I plan to use the spring break sea kayaking trip for my second year project. On this trip I will be paddling along the coast of Florida, exploring the 10,000 surrounding islands. While traveling, I’ll be learning about marine estuaries and mangroves that shape the ecosystems of the islands. I will be the beneficiary of this project. I will learn how to sea kayak and endure an arduous adventure for a longer-than-normal duration. I will learn more in depth about leave no trace, and learn about marine influences on terrestrial ecosystems, an area that truly interests me. This could also give me some background information and up close experience for my summer study abroad trip. On the trip I will be learning how to assess and maintain the health of marine ecosystems, which includes mangroves. I would like to work on this project because I believe I will gain applicable skills such as sea kayaking, and leave no trace, as well as personal skills. Enduring swarms of bugs, pushing through arduous journeys while still taking in the beauty, and appreciating nature for so many days are some of the areas I hope to grow in. Experiencing nature face on, with no barriers like glamping or a simple day hike-actually immersing myself in nature is another aspect I am ecstatic for on this trip. I don’t think I have ever done a trip quite this long or quite this arduous. However, I believe that by attending this trip, I will reinforce my decision to pursue my major in the environment because the majority of the “wild” nature I have seen has been in books and documentaries. Experiencing something like the Everglades, something that is so far away and seems so intangible, will show me natural areas like this are much more tangible than I had originally believed. I hope that this will in turn spur me into action in seeing the nearby sites that had previously seemed so far.