06/15/2017
Suzannah Crandall
Everyone made it! Tired but excited to be in Ecuador, everyone arrived with no problems. The group seems to be bonding very quickly and already friendships are forming. After a late dinner and a round a quick introductions everyone settled down for an night of much needed rest. Tomorrow we will spend the day getting to know each other, going over the schedule and exploring the old town of Quito.
6/17/2017
Yesterday was a full day of orientation and exploring the “old town” of Quito. We visited some famous sites and had learned about the chocolate making process.
Early to bed for an early breakfast so we can head for the islands. Once we hit the islands, contact will be infrequent, but we look forward to to sending pictures and updating you as we are able!
Ready for the flight in Quito. In 1 hour we are on our way to paradise.
After a long day we finally arrived to Isabela and our base.
6-17-2017
Chance Ruff and Marina Barbera
Today we started by waking up at 4 in the morning to take the bus to our 8:15flight. We had a two hour flight to get to the Galápagos Islands. From there we took a bus ride to the docks where we crossed to the island of Santa Cruz. For lunch we stopped at a small bakery. Santa Cruz has the largest population of all the islands but is not the biggest island. In Santa Cruz, we got to hang out at a small playground before we took a two hour boat ride to Isabela. When we arrived we were greeted by sea lions and marine iguanas. We took a small bus to our hotel, which is only five blocks from the beach. We’re super excited for our busy schedule tomorrow which includes both service and exploring a mangrove.
6-18-2017
Emma Kapani
Will Daniels
Today was our first day of service working at Campo Duro. We cleared the tortoise habitats of unwanted weeds to make more of their land accessible. In the afternoon, we hiked along the beach and swam in water surrounded by mangroves and blue footed boobies. A great first day in the Galápagos!
June 19th: Samuel McCarthy Potter & Aylin Duvan
In the morning we worked at the camp by harvesting elephant grass, supporting fences by putting wood and we fed turtoises which had was amazing. After we had lunch at the campsite, we headed off to the beach for kayaking and snorkeling. We saw sea turtles, sharks, sea lions, and penguins during kayaking. We had free time after the beach so we used that time to discover the town. To end the day we had an amazing dinner and played a game about feedback.
June 20th: Zane Stowers, Izzi Dull
Today was a fun day, we started off the day by going to a tortoise breeding center. Learning all about tortoises and how they breed, plus why they need to have a breeding center. We then went on a beautiful hike up an active volcano. Although the hike was 10 miles in total we managed to persevere through the heat. We ended the night with a great dinner provided by our lovely hosts.
We had a great day hiking up Sierra Negra volcano that was totally open but still not to sunny.
6/21/2017
Benjamin Sheffield
Lily Hofman
Today was day seven. After breakfast we went to work at a school for little kids, where we sanded metal bars and weeded the area around there school in order to better there learning environment. We than had lunch and after lunch we had the mid point check which allowed us to voice our concerns about the trip so far. Finally we had a free afternoon where we could swim, explore the island, or help out in the kitchen. Now we have mentor groups in which we will end our day in a game of telephone.
6/22/2017
Alex Morris
Jake Polanski
We started the day off early and had breakfast at 6:00am. Shortly after we arrived at the harbor and got in the boat that would take us to Floreana a for lunch and snorkeling. When we arrived, we took a short hike to a cove for some amazing snorkeling where we saw sea turtles, sea lions, and other cool animals. Afterwards we walked to a restaurant where we changed and ate delicious food. Shortly after we walked to the harbor for another long boat ride. We then arrived at San Cristóbal. We spent 40 minutes walking around and shopping. Afterward we got on a bus and rode to home base where we ate dinner a day got in out mentor groups. Everyone was desperate to get some sleep for another big day.
6/23/2017
Audrey Pacthod
Audrey Pacthod
Clayton Hines
This morning we went snorkeling in Darwin Bay. We saw a lot of marine fauna such as Sea Lions, rainbow fish, turtles, sting rays and crabs. As we gazed at the cliff from Darwin`s view point we saw many birds flying and diving in the water for fish. We then walked to the information center where Fernando explained to us the history of the Galápagos as well as its diverse biodiversity. He also mentioned how Ecuador strives to fight for Nature’s rights. His explanation opened our eyes about the preciousness of the universe and how we should try as well to preserve our only home. We then headed back to Home Base for Lunch. After a short a rest we reached our service destination, where we used machetes to clear brush and vines we did that for four hours and had a surprisingly good time. Then we hiked back to the hostel and had a wonderful spaghetti and pork dinner.
6/24/2017
Chloe Doyle and and Bella Jacobs
Today we started the morning early with our last snorkeling adventure. We took a short bus ride and hike to a secluded beach known for sea lions. During this time two male sea lions faught for dominance through aggressive displays around us and flopped in our area. Then we explored the town and got ice cream and souvenirs. At 12 we took a bus back to Home Base. At 1:30 we started our service at the national park. We cleared invasive species to make room for native species in hope to entice tortoises and other native species back into the park. We ended our day with dinner at home base and a group activity.
6/25/207
Lily Sjaarda and Jamie Malasek
Today we got to sleep in which was a well received gift. Then we moved on to helping our hosts weed out their garden space and helped to transplant native plants into small containers in order for them to grow large enough to plant directly into the ground. We then went back to Home Base to enjoy lunch. We had time to pack up our things then we were off to the beach. Once at the beach we watched sea lions play in the sand and water. After the beach we had time to explore the town. After that we came back to Home Base and had a barbecue dinner and a campfire while listening to our guide Fernandos guitar playing and singing.
6/27/2017
Bella Jacobs, Anya Tyagarajan, Aylin Duvan, Clayton Hines
Today was our last full day together!
We started the day by going to the equator, and learned a lot about historic Ecuadorian tribes. Lots of us got diplomas for being egg masters 😉
Next, we took a salsa class in town, and had a lot of fun learning all the steps.
Afterwards, we all had lunch at Crepes & Waffles. The food was so good, and not gonna lie, we all stuffed our faces with crepes, waffles, and ice cream.
From lunch we all walked to the market, and enjoyed around two hours of free time to walk around and buy some beautiful souvenirs. Some of us even got to bargain with the prices!
We walked back to the hotel from the market, and headed off to pack and write evaluations of our trip.
Next, we all had a nice dinner together, and Zane organized an activity after dinner where we all wrote one good thing about everyone on a piece of paper. Everyone got to keep their papers after, and take it home with them.
It was a very eventful last day, and we’re all going to miss each other so much! Thank you GLA! It is said that the best part of a journey is the trip back home, where you can tell your friends and family about your journeys and all the stories and exploits you had and how they will affect you in the future. So fair well and thank you for the experiences you have given to us, and may you do so to many others in the future. 
Final Blog
Suzannah Crandall
Sea lions, frigate birds, blue footed boobies, sea turtles and large spiders…we saw it all. The two weeks of island hopping and exploring the Galapagos (and Quito) left many with a new view on conservation, an appreciation of the natural world and the desire to keep traveling. It was a fantastic two weeks and great start to the summer.
Thank you to everyone at home that made this trip possible for these 19 students and to the group, thank you for some incredible memories and a million laughs.
