One night down, 20 to go

In the early morning of May 15, we all arrived with duffle bags in tow, essentially as strangers. Knowing each other perhaps peripherally, or at most casually, we loaded our van as the 7 a.m. sun warmed our bleary faces, not knowing what to expect from the next three weeks. After the requisite group picture and a few hurried hugs from parents, we took off down I-40, bracing ourselves for the 13 hour drive that stood between us and Santa Fe. 

Seven or so hours later, we had finished the first leg of our trip. After several pit stops and snack breaks, we spilled out of the van at Black Kettle National Grasslands, eager to stretch our legs. We were greeted by perfect weather and an otherwise empty campground. We promptly set off on the first of many hikes, ambling among the rolling hills and occasionally stopping to examine an interesting plant. 

If seven hours together in the van wasn't enough to turn strangers into friends, our first night together certainly was. We went to bed soon after dark, the eight of us dispersed between three small tents. Although many of us had barely met, we soon grew much closer by necessity. Lying shoulder to shoulder in the cramped tents, well fell asleep to coyotes crying in the distance and the muffled snores of our trip mates. We woke early in the morning to tear down our tents and begin the second half of our drive. We were all unshowered, deodorantless, and sporting last night's clothing, but we easily shed our insecurities in the knowledge that we were all in the same position, and would be for the next three weeks. Although we were in the campgrounds for barely more than 12 hours, it was long enough to bring us together as a group. The sense of isolation and independence, the closeness to nature, and the closeness to each other all helped to reinforce the import of our trip and what we would be studying. We may have begun the long drive as barely more than strangers, but after one night in the Black Kettle National Grasslands we were already much more. 

-Leslie Reynolds