Urban Roots Goes to Yellowstone!
This year a group of youth interns got the opportunity to take a trip out to Yellowstone National Park. It was a lovely adventure full of many new sights, sounds, and smells! Interns took time to write reflections on what their experience was like, and we are sharing some of those reflections with you today.
I expected this trip to be a long fun adventure and a physical challenge that I can be proud of. In deeper thought it was far more astounding than I envisioned.
We stopped by many national parks and each one gave me perspective to how the world revolves around the land that thrives before us. I felt connected to the history that belongs to the sites we visited, that being good or bad.
The Indigenous stories that are attached to the parks gave me a giant culture shock of how much we don’t know, but also the curiosity of the truth behind each tale. I enjoyed the sight seeing, including all the wonderful animals that came out of their nests and homes–it’s truly a wonder when you live in the Cities–and the bison were my favorite.
As we travelled through North Dakota and Montana I kept myself busy with a book. There was a lot of self-reflection and bonding, being on the road in general can open up new doors to friendships and also within yourself.
The day we finally got to Yellowstone I sucked in the fresh air of wilderness and the freedom to be wild; even if we were on a camp site, it all felt natural. The fun meals we put together from ingredients at hand, the rugged yet peaceful hikes we stomped across, it was all worth the challenge. I’ll always remember every laugh and unhinged moment of the crazy outdoors with some crazy fun people and the amazing, optimistic guides who never stopped, even when tired, and always kept a strong attitude for our group to move forward.
Overall this is definitely a memorable trip. The Urban Roots family I’m part of is only getting bigger and stronger.
Story shared by an Urban Roots youth intern.
