5 May Tiffany's post

My feet gushed around in my wet socks and my wet shoes. Rain tapped on my head and dripped down my face and dampened my body from head to toes. Fog. Everywhere there was fog.

My favorite part about the day was that I got to lead everyone around. Every direction we went was upto me. I could’ve taken the whole group anywhere I wanted. They all followed me just because I was the leader and no one knew where they were going. I didn’t know either. The only difference is that I looked at a map I didn’t understand and John had given mea few ideas and directions.

I felt much more comfortable when I tied my leadership to wildland firefighting. Safety first. Holding. Moving. Teamwork.

But my moment of terror was looking off the edge of the path and seeing only fog. I knew there was a cliff and I worried that someone would fall off the trail or get lost in the mists. I worried because I was in charge. Responsible for each person.

As a leader of the day I felt important. I felt concerned for everyone in the group a bit more than I’ve felt before. I feel in control. I like control. And I felt good. Everyone kept telling me what a good job I was doing as leader of the day. Several said they were glad they weren’t in my place—who wants to lead a group over a mountain in the fog and wind and rain and cold? But, I enjoyed it.

People saw a different side of me: the leader. The color code test says I’m yellow. That word has a lot of connotations. In the sense of the color code test, I can be yellow. But I’m not a coward and I’m not like a yellow journalist. I can take charge when I’m called to do so, and I even enjoy it.

My favorite part about hiking from Wastwater to Keswick was that people got to know a different side of me—a side that seemed surprising to them, but almost natural to me.