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One reason for the team’s quick camaraderie? The challenges they faced together, including miles-long hikes at high altitude. (“Wildlife in the Changing Andorran Pyrenees” is one of the most physically demanding expeditions �������� offers.)

“The difficulty of everything kind of brought us together as a group,” says Ciara, an American high school student who joined the expedition with her Irish cousin, Hannah. “When things get hard, you kind of bond through the struggle.”

Connections started to click on the first full day of the trip, when the team embarked on a long, difficult hike, Ciara says. “It was really grueling... I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so hard,’” she says. “We finally reached this little top, and I'll never forget, because Lulu was right behind me—and you didn't really know people yet—and she turned to me and she's like, ‘Ah, that was easy. I could do that 10 times!’ And it made me just start hysterically laughing, it just kind of lightened the mood and set a really nice vibe for the rest of the trip.”

CLIFF RESCUE 

Quickly forged bonds grew even stronger on what the team now fondly remembers as “Site 11 Day,” named for that day’s sampling station.

A gentle morning drizzle gave way to heavier rain, making the steep, rocky hillside terrain slick and muddy. For some participants—like Andrê and Youssuf from Dubai, where rain is a rare event—it was a whole new kind of challenge. “Bless their souls, they were just freezing,” says Natalia with a smile.

Later that day, the group split up to check camera traps. Hannah, Charlotte, and Ian were navigating with GPS alongside Anna, one of the scientists. “Ian was leading us, and then suddenly the GPS pointed straight up this incredibly steep hill,” says Hannah. “So we climbed it—and made it to the top! But then, somehow, I lost my footing.”

“Charlotte remembers the moment vividly: “I saw Hannah slipping, and my heart just dropped.” Luckily, Hannah caught herself, and with help from Anna and Ian, she was safely pulled back up. “It was an experience,” Hannah says with a wry grin. “I got back up, and I was okay—but poor Charlotte!”

Later, the group posed for a photo at the top, their smiles full of relief and accomplishment. “We jokingly call it the ‘Not Dead Yet’ photo,” Hannah laughs. “It definitely brought us closer together. Nothing like a little unexpected adventure to bond a team.”

Hannah says the �������� expedition helped show her what a career in science might look like—which she plans to pursue at university next year. Unlike a doctor or an accountant, she says, “I could never really put my finger on what the job was like,” she says. “I couldn't really tell you exactly what a scientist would do. But now I definitely have, like, a clear vision of what that job could possibly look like, and it was really interesting.”

Charlotte, meanwhile, doesn’t plan to study science in college; she was drawn to the hiking aspect of the trip and wanted to challenge herself. “The entire experience was amazing,” she says. “The people I met, just pushing my body, everything—it was just so incredible.”

Others in the group agreed that the trip pushed them to their limits—in the best possible ways.