�Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit�
- Edward abbey
The opportunity to completely submerge ourselves in the natural environment of the Mojave Desert for over a week on our Outdoor Leadership class trip during Winter Term enabled us to reestablish our ties with the natural world. As Edward Abbey says, it is most definitely �a necessity of the human spirit� to be outside and enjoy the wilderness. The longer we were there adapting to our environment, the more life we were able to see and experience. With each passing day we saw more lizards, scorpions (believe me, I was NOT looking for them), jack rabbits and evidence of mountain lions (pictured above). Ultimately, we realized that we were adapting our living styles to fit theirs � we were invading their space, not the other way around as usual.