. Junior Kelty Carson, junior Garrison Hefter and sophomore John Michael Austin hike to their campsite in Hueco Tanks State Park.

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Travis Norris

selective about who got to cook with her. So if you were on good terms with Emily, you got to cook, but if she was mad at you, you would always have to clean. So it’s always good to be on the good side of the Iron Chef.”

While the trips are fun, close friendships are one of the best parts of Venture Crew for senior and two-year member Corinne Smith.

“My best memory was probably the first summer trip I went on,” Corrine said. “We all went to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming — just this big group of kids [with parents]. We all got so close. We had so many fun memories just being together up in the mountains because all you have is that group. You just get really close with them. [The other members] are just like a second family. I love to see them in the hallways, and say, ‘Hi,’ to them. We keep up with what’s happening in each other’s lives, and we’re always supporting each other and helping each other even outside of the trips.”

Corinne said that feeling comfortable around everyone there makes it easier to just enjoy what you’re doing and have a good time.

“You’re not really trying to impress anyone,” she said. “It’s mostly just bonding over what you’re doing. If you’re rock climbing, you see your friends on the ground, and they’re supporting you — literally. If you fall, they are there to catch you. Having that trust the first day you join is just amazing.”

—Peyton Richardson

The Featherduster’s fictional fight club Harry Potter vs. Edward Cullen

Winner ...

Harry Potter Harry Potter — 84.2% Edward Cullen — 15.8%

Yoda vs. Gandalf

Winner ...

Gandalf Gandalf — 50.2% Yoda — 48.8%

Jack Sparrow vs. Indiana Jones

Winner ...

Jack Sparrow Jack Sparrow — 58.2% Indiana Jones — 41.8%

Darth Vader vs. Voldemort

Winner ...

Voldemort

“I think Yoda would beat Gandalf because he’s got the Force. You can’t beat the Force.”

—freshman Nolan Nesbit “Harry Potter is a great series because it has so much imagination, and the whole thing was created

by Rowling. Harry is a great hero because he’s always so underestimated, but he never wants to be a hero. He just ends up that way.”

—sophomore Laynie Pintek “Darth Vader would defeat Voldemort because he has a nose. Not all the power in the magical world can bring back Voldemort’s nose.”

—sophomore Victor Schwartz “I like the Hunger Games because it’s a unique story and I like the series. I saw the midnight premiere and read the whole series in like a week.”

—senior Chloe Mills

Voldemort — 65.5% Darth Vader — 34.5%

A total of 84 students were polled Quotes and statistics gathered by Brian Wieckowski

Would you rather try your luck in Gotham City with Bane or in the Hunger Games?

Winner ...

Gotham City Gotham City — 53.2% Hunger Games — 46.8%

art by Marco Scarasso

“Harry Potter would beat Edward Cullen because, come on, he’s the Chosen One. Plus he has spells to stop whatever Edward tries. What can Edward do? Run fast at him?”

—sophomore Sabrina Stephens

Up in the air

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Two girls face their fears, reach new heights Humans don’t have wings, but with $89 and three free out of place, shakily walked up the steps in order to hours, even the most timid among us can soar through the air like a attach her ropes to the pulley of doom. flying squirrel. And that’s exactly what we, sophomores Alexis Huynh Of all the lines running through the vast hills, this was the shortest and ZZ Lundburg, did at Lake Travis Zipline Adventures. one — 300 feet through the trees and around 20 feet to the ground.

Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is located on Pocahontas Trail in Alexis was buckled in and over the walkie talkie, Taylor gave Nikki the Volente, Texas and consists of five ziplines ranging from 300 to 2,800 “Zip on,” meaning she was set to zip across. Ziplining felt like soarfeet. Based on the hefty price tag, we weren’t sure what to expect from ing and the cool breeze added to the effect. It was over in a matter of this trip but the experience we had was priceless. seconds, to our disappointment.

Our journey officially started when we sat down in the hammocks The second zipline was much the same, however, the third was at provided outside the registration building. We had an 11 a.m. appointleast twice as long. Standing from our vantage point at the top of the ment, so when we arrived at 10:30, we had plenty of time to spare. hill, we watched as our other group members zipped away and disapPlus, we had Goldfish, beef jerky and fruit snacks to munch on. There peared into the trees. Going down, one might think the time would was a slight breeze, and it was only 80 degrees, so we kicked back and pass like a flash, but it was a lot longer than we thought. The fun part relaxed until our guides gave us the signal to leave. was that we were able to do anything we wanted while zipping, such Suddenly, we saw a group of people pile into a white van. We as planking, the starfish, the cannonball or just sitting there with the exchanged glances. Was that our group? There was no way we could’ve wind blowing in our hair. missed that. We ran to the van and out of breath, we asked if this was By this time, we were most definitely comfortable pulling stunts the 11 a.m. tour. It was. We both sighed a breath of relief before taking on the line, so when we reached the fourth station, we wanted to spin. our seats in the very back row — the most spacious one. While everyWe both agreed to spin together. Alexis strapped in first and started one else was piling into the front seats, we debated on how to keep our twisting the rope to its full potential. Then, she was off, spiraling down Goldfish safe until we got back to the bus. the line laughing. ZZ was next and after watching Alexis’ reaction, she Once we arrived at the destination, was ready for the thrill. We soared a little we marveled over the gorgeous view. The under half a mile across the lake and lake was a dark blue, the hilltops were down the hill. The water glittered and dotted in red, orange and yellow trees trees sailed by. It felt like flying. When and we could hear faint screams of the we stepped onto the platform, we were other zipliners up in the air. There was smiling from ear to ear, and we were already a boat waiting to take us to the ready for more. other side of the lake. Our group, which After the fourth line, we began the consisted of four other couples, sat down walk to the final station. It was a good and three guides began to talk to us distance away and there were plenty about the different courses of ziplining. of hills, so we strapped our harnesses We were trying to listen to their contogether and pulled each other up. versation but were too intrigued by the Laughing and running, we felt like little ant-like zipliners in the air. They were kids climbing our way to a bowl of candy.

Sophomores Alexis Huynh and ZZ Lundburg stand nervously above Lake Travis flying with their arms and legs spread out When we reached the top, there was a anticipating the terrifying descent that awaits them on their zip lining adventure. like a star. platform with two zip lines attached to Alexis gulped. She knew this would it. Hyped up, we both sprang forward courtesy photo be fun, but she is not a fan of heights to volunteer as tributes to the races that or anything that has or looks like a drop. ZZ on the other hand was commenced. The last zip line was Texas’ third longest zip line and one shaking from excitement. A short boat ride later, we were docked on of the top 10 in the nation. Plus, we were standing at least 20 stories the other side of the lake. Our first task was to walk up this huge gravel off the ground. hill, and Alexis had to practically cling onto ZZ for dear life. By the ZZ took the lake side while Alexis got a view of the hills. We were time we were at the top, we were breathless. Our group was headed told that the way to speed up was to position ourselves in a cannonball. towards a small station where there were incredibly fashionable harWe both tried to go as fast as possible, but Alexis was just better (in nesses and helmets and dozens of bottles of water already positioned everything) than ZZ because in the end, Alexis won. However, she also and prepared for our arrival. There, we learned that our tour guides’ got hit in the face with the ropes during landing (something the guides names were Nikki, the life of the group, and Taylor, Mr. Tall, Dark and warned us about). But that doesn’t matter because Alexis landed on Handsome. As he helped us strap into our gear and tighten our belts, Taylor’s side anyway, to ZZ’s disappointment. Their wedding is schedAlexis and Taylor’s hands brushed. Sparks flew. Something wonderful uled for next Thursday. had begun. We had to struggle to tear our eyes away from his beauty as Our guides proved to be the most entertaining people on the trip. we walked a short distance before reaching the first landing dock.

Nikki made hilarious jokes and whoops the entire time and Taylor From what we could see, there was a platform with a large, tall tree engaged us in some lovely conversations throughout the tour. The only trunk right beside it, with a bunch of cords wrapped around. There thing we could talk about on the boat ride back and the car ride home was one main cord running from the take-off dock to the landing dock. was the adrenaline rush that the ziplines gave us. We were definitely Nikki dramatically demonstrated how to land, but other than that, disappointed that the three-hour trip was over so quickly, but that just we could do whatever we wanted while in the air, except flip over. We gave us something to look forward to next time. All in all, it was a very were the last two to go. Nikki buckled ZZ in first and waited for Taylor successful excursion. We are now self-proclaimed thrill seekers and *sigh* (who was waiting on the other side) to give her the OK. She can’t wait for our next adventure. galloped off the dock before Alexis even blinked. Alexis, feeling very —Alexis Huynh and ZZ Lundburg

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Something fishy going on Bowfisher explains obscure sport He is floating in a canoe on Lake Austin. It is the dead of night and he has a flashlight. He is aiming his bow at a fish in the water and he shoots, spearing it through the back. This may sound bizarre to some, but to junior Vipop Lopitakwong, it is the exhilarating sport called bowfishing.

“Bowfishing is hard at first,” Vipop said. “You have to get used to your bow. Then you’ve got to get used to shooting the fish through the water with all the refraction. It depends on how deep they are in the water and on how far away they are too, because the arrow is going to drop a little bit.”

Another key part of bowfishing is the equipment. There are multiple different types of bows and lights that bowfishers use.

Vipop uses a recurve bow, which is the bow used in the Olympics. A straight bow is basically just a stick and a string, and is very hard to pull. A recurve bow makes it easier to shoot, because it has two different parts that curve more called the riser and the limb. The arrows they use are specifically designed with barbs on the arrow shaft that grab the

fish to make sure it doesn’t get away. Bowfishers can either use a hand-over-hand method of bringing the fish in or use a reel which makes this task easier.

Vipop and his fellow bowfishers have a very simple set-up to begin.

“We have a person who’s shooting with a flashlight, a person in the middle with another flashlight and then a person in the back paddling,” Vipop said.

“We’ll switch turns every now and then.”

Even though bowfishing is such a challenging activity, he and his friends go out pretty regularly.

“We go as much as we can,” Vipop said. “I would say during the spring or summer, we usually go about once or twice a week.

In springtime it’s a lot hotter, so when nighttime comes around it gets cooler and the fish go [closer to the surface]. It’s easier to shoot them shallow rather than deep.”

Bowfishing is commonly done at night.

“I usually go when it gets dark because [the fish] come to the top of the water and you can find

Readying his bow, junior Vipop Lopitakwong stands in a boat, ready to fire at a fish swimming in Lake Austin. He bowfishes once or twice a week during the spring and the summer.

Shelby Westbrook

them a lot easier with flashlights,” Vipop said.

Vipop and his friends have had many adventures while bowfishing, but one excursion is their most exciting.

“This past summer, we were bowfishing out on Lake Austin from a canoe,” Vipop said. “I was using just a flashlight on my boat and we had rolled up right next to about a 40-pound carp and we

only had one bow. I shot the carp straight through the back and I got the carp five or 10 minutes later. [I shoot carp because] there are too many in waters all around and they are harmful.”

He slowly but surely drags the fish in by the bright orange line, and pulls it into his boat. For Vipop, bowfishing isn’t just a fun sport, it’s a big part of his life.

—Madeline Dupre

Archery has become much more prevalent in pop culture recently. Multiple icons in books and movies have picked up their bows to best their enemies instead of defeating them with archetypical weapons. These few characters are some of the most notable on the list.

Legolas: With The Hobbit’s release in December and The Lord of the Rings video game that came out, people are remembering the movies and books that started it all. One of the coolest characters in the Fellowship is Legolas, the elvish bowman who can hit any target from anywhere. He is the person you call when orcs are invading your house or if you need to track a hobbit.

Legolas is your go-to man for all of your archery needs.

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Merida: In Brave, she brandishes her bow like the Scottish boss that she is.

She casts aside the gender roles set by her society so that she can ride her horse through the forest, have her rich red hair flow behind her for what seems like miles and shoot at small animals. Like Katniss Everdeen, she is one of two lethal ladies on this list. Her bravery and awesomeness make Merida an icon in the fantasy archery world.

Katniss Everdeen: It started with survival, but it turned into a fad.

Katniss, the star of The Hunger Games, used her simple bow at first to sustain her small, poor family living in District 12. After the trilogy was over, Katniss was no longer a character, but a lifestyle.

Everyone wanted a bow.

Everyone wanted to dress like her. Everyone wanted a Peeta. But alas, not everyone can save the world. At least we can still look like we can.

Hawkeye: Perched like a bird, looking over the whole area with a watchful eye, he knows what you’re doing and he will stop you if needed. A classic Avenger, Hawkeye has been around since the ‘60s and he has a rich character history.

Forget the fact that he is working for Loki for part of the movie, Hawkeye is one of the coolest members of the Avengers in that he has impeccable aim and all of those Marvelous types of arrows.

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College Station

Austin

C A L L AWAY H O U S E . C O M • C A L L AWAY H O U S E A U S T I N . C O M renderings subject to change.

Personal We tend to treat situations differently when alone — when no one is around to help, judge or affect our decisions. Free of peer pressure, free of influence, we choose our own outcome — our own individual journey.

Justin Dorland

After living amidst the untamed beauty of the Last Frontier for more than 20 years, American history teacher Tim Jacobson is

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laska: population 722,718. Austin: population 820,611. Let that sink in for a moment.

The largest state in the U.S. contains fewer people than the city of Austin alone. Those few people are the only ones who experience the undisturbed nature and mystery of Alaska on a day-to-day basis. American history teacher Tim Jacobson was once one of those few.

Born in Portland, Ore., Jacobson moved to Seldovia, Alaska, a town three hours south of Anchorage, in 1980 when he was in sixth grade. Highly athletic, Jacobson enjoyed the outdoorsy state. “[Living in Alaska] was awesome,” Jacobson said. “There were lots of outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. In the winter, there were indoor sports like basketball and swimming.

I ran pretty much year-round, so I would take sheet metal screws and screw them into the bottom of my shoes so I could run on ice. I was very committed to athletics.”

Growing up in Alaska offered dangers that few city-dwellers would ever think of experiencing, like run-ins with unfriendly bears.

“I was out fishing, and I was walking down the road, and a cub ran in front of me,” Jacobson said. “I had just come from Oregon, so I didn't know how bad the situation was. I got between the cub and the mom. As soon as she came out of the brush, she put her ears back and just started running. I dropped my fishing pole, climbed up the nearest tree real fast, and she circled around the bottom a little bit. She decided I wasn't worth the bite, so she didn't climb up and went off after the cub.”

Jacobson briefly left Alaska to attend college at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore. He attained a degree in teaching social studies. A basketball scholarship paid for part of his college expenses, and he earned the rest through commercial fishing. At 22, he faced another neardeath experience during a fishing trip when a storm hit.

“We were fishing in Kachemak Bay, and there was an opener in a place called Port Dick,” Jacobson said. “We knew if we pulled up ship and snuck around some islands, we could get there. People knew there was a storm coming, but we figured we'd be able to beat it by six or eight hours. We got three miles [off the coast], and it caught us. We were in 30-foot waves.”

Hours later, in the middle of the storm, their ship fell down a wave and Jacobson found himself staring at the ocean floor.

The ship had passed over an underwater peak.

“I turned autopilot off and spun the wheel,” Jacobson said.

“One thing you're never supposed to do is put a boat sideways in a trough, but it was either that or hit the bottom of the ocean. When I spun the boat, everything came out of the cupboards and everyone fell out of their bunks. The skipper came out yelling and screaming. He saw me white as a sheet.

Had I fallen asleep, we would’ve been stuck at the bottom of the ocean and no one would’ve seen us since.”

After graduating from George Fox in 1991, Jacobson got

involved in forestry and helped put out forest fires.

“I was flying on a helicopter crew to put out hotspots and lightning strikes,” Jacobson said. “It was very exciting for a young guy.”

Although this job was exciting, Jacobson wanted to put his college degree to use. He went to a job fair in Fairbanks, which led to his future career.

“I met a guy who eventually became the Commissioner of Education for the state of Alaska,” Jacobson said. “He was the principal of Kodiak High School on Kodiak Island [at the time].

We talked, and it eventually led to a job down there coaching basketball. My first four or five jobs were about coaching with teaching on the side.”

Teaching in Alaska led Jacobson to some of the coldest and wildest places on earth. In 1997, he and his wife moved to Anaktuvuk Pass, a place above the Arctic Circle, to teach. They learned to rely on and help others in times of need.

“We’d go out hunting 40 or 50 miles from the village, and it would be 20 [degrees Fahrenheit] below,” Jacobson said.

“We’d come across people with [snowmobile] problems, so we’d continually stop and help.”

Jacobson also hunted caribou for the village elders.

“There was always a need for food, so I would go out and get several caribou,” Jacobson said.

“Up there, it’s like going to H-E-B, only you have to take the skin and process the animal. I’d take my [snowmobile] and climb it up the side of the mountain and try to locate a group. Sometimes there’d be 10 or 12, sometimes 50 or 80. I did see at one time 60,000 caribou file through. It’s an amazing sight.”

Jacobson loved his life in Alaska, but in 2007 he and his family relocated to Texas.

“My wife and I decided that we wanted to give our children a different look at life,” Jacobson said. “We wanted them to know that there is more than just the Alaskan way. We came to Austin directly. We have some family in Baton Rouge, so Austin was central to our relatives.”

In 2011, after working for four years at West Ridge Middle School, Jacobson and his family moved back up to Alaska so he could take a job as an assistant principal in the village of Quinhagak. However, they shortly moved back to Austin when the arrangement did not work out. Jacobson’s job was so remote that he had to commute to see his family every four or five weeks. “[Being away from my family was] extremely difficult,” Jacobson said. “I missed out on a lot of fun memories with them.

We do a lot together. That was tough to miss. [We came back to Austin] and I was fortunate enough to be let back in the door.”

Jacobson has found a solid balance between his life in Austin and his life in Alaska.

“I love the mountains and the grandeur of it all,” Jacobson said. “Where else can you see a mountain crashing down into a lake right beside a road? There are places there that are just really grand to experience. I get to go back every summer, so I consider living in Austin having the best of both worlds.”

—Sara Phillips

“

People knew there was a storm coming, but we figured we’d be able to beat it by six or eight hours.

We got three miles [off the coast], and it caught us. We were in about 30foot waves.

—U.S. history teacher Tim Jacobson

”

How I tried to “Barukh atah Adonai.”

The words of the rabbi echoed through the room.

“Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam,” she continued, “asher kidishanu.”

For the record, I don’t know Hebrew. I don’t even know how to read the transliterations. Yet, there I sat, fascinated by the singing and chanting in the cold, yellow room at the Jewish Community Center.

The Shabbat service was the last stop on my month-long spiritual adventure. I had visited an Evangelical church, a Catholic church, a mosque, a Buddhist meditation center and a synagogue. However, as with all good journeys, mine began by accident. I was just filling a gap in this adventure issue – spiritual adventure. So, I planned to attend a service in several of the major religions and write about them.

Inspired by the spiritual journey Margaret, a sixth grader grappling with growing up with mixed religious heritage, makes in Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, I, a twelfth grader grappling with growing up and my mixed religion heritage, decided to begin my own. You see, my family is a bit unconventional. My mother is Jewish, and my father is Christian. They have raised me without a religion. Don’t look so shocked: we still carol and eat latkes throughout December; there are just no mangers or menorahs in our holidays. My parents decided that it was best to let my siblings and I decide what we believed for ourselves. And while I appreciate the freedom to learn and experience for myself, starting from scratch is a daunting task.

Chapter 2: Growing through Jesus he Sunday I joined my friend at an Evangelical church, I turned into Austin Ridge Bible Church’s parking lot. Inside the monstrous building, my friend’s family and an energetic rock band proclaiming God’s graciousness greeted us. I’ve attended Christian ceremonies before, but this was nothing like I imagined. The screens on either side of the stage, not pulpit, looked as though they were better suited for a small football field, and the band, with the exception of its lyrics, sounded as though it was better suited for an arena. The churchgoers, while mainly middle-aged couples, were certainly enjoying the music, their hands extended to the ceiling, their heads back and their bodies swaying.

Then the pastor ambled up on stage. He was extremely gifted at taking a Bible passage and breaking it down for his modern-day parishioners. He said some things I agree with, some things I don’t.

Austin Ridge wasn’t at all what I expected: it was lively.

At the end of the service, all of the attendees received a pot, soil and a card made of a paper infused with seeds. We were to write on the card our problems and how Jesus could help us take our personal “manure” and make it grow. While I don’t think the Evangelical life is right for me, I appreciate the metaphor and now, I have a potted plant blooming on my windowsill.

Are you there God? It's me, Hailey.

Chapter 1: From PowerPoint to prayer lass started at 7:30. I donned my long skirt and entered the North Austin Muslim Community Center for Islam 101. I was a bit terrified when I entered the drab building as I knew no one, but a family of three Hispanic Muslim women introduced themselves to me, and I immediately began to feel welcomed into their community.

The first presentation was about the belief in angels.

While interesting, it was a difficult place for someone with little knowledge about Islam to begin. I did learn that Muslims believe angels are so massive that it would take 700 years to run from an angel’s earlobe to shoulder. Then, we were given a bathroom/prayer break. Those who prayed separated by gender, the men in the center of the room and the women in the back, behind a partition. The next lesson was based on the Islamic belief in books and was a great help sorting out which books which religions believed and why.

I definitely enjoyed the presentations and learning about a religion I knew so little about, but as a feminist, I was not a fan of the separation of the sexes. For that reason, I don’t see myself as a Muslim.

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Chapter 3: A priest’s plea he destination of my next enterprise was St. John Neumann Catholic Church. I poked around the grounds before my friend arrived. We then drifted inside to find that this building was much more what I expected from a church: a proper pulpit and a soaring (although cement) ceiling.

The service began with a song, whisking me back to my days at an Episcopal lower school. Unlike many 18-year-olds, I have a penchant for gospel music, and the choir was my favorite part of that Sunday. The priest marched down the aisle, read the Bible verse and started to remind us of the benefits of giving. A few sentences in, he shook his head and said, “I’m going to go off script now.” He then proceeded to lecture all of the attendees about the church’s need to collect money to complete the ceiling. I, for one, did not completely appreciate the connections he made from Jesus giving bread and oil to a widow and her son to the parishioners giving enough money to add adornments to the dome above us. After that, I decided that, despite the breathtaking melodies, the Catholic church was perhaps not the best fit for me.

find my mecca Chapter 4: Foreign in familiar t Beth Shalom, I joined my friend for a Shabbat service, which happened to fall on the first night of Hanukkah.

I’ve been to a handful of Bat Mitzvahs, listened to my grandparents light the candles before and followed Charlotte’s conversion to Judaism on Sex and the City, so even though the service was part in a language I don’t understand, it felt familiar and comforting.

I loved the rabbi and her sermon about the true story of Hanukkah and the place of stories in religion. I never knew that the holiday was celebrated before the famous eight days of oil story, and I certainly respected her belief that ancient rabbis chose to write down interesting stories to teach lessons, not necessarily the truest ones. Keep in mind, this was a reformed temple. Perhaps this brand of Judaism is right for me. But really, how am supposed I to know?

Chapter 5: Ohm n an early Sunday morning, I stumbled into the meeting at the Austin Shamala Center, eager to try my hand at Buddhist meditation. The group already gathered was an odd mash of regulars, religion majors and myself. The questions other patrons asked left me lost, especially with all of the terms the instructor slung around. We were ushered into a small room inside a converted house.

We plopped onto the colorful mats on the ground, and the meditation instructor gave us a spiel on the proper eye, spine and palm placement and the advantages of meditation.

I was skeptical. How could sitting really improve my mood?

However, after 30 minutes of blurry vision and focusing on my breath, I was much more content. Treats in the kitchen followed meditation, and I didn’t even mind about the wheat grass. I truly enjoyed meditation, just not the religious connotations it can have. Smiling all day afterward, my family and friends were also fans of the post-meditation Hailey. I plan to return at a later date and try my hand at zen flower arranging.

Chapter 6: Now what?

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photos by Laura Doolittle

re you there God? It’s me, Hailey.

I’m doing my best, but, even after spending weeks researching these religions, I’m not quite sure what I believe.

I do believe in you, God. Sometimes more than others.

I suppose I’ll try this again one day when I’m older and know what I want from an organized religion or even if I want one at all. I will probably start meditating, for the sake of my family and friends. For now, I’m OK with this: a fairly personal relationship with you as more of a confidant, without the organized religion.

Are you there God? I know you have a lot to do, but I just wanted to say thank you. Really, thank you.

—Hailey Cunningham

Call of the wild Why I indentify with the Alaskan odyssey of Chris McCandless

“

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

—Henry David Thoreau

Michaela Moss Deep in the interior of the Alaskan peninsula, there is a bus.

The brown, rusted shell of the former Fairbanks City bus stands in stark relief against the white, ice-covered environment of the Alaskan tundra.

It was here on Sept. 6, 1992 that the decomposing body of the now infamous 24-year-old Alaskan adventurer Chris McCandless was discovered. Well known for being the subject of the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, McCandless was born on Feb. 12, 1968. Early in his life, he displayed strong will, often getting into trouble in school. However, as he grew older he started to withdraw from society, despite being relatively popular in both high school and college. Inspired by the writings of Henry David Thoreau, McCandless felt discontent with society, and after graduating from Emory University, he planned to escape for a period of solitary contemplation.

He traveled across the North American continent on his journey to find himself, making friends everywhere he went. He canoed the Gulf of California, lived among vagabonds in the California desert, worked in a McDonalds in Nevada and in a grain elevator in the small town of Enderlin, N.D. People were drawn to him, often describing him as “having a certain presence.”

In early spring of 1992, he journeyed to Alaska in order to begin his “Alaskan Odyssey.” Within six months, his body would be discovered weighing a mere 67 pounds. Malnourished, he lived his last days in the bus, the wilderness that he had sought all around him. We know about his fear-filled last days due to a diary that he left, in which he wrote about his inspiration for his journey and his travels.

When the story of McCandless’ death became public, many said he was naïve and underestimated the reality of the harsh Alaskan environment. Some even said he was mentally ill, reasoning that he must have been “off” to give up his life of luxury in order to embark on some Thoreauvian fantasy. Yet even fewer viewed him as a martyr, someone who recognized the ills of popular culture and sought to remove himself from them. He wanted to get away from it all, to leave a material society and live the way his forefathers had. To some, that’s heroic.

My friend and I have discussed going to his ranch deep in the Colorado Rockies with a few rifles, a Bowie knife and cooking sup-

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plies and living off the land for a week or so. The idea of the two of us shooting our own game, preparing our own food and finding our own shelter sounds so appealing and relaxing; living off the land the way our ancestors did before the wheels of progress turned, and we decided to urbanize. I doubt these plans will ever come to fruition, however, it’s the idea that counts.

I often think I’m living in the wrong time. I don’t like the fact that I am in school all day instead of being out on a ranch, helping my family make ends meet. I don’t like that today, nearly everyone spends his free time inside, plugging away at a computer or manhandling a controller as he plays the newest Call of Duty. I’d rather be outdoors, in the middle of nowhere, making my way around and enjoying being in nature.

People say that the life we live today is easier than the life that our grandparents and their parents lived hundreds of years before us, but is it really? We have more technology and more distractions than ever before, cutting down on our productivity and lessening the value of face to face interaction. We don’t get a chance to support ourselves by finding our own food and shelter. The closest most of us get to hunting is looking around at H-E-B trying to decide whether we want chicken or pork for dinner. In some ways, it’s easier, but it has nothing on the so-called simple life of rural Americans who didn’t obsess over material goods like we do nowadays.

I am sure this is what McCandless, and no doubt many men before him, thought. They wanted to reconnect with the primal urges deep inside them, ones that have been suppressed by the society around them.

In fact, I am sure that these urges lay within many men. But as they grow older and life takes its toll, the urge becomes repressed, or manifests itself in a different way. It’s why men like to hunt; why they like to spend time outdoors with nothing but wilderness surrounding them. It reminds us that after all, we as humans are animals, and while we may be tamed, we are not meant to be caged. Maybe McCandless was sane after all. Maybe he was just a man born into the wrong time, the wrong society. Maybe he was on to something. Maybe he was the sanest of us all.

—Jacob Prothro

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Native American heritage influences senior’s path

B

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. are special candles used with the prayers. Día de los The beat of the drum vibrates through the air. The Muertos occurs every Nov. 1-2. It represents a day people gathered around know what this means: the to remember family members and friends who have ceremony has begun. The conch shell is sounded, and passed away. Each year a different offering is given to the once still atmosphere explodes into life. People the dead; however, flowers must always be included. begin to run in from all directions. Both visible and Church involvement has been a part of Krysztof’s life audible are the tiny shells, dangling off the girls’ heels. in the past and will continue to be in the future.

The feathers worn by the members fly throughout “With the church, we often go to marches and as the group is slowly pulled towards the drum in protests, usually pertaining to civil rights,” Krysztof the center. It represents their one heartbeat, their said. “As long as we believe in the cause, we will go. unifying pulse. Moving amidst this spectacle is senior We also speak in schools, generally in lower-income Krysztof Tellez. neighborhoods, to show kids the importance of stayShe is in her element. ing connected to your roots.”

Krysztof is of mixed Native American heritage.

Aside from her church group, Krysztof is a memHer mother’s side of the family originates from the ber of a Native American dance troupe, which was Ñuu Savi in Oaxaca, Mexico while her father comes founded by her mother three years ago. This tradition from the P’urepecha, also located in the southern of dance has been passed down through the women of part of the country. Krysztof’s ancestors were heavily her family from generation to generation and is now involved with fishing in the area, as well as with the an essential part of Krysztof’s life. medicinal aspect of the lifestyle. As far back as she can “When I dance I feel this immense happiness, this remember, culture has beautiful joy,” Kryszalways played an integral tof said. “I feel like the role in shaping her to be person I am supposed the person she is today. to be. This is where my “[Being part Native ancestors want me to American] has given me be. This is my right. so many things,” Krysztof It’s where the Lord, the said. “But I really see how Creator wants me to be. it affects me when I look at I feel so connected with my thought process. I see everything around me. things differently. It gives I feel the wind, the air me pride in who I am and and the Mother Earth. I where I come from. Bejust feel everything that cause of my heritage, I’ve makes us who we are, grown up with this great everything we’re praying respect and love. It’s a to. In these moments, I root that holds you firmly, realize that this is where especially when you need I’m meant to be.” it the most. When you The dance group photos by Zoë Nathan don’t have anything, culperforms together for As she moves her feet, senior Krysztof Tellez shows off an ancestral dance. The 52 ceremonies, but because ture is what you have. It’s shells, called ayoyotes, she wears on each foot represent a year, and their sound not all of the dancers what you hold on to. It’s protects and guides the dancers. what God has given you, live in Austin, it can be what the Creator has given hard for them to meet you. It’s what your ancestors have passed down to regularly during the week. However, they’ve still you, generation by generation. They fought for it every managed to grow extremely close and often travel to day, so that you have it to keep going. I think the best support other Native American dance troupes around part is simply knowing that your culture is guiding the country. you through life.”

“There are ceremonies everywhere,” Krysztof said.

Krysztof and her family are members of the Native “We’ve gone to New York, Virginia, South Dakota, American Church in San Antonio, named TlecuauhtCalifornia and even Arizona to show our support for lacupeuh, after the Virgin Mary. Composed of around other groups. At least five people from our group 30 members, they often gather on weekends to hold always go to help these others with their prayers meetings, ceremonies and dances. The church also through dance. For example, this past summer I went gets together to celebrate the many holidays respected to New York with a dance group from Corpus Christi. in the culture, such as Tonantzin and Día de los We made the trip to celebrate the anniversary of the Muertos. Tonantzin falls every Dec. 12 and is a day group in New York. We go to give our offering and to to remember the Mother Earth and give her thanks give our hearts.” for the blessings she has bestowed. To celebrate the Two years ago, Krysztof made a life-changing jourday, the group stays up all night, performs ceremonial ney to the Lakota reservation in South Dakota. It was dances, sings, prays and creates velaciones, which a powerful experience that showed her a strikingly

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different type of life. The Lakota peop pressed for years and were forced ont after numerous battles. Over time, the continued to deteriorate. Nowadays, h size of what we consider a single bedr have resources, and people are lucky t mattress. Though they do receive som funding, it has proved to be an inadeq survive on. Most of their income is ge different casinos run on the property. this has led to detrimental consequen of money for many of the people livin Krysztof though, this trip solidified he tions and she determined that she wa the Lakota people as she gets older. E politics or journalism, Krysztof hopes pact in their lives and raise awareness conditions.

“Going forward I want to help the get out of alcoholism, out of the drugs gangs,” Krysztof said. “Not just the La Native people. I want [one of] us to be I want to see Natives in government. I something better, and I want our voic Throughout the years, the Native A have been forced to endure many tria tions. However, Krysztof has come to past and only looks forward for her pe “I don’t have any resentments tow sors,” Krysztof said. “We’re not dealin We’re dealing with the future generat come forward. Still, I’m not happy abo faced. Even today, there’s still a lot of feel a lot of pain, but I know the Creat thing happen for a reason. This occur could rise back up. And we know that thing better in store .”

As well as fighting for a better futu hopes to revive many of the older aspe American culture.

“I want to recover [the Lakota] tra said. “Not only theirs, but mine. I prac traditions that a lot of my people don’ They think we don’t exist anymore [as traditions are completely alive. We’re here to stay. We’re always going to be ancestors fought for that. That’s what with and what I want to raise awarene just want to continue this for myself, b generations to come. I want to do it fo I know are lost. When you don’t have look to other things to comfort you. T end up with gangs, violence and drugs exactly what we’re trying to prevent fr want to show people that they’re not a way I want to preserve my traditions f for my future. I want to keep this cultu my ancestors passed it down to me, so it down to my children and their child all I want to do.”

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ous t. t our e’re ur lp ’t even hat you ou

ng. I s the e, that pass at’s Rao

“

It’s a root that holds you firmly, especially when you need it the most.

When you don’t have anything, culture is what you have.

—senior Krysztof Tellez

”

Senior Krysztof Tellez shows off her Native American heritage by wearing a traditional dress and shoes. The pattern on her dress displays a duality that Mother Earth makes.

Discontent

Novice camper ventures into wilderness Some people are meant to be ballerinas. They can do pliés and turns without getting dizzy. Others are meant to be basketball players. They can dunk a ball, dribble with ease and defend against tall, opposing players. Some people are meant to be campers. They have no problem putting up a tent, starting a fire or avoiding a massive herd of mosquitoes. I, for one, am not a camper. But recently, my five best friends: seniors Sophie Moody, Berkeley Mashburn, Regina Jaime and Catherine Gonzales and 2011 graduate Maria Barrantes, decided to take me camping for the first time. What follows is a timeline of my run-in with nature.

—Erica Schwartz

4:05 p.m.

The school bell had just rung. I was nervous. I knew that it was time to face my destiny. I was supposed to meet up with the girls at 5:30 with all of my packed belongings.

This included: 1. Sleeping bag (not a real one from REI, but one with a couple of beautifully stitched little black and white cows covering its exterior) 2. PJs 3. Flashlight 4. Lighter (for the fire) 5. Loaf of white bread 6. One gallon of fat free milk 7. Jiff creamy peanut butter 8. Clue and Sorry board games My biggest regret in life so far: forgetting the bug spray.

5:31 p.m.

Everyone was in front of Sophie’s house, trying to figure out exactly how we were going to get there. We ended up going in two cars, with Sophie and me driving. Before we headed out, I peeked in the trunk to see what the other girls brought. Safe to say, it looked like we were not camping for one night, but a whole month and a half. There were Doritos, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, regular Cheetos, White Cheddar Cheez-Its, Circus Animal cookies and loads and loads of Nutella.

Armed with enough junk food to virtually guarantee future diabetes, we were ready for adventure.

7:16 p.m.

After tons of traffic, we finally got there. Sophie’s uncle owned the ranch we stayed on, and he wasn’t going to be there, so we knew that we were going to be completely and totally isolated from the rest of the world. Sounds like one of those movies where a girl and a group of her friends are murdered, but I tried to keep that thought out of my head for the night.

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7:17 p.m.

At this point, we got out of the car and unloaded all of our stuff onto the disgusting, brown grass. I debated on whether it was OK for me to sit on the grass, but immediately vetoed my own idea. I instead grabbed one of the pillows that Catherine had brought and sat on it to prevent getting my very clean white jeans all dirty.

I observed the nature around me … not one Starbucks or Forever XXI around … kill me. The girls were helping each other set up a tent. The tent, thank God, was large enough for all five of us to squeeze in. I just sat in amusement that they were actually able to put it up. They didn’t even bother asking me to help because they knew I would only make everything worse.

7:59 p.m.

I really had to pee. I hadn’t peed since English Seminar eighth period, four hours ago. When I asked Sophie where the bathroom was, she laughed at me to the point of tears. Did she think this was a joke? I really had to use the facilities. When she finally pulled herself together, her answer was, “Erica, there is no bathroom. We are literally in the middle of nowhere. I told you that yesterday. If you really have to go, go in the bush.” Shoot me.

8:02 p.m.

11:53 p.m.

I contemplated how sanitary it would be for me to squat on top of a probably spiky, poisonous plant.

What if a coyote saw me and thought my pee was water, or whatever coyotes drink, and if so, went running up to me in thirst and then realized that I wasn’t a water fountain for it, got mad at me as a result, and ate me piece by piece? Oh well, I had to go.

It was a failure at first. They used my lighter to burn some newspapers that Regina had brought, and then tried putting it on top of the enormous sticks that they had found lying around us. Catherine even poured a bunch of vegetable oil on the sticks, but nothing happened.

8:06 p.m.

I finally got far enough from the campsite where the girls couldn’t scream at me for using the restroom in front of them. Of course, I’m a smart girl and remembered to take a flashlight with me. I’m not in the National Honor Society for nothing. I squatted on a non-spiky-looking bush, and let it all out. I was able to face my fears. Gold star for Erica.

9:37 p.m.

Berkeley had started telling “scary” stories. For the record, Berkeley is a complete wuss. She can’t even watch Disney’s Haunted Mansion without freaking out. So for her to be the one to tell the scary stories was a complete joke. This is all I got from it: there was some man named Joseph, and he died at some camp that he went to and then he did something afterwards to get people freaked out. The scariest part of the whole story was to see how creepy Berkeley’s face looked with that flashlight pointing up her nostrils. Yikes, not a pretty picture.

10:03 p.m.

We all got hungry. I think I ate more that day than I did on Thanksgiving. Not my proudest moment. I felt like my chubby 8-year-old self again. Bad, bad memories. Anyway, Catherine is like the mother of our group. She made each of us a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’m pretty sure that sandwich was the highlight of my night.

10:06 p.m.

Not long after we started eating, the mosquitoes decided they were hungry, too. I felt like I needed to get tested for West Nile or something. I was seriously covered in big, red, itchy mosquito bites. Again, I regreted not bringing bug repellent with me.

11:42 p.m.

As if we hadn’t already devoured enough food, Maria had the idea for us to start a fire, because it was cold, and we needed s’mores. So there we went again, with me watching my five best friends doing all the hard labor.

11:59 p.m.

Oh. My. God. I thought we were going to get burned alive.

12:39 a.m.

Not only was our camping nightmare supposed to be a fun, bonding experience, but it also was supposed to help celebrate Maria’s 19th birthday. Catherine baked a tiny yet delicious chocolate cake to surprise her with.

I know what you’re thinking: more food. I felt like a baby was about to just pop right out of my belly. Anyway, we ate more, took a copious number of pictures on Regina’s camera and danced like idiots around the enormous fire that they made.

3:39 a.m.

For the last three hours of the night, we all laid down, gazing up at the stars (Berkeley’s idea because it’s apparently what campers are required to do) and talked non-stop. Then, we finally called it a night.

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8:27 a.m.

Everyone woke up, meaning it was time to pack all of our things and head back to civilization. We got back home just in time for my mom to put my two slightly burnt waffles on the breakfast table.

I have to say, camping was exactly what I had expected it to be. And even though I know that it definitely isn’t for me, and I have no interest in going again, it was a fun one-time experience that I got to share with my favorite people in the world; a good memory for me to hold on to when I leave for college next year.

A

Melodramatic grocery shopper encounters calamities in parking lot

z Reye Gome Ariana

We’re surrounded by people who complain of boredom.

“There’s nothing going on. Why can’t something exciting happen?”

This attitude is a mindset that can be changed. You can make what you want out of any situation.

As my foot touched the gravel, I immediately felt the loose concrete give. I lost my balance and watched the parking lot floor approach my face faster and faster. I watched the pebbles slip and the blue sky sneak behind my head as I fell forward. My foot was swallowed by the parking lot as I viciously gripped onto my car to stop the chaos from unfolding. This was just the beginning of what seemed like a simple trip to the grocery store.

Suddenly, a gust of wind pushed my hair into my face. It whipped me like a ferocious, maniacal stingray. Still falling, and now blinded, I thrashed my head back and forth, the tendons in my neck straining beyond their capacity. My hair began to swallow my head completely, as if it were torturing me for using the wrong shampoo. I became a tangled, slipping ball in the middle of the parking lot.

As the wind died down, I caught my grip. My hair gave up, and the gravel stopped rolling. With newfound folicial freedom, I marched towards the grocery store. I felt revitalized by my victory. With my hair behind my ears, and the concrete beneath my feet, I could conquer the world.

Approximately 20 feet between me and the automatic doors, I was confronted with a new challenge — a lone grocery cart, lingering in an empty parking lot space.

Stunned, I stared. What should I do? Should I continue walking towards the grocery store? Or should I rescue the cart from the careless abandonment of its previous pusher? Again, I felt the weight of the world push against my shoulders. However, my mind was made up.

No cart should be left in the wild to fend for itself. With outstretched arms, I started walking towards the victim of such vindictive shopping negligence.

We had a moment: the cart, nervously teetering with the wind, and myself, proudly preparing to find a home for the mistreated. Miracu-

adventure

s

trivial

Ariana Gomez Reyes

lously, the same wind that had so violently encouraged the assault of my hair to my face a few minutes before acted with kindness towards the deed that I was doing. I felt its soft hands push me and the cart toward each other.

I retrieved the distressed trolley and proceeded to the front of the store. Without incident, I reached the shaded outdoor area just in front of the doors. However, my problems were not over. After returning the cart to its home, I was abruptly attacked by a pack of moms. Lugging around screaming children, multiple carts or sulky teenagers, the moms claimed territory over everything surrounding the automatic doors. There were too many, and they were too busy. There was nowhere to go. They were everywhere. Instinctively, I froze where I was.

They say that in life-threatening situations, when animals think they can survive, they frantically move around. When animals know that they’re going to die, the calmly remain still. The fact that my reflex was to act this way should explain the extent of the dire situation I was in.

After what seemed like days, the mob subsided and I finally made it into the grocery store. I began to fumble around for my list. Suddenly, to my dismay, my keys escaped my left hand as I stood in the busiest intersection of H-E-B. I watched them succumb to gravity as they hit the tile, the clamor piercing my ears like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. Then, against my discouraging mood, my purse dimwittedly decided to fight the force that had so easily taken down my keys. Thump. And now all of my belongings were scattered on the floor around me.

Grudgingly, I began to clean up the purse vomit. My hands touched the germ-infested floor and I felt the vibrations of the feet of giants passing by. When everything was in order, I stood. I looked around me with a new sense of achievement. Clutching my list in my right hand, I lifted my chin up. I was in the store, and I was ready.

It was a walk through a parking lot, but to me, it was much more.

When you take a step closer, even the smallest thing can be a spectacular adventure.

—Monica Tan

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Travel

It might be on a coast watching turtles crawl out to the sea as we marvel at nature’s beauty. It could be in a concentration camp where we can appreciate sacrifice. It may be on a mountain’s summit where we can watch the sun rise. In searching out new places, we discover more about who we are.

Justin Dorland

U

Mountain men Campers attend hiking school

Unlike most students, juniors Michael Harman and Jason Van de Zande didn’t begin their school year going to football games or greeting friends in the hallways. Instead, they were busy climbing mountains and backpacking at the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colo. with 42 other high school juniors.

“I remember the first day of school for Westlake,” Michael said. “I looked at my watch and I was like ‘Oh 8:40, Westlake’s starting right now.’ I looked around, and I was on a mountain with seven other juniors climbing to a summit, watching the sunrise on this mountain called Homestate Peak. I was like ‘Wow, this is pretty remarkable.’”

Jason and Michael first heard about HMI through a presentation given by the school at a summer camp they both attended while in middle school. HMI is open only to juniors, and although the application requires several essays, they were both ready for the new experience.

“We’re really interested in the outdoors and hiking, [and the presentation] kind of stayed in the back of our heads,” Michael said. “We wanted something different from the grind of Westlake. We wanted something kind of unconventional and something that would explore our interests, and we thought HMI would be a really unique experience to have.”

The boys left for HMI on Aug. 20, and they had limited contact with friends and family. Upon arrival at HMI, all students had to give up their cell phones, although they were allowed to use Facebook, email and landlines on the HMI campus.

“The first couple of weeks it was really hard,” Jason said. “You still miss your friends at home of course, but because of all the new friends you’ve made I think you kind of get used to it.”

While at HMI, Jason and Michael lived in cabins with between six and 10 other students. The cabins had no electricity and heating so at night the students made fires in wood stoves to keep warm. This lifestyle taught both valuable domestic skills for the future.

“I didn’t do my own laundry before I went there so now I know how to do that,” Jason said. “For my first meal, I cooked cheesy bagels. We always have them when we backpack.”

At HMI, Michael and Jason took Advanced Placement classes and

Michael Harman

Junior Michael Harmon photographs his tent the night of his first expedition. During his time at High Mountain Institute, he and junior Jason Van de Zande went on extended camping trips three times.

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got credit just as they would at Westlake. However, they had four class periods a day, and each was an hour and a half long. These classes were much smaller than those at Westlake, and during them they sometimes drove up into the mountains, had class outdoors or played Frisbee golf with the teachers. With only 42 students, Jason and Michael were able to get to know their teachers and classmates.

“I loved [meeting people from all over],” Michael said. “You have this huge network of friends who are like-minded and love the stuff that you love so it’s really cool to have relationships all around the country that you can rely on and do cool things with.”

Another unique feature of HMI was the daily exercise period. Every other day students ran between two and six miles before breakfast. On the days they didn’t run, soccer games or other physical activity take place.

“It sounds bad at first, but it’s actually really fun just running with all your friends, and you get in ridiculously good shape [because of the altitude],” Jason said.

While at HMI, Michael and Jason climbed many mountains and learned more about backpacking and hiking. One day they even climbed a 14,000 ft. mountain in business attire for a tradition they started called Formal Friday.

“We guys started the Formal Friday tradition and did it as much as possible just for fun,” Michael said. “We thought climbing Sherman, the 14’er, in formal attire would be hilarious and would make for a great time.”

During the semester they had the opportunity to go on three expeditions that lasted between 10 days and two weeks. The first two expeditions were in the Colorado mountains and the third was in Utah.

While on these expeditions, the boys backpacked, practiced trail work and traveled through the canyons without instructors.

“It was pretty sweet [going on the Utah expedition],” Jason said.

“Instead of school, we just go out for a week and a half-long expedition and just carry what we need in our backpacks. We go through the canyons, hike and make our own food, and it’s crazy to think that while we’re out in the middle of nowhere in the canyons with our friends, all the people back home are living their regular lives. All my friends were probably in a class while I was in the middle of canyons.”

These expeditions taught the boys many things, such as how to live simpler and be more self-reliant.

“Backpacking shows you that you don’t need much to be happy or accomplish a goal because on these expeditions you are basically going for two weeks living out of a backpack with a stove, a tent and some bags of food — that’s really all you need,” Michael said. “Those are some of the best times you have. It’s so easy to over complicate your life with Facebook, your phone and stuff, but one thing I’ve really learned is simpler is better.”

Michael and Jason returned from HMI on Dec. 16 and will continue their junior year at Westlake. “[Something I took away is to] not be afraid to try new things,” Jason said. “I’m so happy that I chose to go there because it’s a great experience.”

—Jessica Stenglein

Suburbia to sub-Sahara

Carley McNicholas courtesy photo

Top: Juniors Jason Van de Zande and Michael Harman shake hands at the top of 14,000 ft. tall Mt. Sherman for High Mountain Institute’s Formal Friday.

Bottom: On their third expedition, they travelled to the Canyonlands in Utah. Some students climbed to the top of a ridge.

Michael Harman

Juniors Michael Harman’s and Jason Van de Zande’s first expedition was to Homestead Peak. They reached the summit just in time to watch the sunrise.

Senior Taylor Sutton stands beside Karen, a taxidermied leopard from Tanzania. “My family loves the memories and stories behind the animals,” Taylor said. “People usually wonder about the trip and what all my brother and father did on it.”

Family visits Tanzania, collects taxidermied animals When senior Taylor Sutton and her family traveled to Tanzania, a coastal country in Sub-Saharan Africa, they arrived in a place like none they had seen before. The airport they arrived at was in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which is the largest city in the country.

“The airport we landed in was in the middle of nowhere,” Taylor said.

“When we first touched ground they had to go back in the air immediately because the runway was blocked by zebras.”

First, the Suttons visited the Ngorongoro Crater, where they saw lions, hippos, cheetahs, zebras, hyenas, wildebeests and elephants.

“Our guide, Alfred, was a native that spoke English in a very strong British accent,” Taylor said. “He knew the behavior of the animals very well. At one point, he had a herd of elephants rush our car to freak us out, because he knew they weren’t aggressive and wouldn’t actually harm us.”

Being a competitive horseback rider, Taylor was thrilled when she found out she could rent and ride horses around the Serengeti National Park, where the crater is located.

“I got to ride around the desert with all of the animals, which was incredible,” Taylor said. “But apparently there had been instances in the past where lions actually attacked the horses, so there was one armed guide leading me and two following me the entire time.”

After visiting the crater, Taylor and her family met up with her brother, Chase, at the Singita Game Reserve,

where he had been living and working for three years.

According to Taylor, his job entailed managing sites for hunting enthusiasts to visit.

“What I remember most about the game reserve is watching two cheetahs take down a young wildebeest,” Taylor said. “It was kind of sad, even though wildebeests have to be the ugliest animals I have ever seen.”

While Chase was living in the country, he picked up Swahili and now speaks it fluently. Chase and the children’s father, Mark Sutton, are both hunting fanatics, and the Suttons have several African animals mounted in their home.

“When my parents first put the mounts up, I was not told it was happening,” Taylor said, “so when I first saw a lion’s head on the wall I almost passed out.”

They finished their trip in the most serene location possible, Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. Although the island has an ugly history of slave trade, it is recognized as one of the most stunning vacation spots in the world. The place is covered with beautiful beaches and is surrounded by the clearest oceans imaginable.

“Not only was it a great way to end an amazing trip,” Taylor said, “but it was also a great way to celebrate my 16th birthday.”

—Brendan McGrath

White water A

s far as I know, most families have pretty normal vacations.

I’m not saying everything goes perfectly fine all the time, but I bet they haven’t gotten into as many sticky situations as my family seems to get into when we travel. Considering how many times we’ve had something happen to us while on vacation that could have turned into a nasty trip to the hospital, or in some cases, the funeral home, I’m surprised we have enough courage to leave the house.

OK, I might have exaggerated a little there. But it seems like the Smiths just can’t stay out of trouble, especially when it comes to vacations. As for how or why this phenomenon started, the only thing I’ve been able to come up with is that it must be passed down from generation to generation. Danger seems to run on both my mom’s and dad’s sides of the family: my mom has come close to drowning a couple of times during her family’s white water rafting and beach trips. My dad, on the other hand, has been to the emergency room more times than I’ve gone to the doctor for checkups. I bet you’re starting to notice a trend here.

Who knows? Maybe it’s some sort of nutty family tradition to test fate and see how many times we can cheat death until our luck runs out. Our ancestors might have done this for years and years on their family trips, and we, either fortunately or unfortunately, inherited their risky travel habits.

The good news is (and I hope I didn’t just jinx myself by saying this), when stuff like this happens on our vacations, we have managed to get out of these situations, to my amazement, relatively unscathed. I have a few theories for this, which include government conspiracies, guardian angels, ancient magic or maybe just plain luck. Whatever it is, it’s helped us avoid many potential disasters over the years.

There are a ton of stories I could tell about our various travels. There was the time a hurricane hit the island of St. Thomas only two days after we arrived there, or the time in

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North Carolina when a creepy guy in a white van asked my mom and me if we recognized the “lost” dog he had just happened to find or the time a water moccasin crashed our family baptism on our lake trip. But one of my favorite near-death incidents happened during one of our trips to N.C. (apparently we get into a lot of trouble there) when we got caught in a huge thunderstorm while we were kayaking.

It was a bright, sunny day during summertime in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Clear mountain creeks and rivers wind through the thick, green forest and hills, and nature is in all its glory. It’s an outdoor paradise. This abundance of natural beauty (and equal abundance of dangerous outdoor activities) is probably what attracted us to N.C. as the destination of many of our family vaca-

tions. We love to go hiking, fishing, exploring, tubing and swimming — anything that’s fun and involves the outdoors. And, of course, a trip to N.C. is incomplete without either going white water rafting or kayaking, and this time, we decided to go kayaking.

I was about 11 years old and my brother was 8, and we were going to try out our paddling skills on a river near where we were staying. It wasn’t too crazy, no Class VI rapids or anything like that, but it wasn’t a flat little puddle either. My dad and brother were on one double kayak, and my mom and I were on another. We loaded our stuff onto our kayaks and then launched out into the river.

It started out pretty well. My mom and I made a good team; she steered the kayak from the back seat, while I was in the front,

warrior helping paddle. We went down the river for awhile, trying to keep the kayaks close to each other but far enough apart so we didn’t bump. We went through a couple of small rapids, which were a lot of fun, and got to see more of that beautiful forest scenery. It also was a lot more enjoyable since we didn’t have to paddle upstream. So far, it was pretty smooth sailing.

Then we started to notice something strange. The bright, sunny morning that our kayaking excursion began on slowly turned for the worse. The sky had started to darken, and we could hear faint rumbles of thunder in the distance. I started to get a little nervous about lightning strikes, especially as I realized that we were completely surrounded by water, so I asked my mom if we should be worried.

Kayaker weathers the storm during family vacation

“Don’t worry sweetie, the thunder is pretty far away, so we should be fine. It will probably pass over in a bit, and if not, there isn’t really a place we can go if it did start storming,” my mom said as I looked around and saw only tall trees to hide under if the storm intensified.

First came the rain. Then came the thunder. And next thing I knew, it was pouring.

We could see big flashes of lightning hitting the mountain peaks around us, and the river even felt like it had gained speed. We were freaking out, soaked to the bone in the torrential downpour of the storm. It became very apparent that my mom was dead on about having nowhere to go since we were in the middle of the woods. I really wished she was wrong about that because that meant the only thing we could do was just keep heading down the river until we got to the take-out point, where you stop and exit the river, and hope we didn’t get electrocuted along the way.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my mom told me that she couldn’t see. Apparently the rain had washed sunscreen into her eyes and screwed up her contacts, so her range of vision was reduced to less than two feet in front of her.

“Cierra, you’re going to have to steer us through the river,” she said. “I’ll just help paddle since I can’t tell where we’re going.”

What? I would have to steer? In the middle of this insane storm/flash flood? As if I could see that much better with the huge amount of rain splashing down on my face. So I was put in charge of not only steering through the rocks in the river (which is much easier when you can actually see them), but also leading both my mom and myself to safety. Let’s just say, it was very stressful.

Since I had gone kayaking before, I did alright navigating us through rocks and rapids. I was stressed about the lightning though, which made it seem like it was just a matter of time before we would get fried to a crisp, or

maybe we’d just drown before that happened.

After what felt like hours of water-andlightning-filled terror, but was probably more like 15 minutes, we arrived at the take-out point, exited the river and got out of the rain. The rafting company was waiting for us there, handing out towels to us and the other rafters, which was wonderful because we were not only soaked, but also freezing our butts off. I didn’t mind that much though, because it just felt nice to be on solid ground and out of the rain and lightning. We were all shaking pretty badly, either from the cold or fear, but we were alright.

After we dried off, we spent the drive back to our hotel talking about how crazy the storm was.

I’m sure I bragged extensively about my heroic deed of rescuing my mom from certain doom, thinking that I must have been the greatest kayaker who ever lived.

After an experience like that, most people probably wouldn’t want to go kayaking for awhile or get in the water at all for that matter.

Well, not us. Since then, we have taken many trips back to N.C. and managed to get caught in yet another thunderstorm — this time while white water rafting instead of kayaking. Yeah, you’d think we’d learn our lesson or be dead by now, wouldn’t you?

I’m sure we’ll keep traveling to many places in the future and will add many other experiences to our already exhaustive list. My mom has even said that she is going to take my kids on some insane hikes when she’s a grandma. Knowing my mom, and having been on many of her hikes, I really hope my kids inherit the same good luck all of us have had.

So just a fair warning, if you’d like to travel with our family (it’s actually pretty fun when we’re not about to die) be prepared for anything. Anything. Bring a helmet, shark cage, suit of armor, tank, whatever you think will help and hope some of our family luck rubs off on you. You’re definitely going to need it.

“

First came the rain.

Then came the thunder.

And next thing I knew, it was pouring ... We were freaking out, soaked to the bone in the torrential downpour of the storm.

”

Junior Cierra Smith stands by a kayak as the sun sets on Lake Austin. Cierra and her family often take vacations which include rafting and other water sports.

Cade Ritter

Are you an

adrenalinejunkie?

1

When picking a location for a vacation, you …

A. Spin the globe and randomly point to your next destination. (3 points) B. Research a new destination which sounds fun and interesting. (2 points) C. Opt out and stay home. (1 point)

2

3 4

In amusement parks you ...

A. Ride the largest, most terrifying roller coaster you can find. (3 points) B. Opt for your average coasters and rides. Nothing too extreme. (2 points) C. Think that those tea cups are spinning awfully fast. (1 point)

At a new restaurant, you …

A. Order the most bizarre-sounding dish without even reading the description. (3 points) B. Carefully scan the menu, picking the most appetizing dish. (2 points) C. Go with a “safe” dish you know. (1 point)

When camping you …

A. Bring only your knife and are ready to go Bear Grylls on the situation. (3 points) B. Bring sufficient supplies and have taken proper precautions. (2 points) C. Pitch the tent in the backyard, but won’t be spending the night. (1 point)

5 Key

photo by Cade Ritter

Point scale

Are you the type of person who doesn’t hesitate to risk your personal safety for a rush? Or do you shrink in the face of danger?

This quiz aims to help determine whether you are a daring globetrotter or a bit faint-of-heart. Tally your score by adding the points at the end of each answer. Then read the paragraph that corresponds with your score.

—Marco Scarasso

40

Your ideal vacation is ...

A. Attempting to summit the highest mountain on each continent. (3 points) B. Touring foreign cities and experiencing a new culture. (2 points) C. Relaxing on a tropical beach. (1 point)

travel westlakefeatherduster.com

5

8 9 When adventure calls, you don’t respond.

Some would say you’re a coward, but really you just don’t see the point in straying from the norm. Why put yourself at unnecessary risk, right? You like to stick to the path well traveled.

11 12 You enjoy living life like Goldilocks likes her porridge: not too hot, not too cold. You’re willing to take risks, but only after thinking it through.

You don’t like to plunge head first into situations, but instead, first test the waters.

15

You’re an adrenaline junkie, constantly seeking out the next adventure. You live off of the thrill that comes with new experiences and activities. For you, no mountain is too high, no river too wide and no task too dangerous.

Lending a hand Volunteers spend three weeks in Costa Rica From July 15 to Aug. 4, seniors Annie Ortman and Megan Hahn spent three weeks in Costa Rica, doing everything from rescuing sea turtles to jumping off waterfalls. They joined a group of students from all around the United States not only to have fun, but also to contribute their time to benefit the citizens of this Central American country.

Traveling from coast to coast with strangers may seem crazy to some people, but not to these girls. They chose to go with Adventures CrossCountry, a company that specializes in teen travel.

“I had always wanted to go to Costa Rica, and I have been learning Spanish, so when I got the information in the mail, I decided it was a great opportunity and I wanted to go,” Annie said.

Between surfing the waves, zip lining, hiking, white water rafting and playing soccer on the beach, Annie and Megan used their spare time to make lasting friendships.

“We were the only ones from Texas, but we became really good friends with the other people in our group,” Megan said. “We also became really close with the people that lived there.

They were really kind and welcoming, even with the language barrier.”

While on this trip, the group

focused on using their language skills to help the local children of Costa Rica. The group of 11 teenagers spent two days teaching English at a local school.

“It was amazing finally being able to use my Spanish skills, but at times it could be a bit frustrating because there were words that we didn’t know,” Annie said. “The kids were all great and really eager to learn though.”

Every night from 8 to midnight, the group split up and patrolled the beach for nests of Leatherback and Green Sea turtle eggs in order to move them to a safe place where poachers couldn’t get them. As they were unable to use flashlights because the light would scare the turtles, the group relied on lightning storms illuminating the sky and bioluminescent plankton in the sand to allow them to see.

“It was really amazing to see that the people of Costa Rica patrolled every night, much longer than we did, because they cared so much about keeping the turtles species safe, even though it was exhausting,” Annie said. “It felt good to help protect the turtles. One day we even got to see baby turtles crawl out to sea.”

The ARCC program made all the sleeping arrangements for the travel-

ers. The girls experienced a variety of accommodations while on their trip.

“We stayed in all sorts of places — a bed and breakfast while in San Jose, a campsite when we were surfing and the rest of the time we stayed in people’s houses that were set up for travelers,” Annie said. “They were kind of like hostels in that they weren’t fancy at all. We usually slept in old bunk beds and bugs were everywhere.”

The lack of five-star accommodations is not deterring the girls from doing something like this again.

Neither is the price tag, which came to about $5,000 for the trip.

“I definitely want to go back, but the trip was really expensive so I’m planning on saving up some money and traveling again after college,” Megan said.

The adventure of exploring a new country and meeting new people is something Annie and Megan will remember forever.

“Although it was a short time, it was a lot of fun,” Megan said. “The experience overall was life changing. Because I had the opportunity to travel outside of the country, I want to travel more and have the great experience of learning about different cultures. This trip is only the beginning of future adventures.”

—Margaret Norman

Seniors Annie Ortman, first on the left, and Megan Hahn, second from the right, help build a recycling center in Savegre, Costa Rica with other students from the Adventures Cross-Country program. “It was amazing to see how we were able to continue to help this town grow from just a few families to a whole community,” Annie said.

courtesy photo

Never forget Jewish student reflects on visit to concentration camps, hearing Holocaust survivor speak in Israeli museum

W

We were lucky because it was raining that day. Where I stood should never have had the privilege of experiencing the sunshine. We were lucky because we weren't alone; we had our newfound family. A place like that should never be experienced alone — it would be unbearable. Most of all, we were lucky because we walked out of Auschwitz-Birkenau as free Jews while millions of others had died there.

This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Prague, Poland and Israel with a group of Jewish teenagers ages 15 to 16 on a trip called North American Federation of Temple Youth in Israel. These five weeks changed my life forever. I learned about myself, my beliefs and, most of all, my people. We visited Theresienstadt, Auschwitz One and Auschwitz-Birkenau during my first week and a half of summer.

It was something I cannot forget.

The Nazi's systematic genocide is now known as the Holocaust. Jews from all over Europe were first forcibly moved into ghettos. There were too many people in a small space, and those who did not starve often died of disease. If they survived ghettos, they were then sent to concentration camps. In these horrible places, Jews, homosexuals, the mentally challenged and many other people were killed. They were shot, gassed to death, burned alive and starved.

How does one even fathom these places? I had read all the facts, seen all the pictures, but I could never understand this place until I experienced it. I never really comprehended until I felt the ghosts, until I held pieces of real people’s bones. I never understood the pain of these prisoners until I said Kaddish Aton, a Jewish prayer for the dead, for the 6 million lost during the Holocaust. Until I had walked the steps that the Jewish people walked — every step of the train tracks, to the barracks, to the gas chambers. Until I’d cried where the Jewish people cried, where they stood powerless and watched their parents, friends, children and siblings die terrible deaths.

Until I’d stood in the gas chambers and seen the last things that these Jews saw, as they prayed their last prayers, until then, I could never understand.

We trekked through the camps seeing cattle cars, barracks and gas chambers. We

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1

2

3

4

photos by Hannah Turner

1) Rubble and burned bricks remain from the destroyed gas chamber and crematorium in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

2) This plaque stands beside a pool that the Nazis threw the prisoners’ ashes in.

Bones of victims can still be found today.

3) These pictures, hung in Auschwitz-Birkenau, were stolen by the Nazis and hidden from their Jewish owners. They now hang in the camp as a reminder of those who died.

4) This barbed wire fence kept the prisoners inside the camps indefinitely.

saw the stolen possessions, the ashes and the crematorium. The world seemed to stand still at the horrors that were committed here. I could feel the pain in the air, on the ground, in the eyes of everyone around me. May the world always strive to understand and never forget. Every man, woman and child, Jewish or not, should make the journey to the camps. The people who are able must prevent this horrible event from happening again. We are the last generation that will have the privilege to hear survivors speak. Hearing what these incredible people have to say and repeating their stories are the most important things that we can do to insure that history will not repeat itself. We must let their memories live on.

Of all the things that I learned on my pilgrimage through Jewish history, the most crucial is that we can never forget.

While in Israel, I was fortunate enough to get to listen to a Holocaust survivor in Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum.

Asher Ood’s story was miraculous. I can't quote what he said, but how his story made me feel will never leave me. Even now, after Ood has spoken the words and relived the pain over and over, he can't stop himself from feeling the emotions.

I am haunted by nightmares of wooden bunks filled with starving skeletons of people, by the claw marks of prisoners attempting escape in gas chambers, by the train tracks and rail cars that shuttled my people to their demise. Most of all I am haunted by the fear that this atrocity will repeat itself. People really are our most valuable resources. The ideas and inspirations, the infinite memories of ourselves, our history and our differing opinions are the things that make us great. Maybe if we talked less and listened more, the world would be a more understanding and peaceful place. Maybe if we took the time to learn from not only our personal past, but also the pasts of our ancestors and others’ ancestors, we would cease to repeat our same violent mistakes. Everyone has something to say. We just have to make the time to listen. Of all the things I learned on my pilgrimage throughout Jewish history the most important is that we can never forget.

—Hannah Turner

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Misadventure

Not every adventure goes according to plan. The weather goes bad. We get lost. Those charming TSA agents rummage through our bags. But these complications often lead to new insights we can apply to our next endeavor. If nothing else, they give us a great story to tell at parties.

Justin Dorland

In case of emergency, try a Band-Aid

Ariana Gomez Reyes

Dream vacation becomes airport nightmare Although airline companies tend to be disorganized, a great story always comes out of these stressful times when we sprint through airports and argue with gate agents. My family and I were trying to travel to the British Virgin Islands during spring break, but with the help of an awful airline company and some bad luck, our half-day journey became a two-day nightmare.

To save money we decided to split up, so my dad and I would be using American Airlines, while my mom and brother would fly on Southwest. They boarded the plane immediately, while my dad and I experienced an hour delay because of “wind.” There was absolutely no wind at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. This started our series of unfortunate events.

After our wait was over, we were told without any further explanation that the pilot had received a paper cut, so he wouldn’t be able to fly the plane. We were only flying to Dallas — he could’ve dealt with it. But instead of just slapping a Band-Aid on, he left the airport in an ambulance. A pilot union obligation? I think not.

After we waited a couple of hours at the gate, a pilot finally showed up and flew us to Dallas. We sprinted through the Dallas/ Fort Worth airport only to find that we had missed our connecting flight. We were then told that we could catch the first flight out of DFW to Florida at 4 a.m. We went to a hotel, hoping for a few hours of sleep, but when we arrived, we were greeted by a wedding reception. At midnight, these people were still partying hard. After getting absolutely no sleep because of the noise, we rushed to the airport to board our flight.

Of course, the backup copilot was late to board the plane. I didn’t even know that job existed, let alone was important enough to hold

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the flight for 45 minutes. Right as we were about to board, two rather large men came running up with their McDonald’s. Since these idiots arrived just in time, we were not able to board the flight because American overbooked it. They got our seats. I was furious. If it wasn’t for this copilot, these awful people wouldn’t have made the flight and would be stuck on the ground eating their Egg McMuffin and hash browns. Now we were stuck in DFW, exhausted, and still attempting to get to the BVIs. Although we were fed up and not in the mood to argue, we were still determined to start our vacation. Dad and I made our way to the ticket counter and ranted for two hours about the poor quality of American Airlines. Meanwhile, my brother, already in the BVIs, was looking up flights on his laptop, and by some miracle, found us one. How can a 16-year-old boy find flights faster than an airline agent?

Six hours behind schedule, we made it to Florida. Now we just had to figure out how to make it to the BVIs. As it was spring break, most planes were packed with vacationers. My dad started to prepare me for the possibility that we might not make it to our destination. As we were wandering through the Ft. Lauderdale airport, my dad decided to try one more time with another American Airlines agent. This lady was actually helpful. She got us booked onto the next available flight, and my dad and I found five hours worth of entertainment in the airport as we waited. When we arrived a day and a half late, we found my mom and brother waiting for us.

We can laugh about the crazy story now, but at the time, all I could think of was that we went through all of this trouble because of a paper cut.

—Katherine Spencer

A series of unfortunate events Students share mishaps, memories while traveling “One time my sister had one of those sky-dancer toys with a string on its back and the airport had to take it into a safe room and pull the string to make it fly, just to make sure it wasn’t some sort of pullstring activated bomb.”

—junior Bethany Beago

“I went to Hawaii this summer and went scuba diving with manta rays. It was really scary because they would come and do somersaults right in front of my face. They were massive.

I thought I was going to have a heart attack, but it turned out to be fun.”

—senior Anna-Christine Parrish

“I go to China every summer. I’ve been on the Great Wall. My dad and I took some pictures of soldiers there, which turned out to be illegal. This year I’m going by myself. I’m not too scared because I’ve been there so many times.

I’m pretty excited.”

“

“I was on a journalism trip and we were going to Minneapolis. I had just broken my leg from slipping in dog pee in my house and I fractured it in three different places, so I had a boot. I had to get plates and screws and metal up in there so I set off the alarm, and they were like, ‘Yeah, you’re gonna have to sit and we’re gonna have to pat you down and wand you.’

So then I sat down and they started patting me and asked if I had anything in my boot, so I said ‘Drugs ... just kidding, there’s nothing there’ and the security guard just gave me a stern look and didn’t say anything. And then they swabbed it and tested it and they said no drugs came up and I was good to go. It had been a 20-minute delay.”

—senior Sarah Guthrie

—sophomore Christian Broyles

“Once I got lost while skiing in Crested Butte and it was five degrees out. I thought it was a trail I was skiing down, but it turned out to be woods. It was just me and three other people. We were completely lost and couldn’t find our way back.

We didn’t know our way around and we had no food or water. The snow was deep and kept trapping us. We were out there for a long time.”

—freshman Molly Stotts

Quotes compiled by Michael Deisher and Colleen Pletcher

Retracing his steps

At

Hiker suffers through camping disaster 6,683 feet, Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the United States, east of the Mississippi River. As a reward for earning all A’s the second semester of my junior year, my cousin, Brad, decided to take me on a weekend backpacking trip through Mount Mitchell State Park in Burnsville, North Carolina.

This is something that I had wanted to do ever since Brad told me about his one month backpacking journey through the mountains in India and Sri Lanka the previous year. Most of the trails on the Mount Mitchell map are labeled as being very difficult or strenuous, which only made us more thrilled about the trip.

I was ready to see what kind of beating my body could take. At least I thought I was ready.

We started our trip the first Saturday of summer vacation. Brad, his dog (a black labradoodle named Claire) and I arrived at the park around 3 p.m. and found our trail head as quickly as possible, so that we could get to our first primitive camping ground before it got dark.

The first day’s hike was a rigorous, five-mile trail, but it was fairly smooth-sailing. There was a light rain the entire way in which, at that moment, we were in favor of.

Once we reached what we believed to be the campground (we weren’t sure because the park was surprisingly poorly marked), we got to work setting up our tarps and hammocks. Yes, we brought hammocks instead of tents. Why not? It was early June, there was no way it was going to be cold. So we thought. However, we neglected the fact that we were over 6,500 feet in the air and on the very top of the mountain, with absolutely no protection from the biting wind. By 8 p.m., we had finished setting up camp. It was dark and already below 50 degrees, but with the wind chill it felt like 30. The rain that we were so grateful for in the heat of the day came back to bite us. We could not get even the smallest fire going. Brad and I each sacrificed a pair of boxers to the fire effort, but our attempts were futile.

The only thing we could do was crawl into our hammocks and bundle up into our sleeping bags. Only I didn’t have a sleeping bag, just a series of blankets. After managing to maintain a broken slumber for a few hours, I awoke from my half-conscious state to a loud noise and found Brad and his dog sprawled across the ground. Claire had hopped into Brad’s hammock with him earlier in the night, which he was all for since she was providing additional heat. What he did not realize, was that his hammock, a cheap generic product, only supported 250 lbs. Brad is a big dude, and the addition of Claire set them over the weight limit, resulting in the hammock splitting right down the middle and dropping both of them. This mishap actually turned out to be beneficial for all three of us. Brad was better protected from the wind on the ground, and Claire crawled into my hammock, which was much sturdier, and kept me warm for the remainder of the night.

The route we mapped out for day two was about eight miles, but we were absolutely determined to screw up in every single way possible.

Somehow, we missed our turn, which was supposed to be only a mile past our campground. We ended up hiking the ridgeline for an extra four miles before we determined we were lost. However, we did not

care. We were lost in a paradise. The ground was covered with luscious green ferns and vibrant pink and white flowers, while overhead all we could see was layer after layer of thick, healthy fir trees. Every once in a while there would be a gap in the trees, and we could either see miles of mountains, or we would be staring straight into a cloud. The scenery must have expunged any worry or sense of urgency from our minds because we just kept walking.

Eventually we found another trail that led directly to the base of the mountains, but then we were just lost among the trees, deep in the heart of black bear country. For a few hours we followed some All Terrain Vehicle tracks that were completely littered with bear tracks and droppings. By early afternoon, we were out of water and hopelessly lost. We followed those ATV tracks for hours, walking in circles for all we knew, until finally we turned up in somebody’s backyard.

Brad and I approached the house, hoping that the residents could give us some direction. The man inside immediately offered us some water and informed us that we were about 10 miles from Mount Mitchell State Park. We had gone completely off of our trail map and crossed into Pisgah National Forest. The kind gentleman offered to give us a ride back to our car at the top of Mount Mitchell, but we were so naïve, stubborn and determined that we decided to have him drop us at the base of Mount Mitchell so that we could complete our hike.

Before we took off on the final leg of our journey, a four-and-a-half mile trail directly up the highest peak east of the Mississippi, we thanked the man for his help and for potentially saving our lives. Then we found a concession stand in the campground at the base of the mountain and demolished some ice cream and Coke. We had been burning straight body fat for hours and were in need of some carbs.

By the time we had gotten back on the trail, it was already getting dark and we were beyond exhausted. Somehow, our bodies kept moving through what was easily the most difficult part of the hike. After a couple hours, we once again arrived at what we believed to be our campground.

The second night went a hundred times more smoothly than the first. One benefit of being so helplessly lost for so long was that we had plenty of time to rethink our sleeping arrangements. We set up our tarps against a cliff so that we were at least somewhat shielded from the wind. We also remembered to remove our wet socks. The main improvement was that we were able to get a sizable fire going with the help of some bug spray and a handheld fan.

On day three, we woke up early and packed up. We didn’t bother to save any food for breakfast, because the campground was only a quarter-mile from the parking lot. So we thought. However, we were wrong once again, and had stopped short of the designated campground the night before. We hiked another mile and a half, uphill, on empty stomachs. We passed the real campground on the way. Once we reached the car, Claire climbed in the backseat and collapsed. Brad and I followed her into the car, and just sat there and basked in our filth for a few minutes. It was a glorious feeling.

I learned a lot from that excursion. Never camp on the very top of a mountain. Don’t sleep with wet socks on. Dogs make great blankets.

Most notably, I learned that the human body is a powerful thing, and the human mind is not. At least not Brad’s or mine.

—Brendan McGrath

“

We ended up hiking the ridgeline for an extra four miles before we determined we were lost.

”

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2

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1. Just beginning their journey, senior Brendan McGrath and Claire, the dog, hike along the path. “When we let Claire off the leash, she’d sprint ahead and then stop, wait for us, then sprint again. Over and over,” Brendan said.

2. Brendan and his cousin, Brad, stood at the top of the mountain before beginning their unforgettable trek.

3. “We couldn’t see anything five feet in front of us because we were essentially at cloud level,” Brendan said of his trek up Mount Mitchell.

4. The morning after the first day of hiking, Claire joins Brendan in his hammock to stay warm.

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4 courtesy photos

Mountaineers encounter struggles, learn lessons on trip

S

eniors Skyler Curtis and Drew McCurley decided to spend part of their summer hiking in Colorado up Blanca Mountain. The two adventurers were dropped off at the foot of the mountain

by Drew’s father. Their plan was to trek upward to Lake Como and live off a backpack’s supply of food in addition to the lake’s fish, which they would catch themselves. Little did they know that their casual hike was about to turn into a struggle to survive.

“It was my first adventure,” Skyler said.

“In reality I didn’t think it would be all that eventful. I wanted to do it because Drew convinced me that it would be easy. He said that it would be a quick three-hour hike to the lake where we’d fish, camp and relax for a few days.”

Instead, the hike was difficult and treacherous. They wasted time and stamina hunting marmots and chipmunks without catching or killing anything. Halfway up the mountain, both Skyler and Drew exhausted their twobottle supply of water. With nowhere else to go, they decided that camping was their only option.

“We hiked for nine hours that day,” Skyler said. “We didn’t even reach the lake. I was so

thirsty I thought I was going to die.”

Hungry, thirsty and fatigued by the journey, Skyler and Drew made camp by a small stream that flowed from the distant lake. After quaffing up their fill of spring water, the wearied adventurers made a warming fire and dug a little deeper into their food reserve before retiring to their tent for their first night on the mountain.

The next morning was a dismal one.

Skyler and Drew’s first instincts were to do what would keep them warm: hide in their tent and eat. They sandwiched all the bread and meat, wolfed down all the fiber bars and curled up in their sleeping bags to stay warm.

They conducted themselves this way for some hours before realizing that they had run out of food. It was midday. And with no food and two days until Drew’s father’s scheduled return, the boys decided it was time to act.

Cold but determined, the two adventurers pushed on. They moved quickly and efficiently up the mountainside, carefully rationing their two bottles of spring water. After an hour of hiking and climbing, the boys finally reached Lake Como.

Upon arrival, Skyler and Drew set up camp along the shore and tried to catch some fish.

Their efforts were futile.

“I’m not very good at fishing,” Skyler said.

“I kind of just put a dead weight on the end of the line and sat there for a few hours.”

Hungry, weak and weary, Skyler and Drew would spend another night on the mountain.

When the boys awoke the next morning, they again endeavored to catch some fish. As they silently sat on the shore with their lines cast out in the water, they did some thinking about the journey.

“If I had to do it again, I’d do it right,” Skyler said. “Next time I would carefully ration my food supply. I would bring a lot more water because it’s important, especially at such high altitudes, to stay hydrated. The adventure didn’t work out quite as well as I had anticipated, but I guess that’s why they call it an adventure, because you ADD to the anticipated VENTURE. I learned a lot from it.”

After failing to catch any fish, Skyler and Drew packed up and started heading down the mountain on empty stomachs. Weary but all the wiser from what they learned from the journey, it only took the two adventurers three hours to reach the bottom of the mountain, where Drew’s father was waiting.

—Liam Gerrity

How staying home alone set a chicken sandwich ablaze

A fowl turn of events

Ariana Gomez Reyes

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“Alright, Olivia. I’m going to let you stay here alone until your dad and brother get home,” my mother said sternly. “Can I trust you?”

My third-grade head nodded excitedly. This was the first time my parents were letting me stay at home by myself.

The short and innocent 30 minutes that followed turned disastrous quickly.

“There’s a Chick-fil-A sandwich for you in the fridge to heat up in the microwave, and don’t even think about turning on the television,” my mom said. “Your dad and brother will be here soon.”

I waved farewell to my mother as the door slammed behind her.

The house had a quiet emptiness to it that I’d never before experienced. What to do, what to do?

I took a quick lap around the house, looking for things to entertain myself with. Nothing.

My stomach let out a deep and vicious growl. It was time to feed the beast.

The refrigerator door swung open, and I grabbed the packaged sandwich. I tried to remember how my dad taught me to work the microwave as I climbed on top of the stove to reach it.

Beep. Beep. Thirty seconds seemed appropriate. Beep. Start. As soon as the hum of the microwave began, I hopped onto the island counter to face my sandwich being heated.

The chicken sandwich circled around and around as I stared blankly into the microwave window.

All of a sudden, a huge flame erupted from the package. The screech that escaped my mouth pierced throughout the entire house.

No no no no no — this was not good. My entire body froze as I watched my delicious chicken sandwich get devoured by the fire. The insane amount of adrenaline coursing through my body chased away every fire safety tip I had ever learned.

The only thing that my brain could conjure up was to run away from the problem. I hopped off the counter, sprinted straight into my room and dove under the covers to clutch my knees in the fetal position as tightly as my weak, little 9-year-old arms would allow.

Just then, I heard the sounds of the door opening, and my little brother’s screams. I ran out, and looked upon the chaotic scene of my dad opening the microwave to get the flaming sandwich out, and my brother sitting on the floor with a beet-red face, clutching his curly hair.

Once the sandwich was completely extinguished by our kitchen sink, my dad slowly turned around to shoot me the scariest look I had ever seen in my short life.

“Olivia! What were you thinking when you decided to put an aluminum-lined package inside of a microwave?”

I was completely paralyzed. Since when was it a commonly known fact that aluminum will burst into flames in the microwave? And how was I supposed to know that Chick-fil-A packaged their sandwiches in aluminum?

My throat tightened up, and I could feel my face getting hot. I tried so hard to hold back tears and succeeded for only five seconds until I broke down. My entire body lost its will to keep itself in a standing position, and I immediately crashed onto the floor and proceeded to sob and writhe around in frustration. To my young and innocent mind, this was the worst case scenario. The only thing my mouth could sputter out was “I’m sorry, Daddy! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

My dad’s anger began to subside as he realized how upset I was. He stood there for a few seconds, flabbergasted at the sight of me on the floor in such distress. He walked over and gently picked me up off of the ground. I dug my head into his shoulders as silent tears streamed down my face. Neither of us said a word, but my dad’s comforting hand patting me on the back reassuringly let me know that it was going to be OK. The fire was out. I was safe. My dad wasn’t mad at me.

Needless to say, it was a while before I was allowed to stay at home alone again.

—Olivia Kight

Ah

“Hi, I’d like to check this out.”

The librarian looked at the DVD, then slowly up at me.

“Alright...” she said. She was waiting for the punch line, but it was no joke.

For the first time in 11 years, I was checking out The Last Unicorn from the Westbank Library.

Watching The Last Unicorn had once been my religion.

Before I truly discovered reading, it was probably the only reason my parents owned a library card. There was no such thing as turning the movie back in, only renewing it. Day after day, I would sit cross-legged in front of my TV, mesmerized by the magic, the adventure and, most of all, the Unicorn.

But, as most boys do, I moved on to another obsession. The movie is in this had lost its luster to me and I stopped watching it after a few months movie? My disof bi-daily viewing. appointments had However, I learned to regret my decision. I’d be so tempted to been officially mollified. renew the family library card just to relive the movie. But I couldn’t — However, within minutes something was always holding me back. my excitement had worn off.

I couldn’t tell if it was shame, or just not wanting to ruin what I Bridges’ character is a soft, loveyonce thought was the single most immaculate work of cinema ever dovey prince whose subpar singing of a made (it was probably shame). But for some reason, as a sappy love poem for the magnificent 17-year-old with my own library card, I was able to man up and Amalthea really altered my perception of “The Be nW rent it.

Dude.” alla ce When I put the DVD in and the home menu popped up In the end, a talking skull directs Schmendrick and on my screen, the psychedelic background Amalthea to walk through a grandfamusic gave me chills. The portal to my ther clock portal to the ocean into which childhood fantasy had been opened. I sat in the Red Bull has driven the immortal awe through four cycles of the home screen unicorns to tread water perpetually As a child, The Last Unicorn theme music. And then I pressed play. to entertain King Haggard. Using his I was quickly swept away into the Uninewfound magical powers, Schmendrick was not my escape from corn’s magical forest. To my (in retrospect) (much to the dismay of Jeff Bridges/ reality — it was my reality. overexcitement, the camera panned to the Prince Rainbow Cheeks) turns Amalthea Unicorn. There she was, her white mane back into a unicorn and she … flowing awkwardly in the animated breeze.

Alright, to be honest, the grand finale Disappointment #1. isn’t even worth describing. As the credits As a child, The Last Unicorn was not began to roll, I hit the eject button on my my escape from reality — it was my reality. I never realized how truly remote. I’d just wasted 93 minutes of my life watching the worst movie poor the quality of the animation was until I sat, having been exposed ever made. to a decade of Pixar movies, cringing on my couch. But this movie was I was truly puzzled. How, I wondered, had I tolerated such an awful made in 1982, so I supposed that for those standards, this was statemovie so many times as a kid? You’d be hard pressed to find a worse of-the-art. I forced myself to bear it. movie, yet for the majority of my kindergarten-hood, I’d thought it was The story is, like most adventure movies, some variation of the a masterpiece to last through the ages. archetypal hero’s journey (thank you English 2 Pre-AP). The Unicorn Truth be told, despite an all-star cast (Wikipedia it if you don’t befeels compelled to find the rest of the unicorns to prove that she is not lieve me), The Last Unicorn had no intentions on entertaining the likes the last of her kind. But in her pursuit of the all-powerful unicornof me, the cynical, drab teenager. It was made to provide a medium herding Red Bull, she is apprehended briefly by a witch, then set free of imagination for those of us who still have it. With that in mind, I and accompanied by a pathetically incompetent wizard, aptly named decided to watch it again after a 24-hour break.

Schmendrick (Yiddish for “stupid person”). Shortly after escaping the Did I thoroughly enjoy it the second time around? No, not really. witch, the pair encounters a band of outlaws. After the wizard conjures But the feeling was distinctly different this time. All disappointment up the ghost of Robin Hood, the lead outlaw’s wife completely ditches was gone. I just sat back and laughed at the absurdity of it all. her husband for Schmendrick and the Unicorn.

Just like the audience it appeals to, the movie doesn’t take itself Needless to say, there’s a lot going on in the movie. When I was too seriously. There’s something to be gained from that. In this age younger, that didn’t matter. The more characters there were, the more of checking Skyward every hour and staying up until dawn finishing engrossed I felt in the story. A decade after my obsession had faded, I homework, we can all learn from The Last Unicorn. realized that while the writer had attempted to add flair and variety, it Is school a serious undertaking? Absolutely. But is it such a crime only added confusion and clutter. Disappointment #2. to take a short hour and a half off to venture into a poorly animated For instance, all of a sudden, Schmendrick finds the power to mystical realm of talking beasts and wizardry? transform the Unicorn into a beautiful woman in order to distract the When I was 6, unicorns existed. I was full of creativity, fantastical Red Bull, who apparently is just a big scary light entity. Magically, the daydreams and aspirations of encountering magical creatures. Why Unicorn gains the name Amalthea. Am I missing something here? not bring back those days every now and then?

Disappointment #3.

I encourage you to grab The Last Unicorn off the shelf at the WestIt’s determined that the Red Bull is kept underneath the castle of bank Library. Don’t worry, there’s usually not a wait list.

King Haggard. After the trio enters the castle — Whaaa … Jeff Bridges Take a break from it all. Sit back, relax and become intertwined

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Ant sugar candy:

Ants embedded in rock candy from Big Top Candy Shop

Acquired taste Samplers search for exotic foods

Sticking out her tongue, sophomore ZZ Lundburg munches on a dead cricket.

Alexis Huynh: I was hoping the sugar candy would cover up the taste of the ants. I can’t say much about this one because the ants were hard to fish out of the rock candy. The sugar was like eating ... well, sugar. The ant part never got to me. It was way too embedded in the candy, so I never even reached it.

I think I might have swallowed one without noticing though.

ZZ Lundburg: Despite their unnaturally large size, the ants were hard to get to. I broke a piece of candy, which was just colored sugar, and placed it my mouth. At first, I tried sucking on it like a lollipop, but eventually I gave up and began to chew. I don’t like ants on me to begin with so having them in my mouth, even dead, was not very enjoyable.

Durian drink:

An Asian fruit known for its distinctive aroma, blended into a smoothie from Pho Thai Son

Alexis: I’ve grown up with durian my whole life, so I’m used to the taste and smell. Although I was looking forward to this sweet treat, I was even more excited to see the look on ZZ’s face when she got her first whiff of the world’s most pungent fruit. It looks like a white-colored smoothie, but smells like nothing you’ve ever encountered before. The taste is unique: a very sugary tasting, ripe banana and homemade vanilla ice cream. You definitely need guts just to get past the stench.

ZZ: Since the second that durian was brought into the conversation, I was told I wouldn’t like it. Alexis, her mother and even the waiter at the restaurant suggested that I stay away.

By the time the durian smoothie was served, I was prepared to prove them all wrong. I readied myself for success, and then the scent wafted over. It smelled like death. The smell of rotting milk, ripe fruit and some decaying animal filled my nose, but I stomached the odor and took a sip. It actually tasted pretty good. It was creamy and sweet, but honestly, the stench was a bit much. So next time, I think I’ll just quietly sip my mango bubble tea and keep my mouth shut.

Salt and vinegar crickets: Dead crickets covered in salt and vinegar flavoring from Big Top Candy Shop Alexis: At the sight of them, still in the packet, I shivered. I’ve never eaten crickets before. My eyes narrowed in on the tiny figure.

I could make out the wings, the legs, the abdomen and of course, the head and eyes. I scrunched my face and shook my head. But I had to man up. I laid the cricket on my tongue very slowly, maneuvered my tongue back into my mouth and closed my lips. By that time, I was shaking. I took a deep breath and bit down. At first, I couldn’t taste anything, but after a few slow bites, I started tasting something like dirt. It was kind of like eating dry soil and bark. I would know because I’ve sampled my fair share of dirt on soccer fields. Once I got past the actual fact that there was a dead bug in my mouth, it wasn’t so bad but, I would never, ever willingly eat them again.

ZZ: Bugs are friends, not food. Not only do crickets look gross alive, but they look worse dead—all dead, bug-eyed and covered in powdery flavoring. Appetizing, right? I made the mistake of crushing one with my fingers and out spilled little orange ball-like things that made me cringe all over. I put the cricket in my mouth and almost had to spit it out immediately. I could feel the little legs and wings on my tongue and the flavoring wasn’t even that good. I bit down and felt the crunch as its little exoskeleton broke into pieces. It was too much. Way too much. So I spit it back into the grass where I believe all bugs belong.

Sophomores ZZ Lundburg and Alexis Huynh try candied ants from Big Top Candy Shop on South Congress. photos by Zoë Nathan

Diablo cake balls: Chocolate cake ball with spicy jalapeno topping from Holy Cacao Alexis: The first couple seconds of the cake ball in your mouth is just an overwhelming sensation of very thick chocolate cake. A few seconds later, you start to taste the spice. The tingles start out small, just in the back of your mouth, then slowly spread along your tongue and down your throat until you’re begging for water. It was hard to swallow and was basically just stuck in my mouth. The best part? The only thing we had to drink was the durian smoothie. My American consort practically choked. Even though I knew there would be jalapeño in there somewhere, I was definitely not expecting that much.

Very adventurous for the people whose spice tolerance was just about zero.

ZZ: I’m going to start by saying I’m not a huge fan of spicy. My Asian counterpart and I had three cake balls to choose from and just by my luck, I got this one first. It smelled heavenly, like an innocent piece of chocolate beckoning me. I gave in and took a big bite. It was delicious, creamy, sweet, wonderful and ... hot. My whole mouth cried out. I had been tricked by the sweet decadence of chocolate only to discover its true identity was fire — fire that stayed in my mouth for at least five minutes and laughed at my suffering taste buds. So if you like spicy, go for it, but I will be sticking to good-ole Hershey’s for a while after this betrayal.

—ZZ Lundberg and Alexis Huynh

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Mosquitos

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This is the most bloodthirsty war we have ever fought. These miniscule insects known as mosquitos are a force to be reckoned with.

Humans have discovered many helpful weapons for our defense against these predators, the most popular being insect repellent. Our mothers drench us in DEET among other chemicals that are most likely reducing our IQ levels. But hey, at least it decreases the likelihood of us being infected with West Nile. Another invention to help us stave off these vicious irritants are clip-on, battery operated insect repellents that create a surrounding protective bubble.

Amazing! We have a mindset that la these defenses are saving all of ae ch i us. But let’s be real here, do M mosquitoes still thirst for our blood? Yes. Are our defenses foolproof? Nope.

So maybe we should dig deeper for a solution to defeat this enemy. Pantyhose tents? Collectable bug-zapper charm bracelets? Let’s unite and defeat the mosquitoes.

“¡Vámonos!”

That word has inspired us for 12 years. Español for “Let’s go,” it makes every preschooler wish to set out with Dora on her many adventures. The seemingly never-aging explorer is daring and educational, and her life never has a dull moment. Singing silly songs about her map and backpack, going on expeditions and solving puzzles, Dora is a moral force for good in her bilingual fantasy land. Her show has drawn in young children with audience participation and mysteries that keep them engaged for a full 22 minutes. Dora and Boots were so inspirational that their spin off show Go Diego, Go! is nearly as popular as their own. Dora has everything: talking objects, crazy animals and a mariachi band composed of bugs. What more can you ask for? Without Dora and Boots, Swiper would have gotten away with all of his swiping. That would be a sad world. She has stirred an adventurous spirit in so many, urging us to stop theft, speak Spanish, and sing our little hearts out.

Child leashes

Many modern parents use child harnesses as a form of punishment, or malevolent gratification. For a mere $9.50 you can drag your child by the ear to Wal-mart and purchase a monkey-headed safety harness to ensure his or her wellbeing for years to come. Hold up. Wait a minute. At this point you should feel at least mildly concerned about the children of America contributing to the 401ks of tomorrow’s therapists. But why don’t we look at the positive side?

When you’re out on the town and little Timmy sees a butterfly out of the corner of his eye, you won’t have to worry about the possibility of him chasing the poor, defenseless insect to Timbuktu.

So before you make fun of Timmy, just remember that his parents only mean well.

Ariana Gomez Reyes

Heelys

Ariana Gomez Reyes

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misadventure westlakefeatherduster.com

You remember Heelys — those sneakers with wheels on the bottom that all the cool kids wore as they flocked around the elementary school cafeteria? It’s been years since public places began declaring themselves “Heely-Free Zones,” and the glorious reign of the Heely has been pretty much extinguished by parents who realized it was a bad idea to let their 8-year-olds senselessly skid about. It seemed Heelys went down without a fight, and we miss them almost as much as we miss the nostalgic times spent yearning for a pair, or if you were lucky, going out and buying yourself one. Fortunately, they now mass produce Heelys in grown-up sizes for those of us who just can’t let go of the past.

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Go find it.