Buttercup Monologue

“Buttercup, you can do it!” That was my nickname, given by Shawn. As corny as it was, anytime he called me Buttercup I pushed myself. The rain, the heat, the bugs. I was so out of my comfort zone. I was on this journey with 11 crew members and 3 instructors. For the next 14 days, I was a nomad. Finding a new home every day. I was given a journal and documented how every day went. Everybody met at the Asheville National Airport. I would be coming from BWI. Reaching Asheville, I soon had a change of heart. I introduced myself to the girls. We started our journey once we reached Pisgah National Forest. I have had walks in parks before, but those views were amazing. The van passed by waterfalls and many creeks. Everybody received a pack, which
We hiked for 8 hours. Our destination was going to be Grogan’s Creek. We bush-pushed, walking uphill and crushing any bushes in our way. I was so scared, I thought I was going to fall backwards on the hill. I even spotted a snake. My boots were very wet. The soles felt mushy with all the water in them. By then my hair was puffy and nail polished chipped. I was so conscious and we had no mirrors to look. Around this time, I was given the nickname Buttercup. That night we had an encounter with a bear. Shockingly, it ran off. Day 6 through 8, we stayed at the Halloween Slab. We would be rock-climbing on the slab. The view was so beautiful, I actually enjoyed these days. I connected with everybody a lot more and did not feel like an outsider. I was a little down and the program director sent me a care package, it was nail polish. I played Ibrahim in rock, paper, scissors. I won so the girls would paint the boys nails. Navy purple and bubblegum pink! Day 9, we reached Steph’s Secret. Day 10, I did solo; the one thing I was nervous about doing on the trip. Every single crew member got their own campsite area and stayed there for 24 hours. Our watches were taken away. We would ration a cinnamon raisin bagel, cheese, and apple for the whole 24 hours. On my solo day, I reflected on my whole trip. I felt stronger. I sat there all day, just thinking about family and friends. I missed them
We ran nonstop for 7 miles. I alternated between running and walking most of the time. Ibrahim ran with me through the rocky roads and hills, passing by the dromedaries. I remember seeing the cabins and we knew we made it to basecamp. We finally saw cars and a huge crowd waiting for us at the end. Everybody was cheering us on and clapping. The smell of fresh watermelon hits me. This was it! It was over. We finally got to shower, with cold water. That night we would enjoy lasagna and sleep at basecamp. We cleaned up our banana suits, tarps, and packs in the