3 - Are we there yet?
Yesterday I went hiking and forgot to pack a snack. Never again! Psst…extra food is actually one of the day hike essentials.
I enjoy getting lost in a good forest. By lost I mean taking the wrong turn at a fork and realizing 20 minutes later. It’s an easy fix, unless you’re at a 4-way crossroad and you take the wrong turn twice. Don’t fret — we still made it back in time for dinner.
A wise man once told me to stop and look back once in a while, to make sure I know what the way will look like from the other side. This is a strong piece of advice, not just for hiking but for life in general. When you pause to reflect along the way, your failure becomes learning experience. So here’s to learning.
A moose standing in Sprague Lake. Apparently, moose regularly love to chill in this lake.
After many learning experiences, I’ve come up with a list of the 5 bare essentials I use when on short (less than 4 hour) day hikes. I am no outdoor expert (yet), so I highly recommend checking out the official 10 essentials, courtesy of the National Park Service. But let’s be real, I don’t own a compass (yet). You should at least bring:
More water than you think is necessary
A salty snack
An extra layer for warmth
Sunscreen, 50 SPF or higher
A fully charged phone with the local Google or AllTrails map downloaded
I carry these items, among other things, around with me during the environmental education classes. These are stored in an oversized 38L backpack, because the packing list recommended at least 30L and I’m a recovering overachiever.
One of the gorgeous views on our way back from Sprague Lake.
We are now at the halfway point, with 4 weeks of teaching under our belt, and 4 more to go. The small hills that used to leave me breathless are literally a walk in the park now. One of my colleagues phrased our job as “moving kids”, and that is spot on. We rally students and chaperones from one spot to another, providing information and igniting curiosity along the way. Where does water come from? What did this place look like 15,000 years ago?
Earlier this week, I felt a bit emotional when discussing climate change with a group of 5th grade students from an urban part of Colorado. We were sitting in a circle, in the moraine — the area of land carved out by massive glaciers. The snowy Rocky Mountains were right by us, and I had just shown them photos of glaciers melting over decades. I was talking about how important everyone is in building a future that we are proud of. Scientists, artists, historians, and many other roles all have their part in this play.
The Kid Laroi performing live in Loveland, Colorado. As I was watching them set up the stage, I had this revelation - when you follow your dreams, you create new opportunities for others as well as yourself. Artists need sound engineers, security, marketing managers, and more.
One of the kids had told me earlier, I feel like I’m going crazy from not being on my screen so much. He meant it in a positive way, but the comment snapped me back to a reality that I am so familiar with. I used to spend 6+ hours on my phone daily (not including laptop or iPad screen time). This is normal for a lot of us. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children 8-10 years old spend 6 hours a day on average in front of a screen. This increases to 9 hours a day on average for children 11-14 years old.
Teaching outdoors for most of the day was a daunting idea at first. I used to spend my days in the office, apartment, car, store, or other types of sturdy boxes. I was far from outdoorsy. Now, I’m convinced that having a good time outside is the solution to many of our problems. Humans benefit from connecting with nature (psst…we are nature).
When I was younger, I believed that being successful fabulously well-to-do and having a good reputation were very important. Once I got that college degree, it finally dawned on me that feeling joy and building community was very important-er.
Working together to help mold the minds of the future builds community quickly. When you’ve got one kid hitting the floor with a stick, another one banging two sticks together, and still another one wandering away from the group, it’s the perfect time to support each other in making order out of the chaos. Some days are tougher than others, and that’s when I remind myself that I believe in the mission of the work, and that the heartwarming moments far outweigh the challenging ones.