Cumberland Island Backcountry Adventure (Nov 2011)

November 30th, 2011 Backpacking,Cumberland Island

The Big Picture: In early November, we took a small group to my favorite place in America: Cumberland Island, Georgia. I feel so lucky to live so close to such a fabulous place. Often, when planning a Cumberland Island adventure, I worry that I’ll someday get bored with the island. But after fourteen visits in the last nine years, I’m still hooked! On this trip, my goal was to introduce the participants to the basics of backpacking and camping and be their guide in exploring a place that’s close to my heart. Our group of six included four adults and two kids.

Chilly mornings: Though the weather report showed temperatures rising into the low-70s by the end of the weekend, when we woke up and boarded the ferry on Friday morning, it was cold! We bundled up and looked for warmth from the sun in the clear blue sky. Luckily, it warmed up by late-morning and we were able to take off coats, fleeces and hats. The fire kept us warm in the evening. But Friday night was cold and both of our adult participants woke up shivering (the boys slept like rocks, warm as bugs in a rug, somehow). We resolved to use hot-water bottles on Saturday night.

Living in Live Oaks: The live oak trees draped with Spanish moss that grow everywhere on Cumberland Island are the most striking thing when you arrive on the island. There is one particular tree growing about a mile from the ferry dock that I love to climb. When brought the boys to it, they got excited – and then scampered up into its knarled branches. For the rest of their stay on the island, the boys (particularly the 14-year-old) spent most of their time in trees. If his mom (and me) had not said “no,” I suspect he would have slept all night in a live oak above our tents!

The Beach: Perhaps this is a special place because you can walk for miles on the Cumberland beach without seeing other humans? Maybe it’s the wild horses that we’ve several times watched strolling on the beach at sunset? Maybe it’s the amazing number of whelk and horseshoe crab shells that you can find? Maybe its the blue sky and calm ocean? Camping at Stafford Campsite is wonderful because it’s only a short walk across the dunes to the beach, where our participants spent a good deal of time.

Hike to an Abandoned Mansion: On Saturday, three of us took a 10-mile round-trip hike to Plum Orchard mansion – the winter home for the Carnegie family. When we were welcomed to the mansion grounds by wild horses…and by a ranger who led us on a tour of newly-renovated mansion. We had a relaxing lunch in the sun under the live oak trees next to the mansion’s white columns.

Hitchhiking on a Sailboat: Surprisingly, despite the long hike, there were 20-30 people at Plum Orchard. Then we realized that there was a regatta of sailboats from Jacksonville, Florida anchored in the Brickhill River next to the mansion grounds. While talking with some of the boaters, I asked if they would be willing to sail me back to the mainland – I’ve always loved strange hitchhiking stories. The captain of one boat gave a hesitant yes, but I didn’t push the envelope. But someday when I’m on Cumberland by myself, I plan to hitchhike back home on a sailboat!

If I could sum up this backpacking trip in three words, they would be: Tree-climbing, Horses, Exercise

To view more photos from this adventure, visit our Facebook page.

Kingfisher Academy Tree Club

November 30th, 2011 Classes,Kingfisher Academy,Outdoors Education

This school year, Jonah is leading an ongoing program called “Tree Club” with elementary students at Kingfisher Academy in Atlanta. Every two weeks, this group travels to an intown greenspace to study trees, explore the woods, and hike. We learn about two more trees each week and we’ve posted a blog about our adventures and our trees.

Visit the Tree Club blog by clicking on this link or on the photo to the right!

B*ATL Bicycle Tour

November 30th, 2011 Bicycle Tour

Now that it’s winter, we’re catching up on some past-due blog posts. Expect more stories about trips from the spring and summer of 2011 to be posted in the next weeks.

Jonah leads bicycle tours of the Battle of Atlanta and was the tour guide for the annual B*ATL Festival’s bicycle tour in July 2011. This tour takes cyclists through many of the modern Atlanta neighborhoods where the Battle of Atlanta was fought during the Civil War 150 years ago. We bike from East Atlanta to Edgewood to Inman Park to Cabbagetown to Grant Park to Ormewood…then return to East Atlanta, where some of the first shots of the battle were fought. Though only a very few of the remains of the Atlanta fortifications are still visible in Grant Park, we cycled past the Lowes were General Logan led his famous charge, over the I-20 Interstate Overpass that used to be Leggett’s Hill (the central point of the battle) and through the MARTA station where DeGress’s battery once stood. Below are some photos of the tour (click on each photo to view a larger version):

Summer 2011 Day Hikes

November 30th, 2011 Day Hike

Now that it’s winter, we’re catching up on some past-due blog posts. Expect more stories about trips from the spring and summer of 2011 to be posted in the next weeks.

This summer, we led day hikes to Rabun Bald and Emery Creek Falls. Though the weather was hot, we had beautiful views from the peak of Rabun Bald (the second tallest mountain in Georgia) and cool water (including swimming) at Emery Creek. Below are some photos of our hikes (click on each photo to view a larger version):

2011 Arbor Montessori Backpacking Trip

November 29th, 2011 Arbor Montessori,Backpacking

Now that it’s winter, we’re catching up on some past-due blog posts. Expect more stories about trips from the spring and summer of 2011 to be posted in the next weeks.

The Big Picture: In April 2011, Sure Foot took a group of 8th grade boys on a 3-day backpacking adventure before their graduation. We completed the 13-mile Jacks River Trail loop (including 16 river crossings) in barely 3 days. We had superb weather and were even able to take a dip in the icy cold Jacks River water. Because these young men were so experienced in the woods, Tyler and I (the Sure Foot guides for this trip) were able to help them have many adventures that would be beyond other groups.

Our Adventures…

Hiking: These young men were athletic, hard-core hikers. When I gave them the choice of a short first day or a long first day, they chose the long hike. Though we barely arrived at our campsite before dark, they were strong hikers – even with 25 lb packs!

Tree Climbing: I had been talking up my “favorite climbing tree in Georgia” from the moment we stepped onto the trail. This 70 ft hemlock tree has recently become infested with the wooly adelgid, which will slowly kill it. But for now, I love this stately tree, which allows you to safely climb over 60 ft into its canopy.

River Crossings: This trail has 16 river crossings – and no bridges. Though we’ve hiked this route in late fall and early spring, April is a great month to do it because your feet don’t get quite so cold. Though we all picked up walking sticks to help ourselves cross the river, everyone was very self-sufficient and sure-footed. (Though, of course, we each took an accidental dip at some point.)

Fire by Friction: Tyler taught the boys and me how to make fire by friction. On our second night, we were able to avoid using matches or lighters to cook our meal.

River Exploration: Our our second campsite, the boys spent hours exploring the river, building bridges from logs, and hopping from rock to rock. I, however, was the only person willing to jump into the river on our cold third morning!

Graduation: Each of our participants graduated from Arbor Montessori School this spring. I hope they can use these photos as their graduation shots…

  

If I could sum up this backpacking trip in three words, they would be: relaxing, adventurous, and varied

Spring Kingfisher Camping Trip

November 29th, 2011 Backpacking,Camping,Kingfisher Academy

Now that it’s winter, we’re catching up on some past-due blog posts. Expect more stories about trips from the spring and summer of 2011 to be posted in the next weeks.

The Big Picture: We’ve been working with Kingfisher Academy students for several years now, and by the Spring of 2011, the middle school students were virtually pros at camping. With beautiful weather, we set out for a two-day camping trip near the Chattooga River. Because this group of students had so much experience camping (they had even been on a full-fledged backpacking trip in the fall), our goals on this trip were to introduce them to some of the flora and fauna of north Georgia, learn some fire-by-friction skills, and have fun!

Activities: Though we walked 1/2 mile to our campsite, this didn’t tire the students out. The sun was shining, so we went down to a sandy beach along the Chattooga and swam. I’m still amazed that the kids stayed in the water as long as they did (it was kind of chilly to me!) but this was a group of water lovers. Unfortunately, we heard thunder that evening, and had to set up a large tarp structure to stay dry around the fire that evening. Sarah and Tyler (two of our guides) gave lessons on making fire using a bow-drill. The next day, we took a day hike and taught each student one native plant that has a special use. The students, in turn, had to teach each other the plant that they were now an expert on.

The plants we learned: Pipsissewa, Tulip Tree, Hemlock, White Pine, Trillium, Rattlesnake Plantain

Graduates: On this trip, we had three students would be graduating from Kingfisher Academy in May. Upon graduation, these students had each been on at least 3 camping trips with me though none of them had ever been camping before coming to the school. I hope these take this experience with them in their lives, knowing they can do anything!

If I had to sum up this camping trip in three words they would be: Capstone, Laughter, Swimming