Kingfisher Cumberland Camping
March 3rd, 2010 Cumberland Island, First-time Backpacking, Kingfisher Academy, Overnight, Swimming, Tree ClimbingNo Responses » Read or Post Your Own
I couldn’t resist the alliteration in the title of this post!
Last week, Ms. McGinnis (a middle-school teacher at Kingfisher Academy) and I took a group of twelve 9-13 year olds on a 4-day, 3-night camping trip on Cumberland Island National Seashore on the coast of Georgia. For those of you not familiar with Cumberland, it is my favorite place in the United States. From the jungle of live oak trees, saw palmettos, and Spanish moss to the wild horses to the pristine beaches, Cumberland is an exquisite place to be outdoors.
I’m always excited to introduce new people to the island, and this group of students from Kingfisher Academy were in for a treat! February is one of the best times to visit Cumberland because the gnats and mosquitos are not out yet and it is still sometimes warm enough to soak in the sun at the beach. On this trip, we experienced the best day possible: 75 degree temperatures, full sun, no bugs, and an island virtually to ourselves because the ferry doesn’t run on Tuesdays.
Though rain was predicted on Monday and Wednesday, nature smiled on us and only produced a slight drizzle both days. Enough to get us damp, but not soaked to the bone.
Despite this good fortune, this was still a most difficult trip. Not only were these students relatively young (four days out is a long time for 9-10 year olds), but this was the longest camping trip most of them had been on, the first camping trip for some, and the first time away from parents overnight for one or two. As a result, our group had to learn a camp routine and develop comfort sleeping and living in the woods. We were not without a good deal of complaining, but I saw a lot of growth in the kids.
Some kids refused to wear “dirty” clothes, insisting on changing into “clean” ones (sometimes twice a day), but on our last evening when the temperature was dropped into the mid-30s, all the kids quickly put on multiple layers when I asked them to - no matter if they had any “clean” clothes left.
One girl slept really poorly the first night, laying awake listening to the sounds of the forest. The next night, feeling more comfortable, she slept like a rock.
We developed lots of routines: dish washing and tooth brushing after meals, where to put trash, where to keep our food safe from raccoons, always zipping up the tent when you leave it, etc.
At the end of the trip when Ms. McGinnis asked the students what they were most proud of, and it was a joy to hear their answers: completing a 7.5 mile hike, having a quiet moment watching the bright moon at night, and my favorite, just coming on this trip!
Though we stayed in Sea Camp all three nights, we were not at all sedentary. I’m not sure if you can be with kids this age. The first day, we set up camp and then spent the rest of the day combing the beach for sea life and running. This group ran around more than any other group I’ve been with. No wonder we were all in bed by 9pm each night!
On Tuesday, in the glorious 75-degree weather that I previously described, we took a 5-mile day hike to Dungeness, a ruined Carnegie mansion from the early 1900s. We visited Raccoon Keys and searched (mostly fruitlessly) for sharks teeth. We saw 9 wild horses. We visited the salt marshes on the southern end of the island, and took a long walk back to camp along the beach.
We even got to go swimming…well, sort of. My rule was that no one goes in the water unless I do, and it was so beautiful on Tuesday that I decided it would be okay. We splashed in the waves, got thoroughly wet, and then had to rinse the salt water off our bodies in ice cold showers! But it was worth it!
That night, the kids collected wood, built a pyre, and lit the fire. We roasted marshmallows, made s’mores, and told stories.
The next day we cleaned up camp and tightened the guy-lines on our tents in case of rain and then took a 7.5 mile day hike to Stafford Beach and back. This was not easy for the kids. 7.5 miles is the longest hike I’ve taken them on this year and it started drizzling when were a mile from camp. Prepared, we put on our rain gear and continued. Though blisters, sore ankles, knees and legs hobbled us, we did it! And at least one student learned it’s better to not wear short socks with high-top basketball shoes.
Though the rain soaked some of our firewood, the kids (and me and Ms. McGinnis) were diligent and stashed enough wood under the tarp for a fire on our last morning. The students built a pyre the previous night and covered it with my pack cover. So on Thursday morning, I awoke before everyone and used their pyre to light the fire. We toasted our bagels, drank tea and cocoa, then packed up camp to leave.
We were all very ready to go home, but leaving Cumberland is still bittersweet for me - especially since the clouds cleared and blue skies and sun streamed down through the Spanish moss as we backpacked to the ferry on Thursday morning. 
Despite the chilly wind, I couldn’t help but sit on the upper deck of the ferry to wish the island adieu. Most of the kids fell asleep on benches in the heated cabin of the ferry.
I can’t wait for my next journey to Cumberland Island in the fall. Be on the lookout for our announcement (in May) of our next Cumberland Island trip open to the general public.
No Responses » Read or Post Your Own
Kingfisher Day Hike
February 2nd, 2010 Day Hike, Kingfisher AcademyNo Responses » Read or Post Your Own
In January, I got to take a Day Hike with the Komodo Dragons middle school class at Kingfisher Academy. Though almost every outdoors program at Kingfisher has fallen on a rainy day this school year, our day hike was a beautiful blue sky day with temperatures in the 60s!
We decided to go to Kennesaw Mountain for three reasons: (1) It’s only a 25 minute drive from school; (2) The mountain provides a beautiful, difficult, and varied hike; and (3) The Civil War history of the park is particularly relevant to today.
Let’s start with (3): I thought the students would be intrigued by the query about the battle that I presented: “If the Union had not been able to win the Atlanta Campaign, Lincoln probably wouldn’t have been re-elected; and without Lincoln as President, the Confederacy may not have been defeated; and slavery may not have ended for another 20 or 30 years. How would that affect America today?” Of course, much of this is speculation, but what an intriguing question! Where would race relations be today? Where would our economy be? Would the South still be a separate nation? Could Obama have been elected?
Despite my interest in these questions, the students were more intrigued by the cannons and earthworks on the mountain. Luckily I’m not just a social historian and know a little bit about military history.
On top of the mountain, we were able to see all the way to Stone Mountain, Perimeter Mall, Buckhead, Midtown, and Downtown. Buzzards circled in the sky. We even saw a hawk (though another hiker claimed it was an eagle).
One of my favorite aspects of day hikes is watching participants discover new things about themselves. I saw one young woman thrive in the outdoors and lead much of our hike. Another young man actually brought plastic zipper bags to collect “specimens.” He and I walked in the rear of the group much of the time, finding insects, rocks, and even some coyote feces (which I still have sitting on the desk in my office–I have to remember to bring it to school next Tuesday).
We even explored a small cave that we found in the “Pigeon Rocks” area of the park.
Though the group was exuberant and very competent, by the end of our hike, spirits were down and legs were dragging. I see this happen regularly on hikes and often wonder whether I should plan shorter distances. However, I see great merit in helping people learn that they can do more than they thought they could. Nevertheless, it’s always a balance between too “easy” and too “hard” of a hike.
This one was lots of fun, and I look forward to the next time in the woods with these students - ON CUMBERLAND ISLAND!
No Responses » Read or Post Your Own
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.
No Responses » Read or Post Your Own
define your path
- Our partners include:
