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October 30, 2010
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Spring Family Camping Trip

June 13th, 2010 Overnight, Tree Climbing

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We knew when these families registered for the Spring Family Camping Trip that this adventure would be special. Five of the kids are separated in age by only a few years and the parents are interesting, laid-back people. The trip also included a 14-year-old (and we love camping with teens) and a 15-month old (we’ll get back to that story in a bit)!

This camping trip included something for everyone: a cool stream to play in and friends to play with for the younger kids, a tree to climb for the 14-year-old, nap time for one mom, and blue skies for everyone!

The moment we arrived at our camp on the bank of the clear mountain stream near Raven Cliff Falls, the kids threw off their shoes and waded into the water. They built dams, skipped rocks, splashed, laughed (and got their clothes wet again and again). Watching this, the words of one of the dads are still with me: “In the woods, I feel like I can just trust my kids’ abilities and let them explore. It makes me feel like I’m a great dad!”

Some moments that I particularly loved seeing:

One boy collected snails and built a small snail-garden with leaves and rocks in the middle of our camp.

The 14-year-old grinned widely as we packed more and more of his family’s gear on his back. He behaved like an old-pro in the woods, despite this being his first backcountry camping trip.

After I taught her our dish and hand-washing system, one 5-year-old girl took it upon herself to make sure there was always fresh water so people could stay clean. I loved watching her periodically check the water, and then refill our portable “kitchen sink” from the creek as she felt it was necessary.

As we began cooking dinner on Saturday night, one mom went to her tent to get some supplies. We didn’t see her again for 45 minutes! When she emerged, she exclaimed, “I didn’t mean to take a nap, but it was GREAT!” I’m so glad a camping trip can be that relaxing for a mother of three.

Though rain had been forecasted for the weekend, the storm came through on Friday and the sun broke through the clouds the moment we turned on to the Richard Russell Scenic Highway. As a result, we leisurely set up camp and had a lunch of sandwiches, apples, and dried fruit. Afterwards, we set out on a day hike.

On our previous family camping trip at this location, a group that included a 3-year-old had completed the 5-mile hike to Raven Cliff Falls - a spectacular waterfall dropping through a fissure in the cliff. So we departed camp confident of reaching our destination. The 15-month-old was in a backpack and the second youngest child was four. After a mile of hiking, we took a break at an intermediate (and also beautiful) waterfall. We took off our shoes, waded in the water, and scrambled across rocks. All the kids got soaked, and who could blame them! After awhile, we put our shoes back on, and to my surprise all decided to hike back to camp and have dinner. It was a great decision for our group and solidified my belief that trip leaders must pay attention to the needs of the group, not the destination. So what that we didn’t make it to Raven Cliff Falls? We had a great adventure and got to have a leisurely evening around camp.

The 14-year-old, however, was a bit disappointed about our choice. He was good-natured and really cared for the younger kids (see the photo of him napping with his little sister), but he was also very athletic and energetic and wanted ADVENTURE. So that evening, after everyone else went to their tents, he and I took a night hike - without headlamps! We waited until our eyes adjusted and then used our intuition and the faint moonlight to take accurate steps along the trail. I’ve done this kind of hike with groups of teens, but never in such a small group. We usually make it 50 feet before the kids beg to turn the lights back on…but not with this young man. We walked almost two miles in the dark. We snuck past other campers huddled (with non-adjusted eyes) around their campfires, we found bioluminescence on a rock, and we scrambled down to a waterfall and sat in the moonlight next to the ghostly water. For someone who was new to camping, this young man was very impressive.

The next morning, we arose to coffee, tea, cocoa, bagels and oatmeal prepared by Dana. The kids wanted a fire, so I helped them build one. And while I was helping the adults pack up camp, Dana took the kids on a creek-walking adventure. They found a rope swing over the creek (which they later showed me) and did some bushwacking (a favorite type of adventure for kids). But the sweetest thing I saw that morning was that Adrienne (the mom of the famous accidental nap) finished styling her 4-year-old daughter’s hair and then proceeded to do both other girls’ hair as well. It was the first time I’ve seen participants leave the woods looking more stylish than when they arrived.

Finally, during all of our adventures, remember that we were accompanied by a 15-month-old. When Dana and I were helping the kids use the bathroom in the woods, her parents were changing her diaper. When we were eating our sandwiches, she was nursing. When we were hiking, she was on her daddy’s back.

She rarely cried and instead toddled around camp looking at snails and picking up sticks, all with a big grin on her face. On our last adventure of the weekend, wading through the creek, she even joined us in only her diaper.

Will we take another toddler on a camping trip? Yes, of course, but these parents have taught us the right questions to ask families beforehand: How does your child sleep in unfamiliar places? What are his eating habits? Does she mind being held by strangers?

Everyone who was a part of this trip was glad to have a 15-month-old along, and for my part, if I could take this group of families to the woods every weekend, I would!

For more photos, please visit our Facebook page.

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Kingfisher Cumberland Camping

March 3rd, 2010 Cumberland Island, First-time Backpacking, Kingfisher Academy, Overnight, Swimming, Tree Climbing

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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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Wind, Water & Wisdom Backpacking Trip

August 17th, 2009 First-time Backpacking, Overnight, Swimming, Tree Climbing

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We just completed a wonderful - and tiring - 4-day backpacking trip with the new school, Wind, Water & Wisdom and several other homeschool families. Aged 11-15, these kids thrived in the woods, collecting millipedes, salamanders, frogs, bugs, and other fun critters. Camp was often chaotic, but everyone pitched in when needed, and our group began more efficient with each day we stayed in the woods.

All of our pre-trip nervousness and stress disappeared the moment we walked into the woods. It’s amazing how the forest can bring peace back in my life.

We stepped onto the Benton MacKaye Trail with excitement and awe, and soon arrived at our first night’s campsite at Peter’s Cove. The evening was filled with

…”hobo meals,” s’mores, and more.

Because few of our hikers had been on a backpacking trip before, we had a lot of teaching to do - how to best pack and adjust packs, how to set up tents, where to collect the best firewood, etc. But we never had to teach the love of nature to these kids. In the midst of J.S. and me trying to toss ropes for hanging food bags, I lodged our rock (tied to the rope) in the crook of the tree. Afraid that we had “donated” our rope to the tree, we called H.S. over, who scampered up the tree, untangled our rope, and then hung the rope from above!

Few of us slept well the first night (as is typical on backpacking trips), and Day Two was our longest day with the most elevation gain. Though the uphill was difficult, we collected wild blackberries, told stories, and took long breaks to climb trees. We made it to camp alongside the Jacks River, waded and bathed in its water, cooked a huge meal of pasta and sauce, and ran to our tents as the sky opened up and rain poured down on us.

The tents held, but the sky didn’t clear until after noon. When it did, we packed up and began the first of our 14 river crossings that day. Everyone completed the crossings masterfully, and we escaped the river without anyone washing downstream. We only got wet when we chose to!

That night, we celebrated H.S.’s 14th birthday with cheesecake and candles. R.D. also turned 14 the day after our trip.

On a trip such as this, the “lessons” of nature are not always evident. The kids (and adults) were so at home in the woods, that we encountered few difficult situations. Even in the rain and fog on Wednesday morning, everyone was upbeat and generally positive. However, a few moments stick out in my mind:

One young man’s mother had told me that he had a very difficult time on his last trip to the woods, so I was paying extra attention to his well-being. In the middle of the night, I looked out of my tent window and saw a light coming from the fire-ring. This young man wasn’t able to sleep. Instead of tossing and turning and waking up his tent-mates, he had coaxed our fire back to life and was sitting near it warming himself, deep in thought. I was impressed that the person I thought would need the most help on our trip was so self-sufficient. He and I talked for a few minutes around the fire, and then went back to our respective tents in the hopes of sleep.

Another young man, smaller than his peers, had trouble adjusting his own pack, much less picking it up and putting it on. He regularly asked me to carry his pack or at least remove some of its gear. I was confident he was not carrying too much weight, so I always responded, “We’re all a team on this trip, and that’s your part of our gear to carry.” Still, every time we stopped for a break, Josh or I had to lift his pack onto his pack and snap together his waist belt. Then, on the last day, on our last stop, I suggested to this young man that he get a head start on the rest of the group. His eyes lit up, he stood up with his pack, fastened his own waist belt, adjusted his shoulder straps, and set off hiking.

One young woman, in particular, was amazingly self-sufficient. She ate what was put before her, efficiently packed her own pack, and periodically chose to walk in the rear of the group, in solidarity with the slower hikers. When one participant’s pack was not fitting well, she was willing to trade packs, even though the new one was not as comfortable. She adjusted her straps and made it work. Even when she got blisters, once I showed her how to bandage herself, from then on, she doctored herself, sitting next to me as I wrapped other people’s blisters. This confidence and self-sufficiency comes naturally to her, but it is also a testament to her comfort in the wilderness. She was the 2nd youngest person on our trip!

I was privileged to lead a trip with such amazing kids. Though I’ve barely mentioned the parents who participated in this backpacking trip, I was impressed at their stamina, laid-back attitude, and gentleness with the children. Without their accompaniment, my job would have been much more difficult.

So, we exited the woods having built deeper community and grown more comfortable living outside of civilization. I can’t wait until our next excursion. What a wonderful group of monkeys!

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