Photography Day Hike:
We've teamed up with Nature Photographer David Foster for a Nature Photography Day hike.
October 30, 2010
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YouthPride Fall Camping Trip
November 16th, 2009 Cold Weather, Overnight, YouthPrideNo Responses » Read or Post Your Own
Though I gush about every group that I lead a trip for, I want to particularly praise this YouthPride group that I spent the weekend with near Tray Mountain:
The participants ranged from 14 - 23 years old, with two older adults participating as well. Everyone was positive, upbeat, and game for adventures. And our adventures were many and varied: driving miles on forest service roads, making fire, day hiking to waterfalls, backpacking, summiting Tray Mountain, etc.
The trip started out with some confusion, however. One participant missed her bus, so our group split up so T.H. could pick her up from her house.
Then, when we arrived in north Georgia, it seemed as though the whole world had descended upon the mountains. Hundreds of motorcycles. Hoards of hikers. Caravans of tour buses. I’ve never seen the likes! Our group stopped at Dukes Creek Falls for a day hike while T.H. and E. caught up with us. I’d never visited Dukes Creek (probably because it’s a mile hike to the falls - too far for a side trip, too short for a day hike)… but it is gorgeous! The rain this year has really made north Georgia a waterfall-lover’s delight.
Once our group reunited, we drove another 2 miles to Raven Cliff Falls trailhead, where we found even MORE people! I ran down the trail a mile or two to check for possible campsites and passed at least 75-100 hikers. Though there were available campsites, but we were discouraged by the lack of privacy, and decided to move on and find a campsite near Tray Mountain. As the sun dipped low in the sky, we had completed a tour of Helen-area trailheads, but had only just arrived at our destination. Though this might souns like a wild goose chase, we were enjoying each other’s company, the air was warm, and the drive through the mountains was beautiful.
Finally, we had found a location remote enough for solitude. The participants pitched their tents with little or no help from me and then we had a surprise: B.D. was carrying a bow drill and all the tools to make fire without matches! As some participants gathered firewood, S. (a softball catcher) threw the bear ropes into a tree, E. torn down and rebuilt (smaller) the fire ring, and J. collected & purified water from a gushing spring, I began preparations for dinner. Then, B. demonstrated how to make fire with his bow drill. I’ve gotten quite good at building pyres and starting one-match fires, but this was my first experience with the bow drill - it’s quite impressive. The participants sang the ABCs and by the time they were done, B. had a spark in his nest of tulip tree inner bark. E. blew and fire blazed. Truly impressive.
While some made fire, others chopped onions, garlic, carrots, cheese, and sausage. Then T., E., and I tended the pots until our Backcountry Shepherd’s Pie was ready. We ate our fill and didn’t even have to pack out any leftovers! Yay for Ellen T. (LNT=Leave No Trace)!
Around the campfire, our conversations spanned TV shows to philosophical questions such as “Would you rather live in a world with truth and no beauty or beauty and no truth?” Though our time in the woods did not have a strict program, participants had the space to learn camp skills, connect with each other, and succeed at a new endeavor. On the surface, teaching may not be evident, but learning was constant. Most of all, I love watching (and being a part of) the friendships and trust built within the group.
When we awoke with the sun (7 am), the air was already warmer than it had been the night before. The sun rose as we cooked bagels and spread on cream cheese & Nutella. As we were eating, a lone hiked walked by, decked out in play jewelry. A thru-hiker! “Zipper” (her trail name), was 50 miles from completing a flip-flop thru-hike (she started in Virginia, hiked to Maine, then re-started in Virginia and hiked south). We fed her a bagel and she regaled us with stories of the Appalachian Trail and then departed. It’s always special to share time with a pilgrim.
Our final pilgrimage was to the top of Tray Mountain, where we ate lunch. The sky was deep blue and we could see for miles: Lake Chatuge to the north, Brasstown Bald to the west, Mount Yonah to the south, and Lake Burton to the east. What a fulfilling mountaintop to end our trip on!
As we drove home, I was tired but invigorated by the community spirit and deep conversation of the weekend. I look forward to the next YouthPride camping trip in the spring!
To view more photos of our trip, visit the Sure Foot Adventures Facebook page.
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Kingfisher November Camping Trip
November 11th, 2009 Cold Weather, First-time Backpacking, Kingfisher Academy, Overnight, SwimmingNo Responses » Read or Post Your Own
We just returned from a fun, beautiful, and relaxing camping trip with a group of middle school students from Kingfisher Academy. Though our numbers dwindled as the trip approached, we ended up having a great time. The day before the trip I found out that two students would not be participating. Then I woke up at 7:00 am to a call from their teacher (who was to be an adult leader of the trip) saying she was sick and didn’t think she should go on the trip. Luckily, Catie, our Programs Manager & Guide, was able to help lead the trip, so we didn’t have to cancel.
And thank goodness we didn’t! The skies stayed perfectly blue the whole time and the students were adventurous, helpful, and positive. Though only two of the students had extensive camping experience, everyone acted like seasoned backcountry guides. Here are some of the impressive things they did:
- Instead of choosing the closest campsite to the bus, our group chose to walk an extra mile carrying all of their gear to a more remote campsite. Though the trip was only supposed to be a camping trip, they turned it into backpacking.
- Two of the boys explored up and down the hills surrounding our campsite and collected enough firewood for the whole evening.
- All of the students participated in a bushwacking adventure that included climbing a steep hill through rhododendron.
- All students at least put their feet in the water. One young man went in all the way (by accident) and several of us waded in above our knees. And the water was COLD!
- In the evening, the students patiently built a pyre–and they were rewarded for their work by succeeding in starting the fire with only one match.
Everyone helped cook our dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread–cutting up cheese and meat, helping stir the pot and make the sauce, mixing garlic butter, and toasting the bread over the fire. And of course EVERYONE made s’mores!- Everyone stayed relatively warm through the cold night. Though we awoke to chill temperatures, we were able to restart our fire (which we banked before bed) from the previous night’s coals.
- We efficiently packed up and hiked back to the bus, stopping for lunch and exploration at the waterfall.
- One student correctly identified a purple gentian using my wildflower book. Another student helped me identify a rattlesnake plantain (a plant, not an animal!)
During the trip, Catie remarked that we’d done a good job of providing lots of choices for the students. Her observation reminded me that choice is one of the keys to success on a Sure Foot trip. We follow the Montessori principal of letting children have freedom within very clear boundaries. Therefore, the guides’ role is to provide very clear options for almost all aspects of the trip. We do not say, “Do whatever you want!” We do not program every moment of the trip. Instead, in each situation, we provide two or three options that we (the adults) are comfortable with. On this trip, we were able to say, “What do you want to do next? We can go on a bushwacking, exploration adventure, we can take a day hike to the waterfall, or we can begin building a fire.” In this way, the kids truly take ownership over their experience, but we as guides have control over the options.
In almost every case, the students on this trip chose the more difficult, more adventurous option. We adults had to keep up–and we did so joyfully!
After our previous trip, which ended with rain, cold, and frustration, this trip was uplifting. One student declared, “I want to stay here as long as we can!”
Me too!
To view more photos of our trip, visit the Sure Foot Adventures Facebook page.
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