Flying squirrels and the biology trip
I loved my summer biology class that I took following my junior year in high school, Marie was in the same class, need I say more as to why it was fun. Anyway it was quite a different experience for me. We took several field trips, one of which took us to the Bear River Bird Refuge via the Alpine Loop behind Timpanogos. I really enjoyed those trips not only because I was with Marie but also because I was learning about birds and animals. We went one one camp up into the Yellowstone drainage of the High Uintahs. I enjoyed the campfire and being with Marie on that camp but still recall the thing that was most interesting besides Marie, it was a flying squirrel. I knew they existed but had never seen one in my life. They should probably be called gliding squirrels rather than flying because that is actually what they do is jump from a limb of one tree and glide with the legs stretched out to the next tree. They have skin between their legs that make a parachute type of effect for them so that they can catch the air under their legs to aid in the gliding process. I must admit that I was sorely disappointed though when the teacher killed it so we could see it up closely and inspect how it operated. I figured it was good enough just watching it glide across the air between the trees. Later in the class that summer I caught a disease because of it called Touleremia. I don’t remember how to spell it but I do remember it was from skinning a ground squirrel that had been hit, killed but not badly damaged on the road through Strawberry valley where we stopped and picked up. I had a small cut on my hand where I became infected as I skinned the squirrel and prepared it for the class. It was not very fun getting that disease but it did get me out of the final exam and still an A in the class. I think the teacher must have thought I had been through enough already and had done all of my assignments with a lot of enthusiasm and pride. I was thankful for not having to take the exam but it would have probably been easier.
