Hiking
St. Mary’s Peak
On
October 9th, I took a journey up the face of a mountain with my
class to observe a diverse ecosystem literally on the top of the world. The
purpose was to witness the whitebark pine’s terrible eradication at the hands
of the seemingly unstoppable bark beetle.
We
began our adventure around 6,000 ft. up the side of St. Mary’s Mountain, which
is where the road ends, and the trailhead begins. It was a chilly day, with a
few inches of snow at the start of the trail. We hiked through forests of
lodgepole and whitebark pine, while taking pictures and gathering samples along
the way, with the occasional chirp of the Clark’s Nutcracker. Our Biology
instructor, Mr. Ligas, led us to a spot where two of the largest whitebark’s
still remained; they too were infected with beetles, but were holding out
because of their enormous size.
We
began climbing farther up the mountain, the snow began to cover the entire
ground and the going became slightly more difficult. We trudged onward though
until we reached the end of our hike. Here a decision was made as to whether or
not we wanted to make the hour climb to the peak of the mountain. Six people of
the group wanted to reach the peak, including myself. So, with the guidance of
Mr. Ligas, we started up without the assistance of the trail.
After
we passed the tree line the snow became very deep, and we were walking
literally on thin ice. Occasionally falling through, we made it to the top
after forty-five minutes of climbing. An astonishing sight it was, and for a
few of us it was the first time climbing a mountain. Feeling a sense
achievement and determination we turned around and practically tumbled back
down the mountain.
Waiting
for us at the bus were the kids either too cold or too tired to go to the peak,
but they too had just as good of a trip. Everyone could say that Advanced
Biology had not only taught them about nature, but also provided a fantastic
adventure.
-
Leon
Ochs
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