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.
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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!
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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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