Update from Calwood

Day 1

Yesterday, we arrived to picture perfect Colorado mountain weather - deep blue sky, snow covered slopes and trails, and warm sun. The students and parents went through simultaneous orientations with Cal-Wood staff in separate areas before coming back together as a large group. After separating into cabin-groups, everyone dumped their belongings into the cabin, and immediately got into their learning groups. Fun games followed, all designed to help the Cal-Wood instructors and parent chaperones to learn everyone's names. Each group quickly built a comfort level, and established clear expectations and guidelines for our time here.

After name-games and community-building, each learning group got their first lessons in orienteering, then set out for an orienteering challenge across the 1200 acres of Cal-Wood property. Most of it lies long and narrow through a valley, though the property also goes up to the peaks lining either side of the valley. Students used their topo maps, which had targets for them to find, and went out in small groups to find their check-points hanging from trees in the forests. To say I was impressed with their skills would be an understatement! Their sense of adventure, and their ability to quickly grasp some basic orienteering skills was inspiring. I roamed through the hills and meadows with my camera to observe and take photos, and I saw students working as teams, taking turns breaking trail in snow that was sometimes more than waist-deep! I heard students disagreeing, then finding their way back to agreement in respectful and team-oriented ways. I watched students helping and supporting one another, always looking out for one another.

Some game-time in the lodge was their reward for a job well done in the afternoon. Spontaneous games of Twister, Jenga, Chess, Pictionary, Uno, and even a mini piano performance by Elias provided a nice break before dinner. Speaking of dinner, I had heard that I would be quite pleased by the food service here, and I was not disappointed. Our dinner consisted of chicken and/or vegetable fajitas, with homemade salsa, fruit salad, house salad, and homemade brownies for dessert. We also enjoyed some extra treats to celebrate Bryce's birthday. We learned that our large group can easily overwhelm the acoustics of the cafeteria, and experimented with some ways to control our noise. Throughout dinner, our "hoppers" displayed some excellent leadership skills, helping to set-up, serving as the gatekeeper for the table (who gets up for seconds/bathroom/drinks/etc., and when). Every student will have an opportunity to serve as "hopper" during our trip.

Perhaps the highlight of day one was the night hike. Flashlights, headlamps, and cameras were forbidden, and we set out deep into the forests and meadows to experience our surroundings, while also learning about the dynamics of night-vision. We were treated to a trademark Colorado sky, with Mars and Venus in plain view backed by constellations aplenty. Experiments with wintergreen lifesavers, pirate-patch eyes, and detail recognition served as "learning stops" along the trail. The hike was topped off with a solo-hike experience, where each student and adult had the opportunity to hike, completely alone, from one point to another on the trail. When discussing this experience afterward, students said that while waiting for their turn to start hiking, it seemed like the person in front of them had completely disappeared from sight, and there was absolutely no sound. Many had the courage to admit feeling a bit intimidated, but also found it to be an incredibly powerful experience once they started moving along the trail. As if on-cue, a couple of owls began hooting their encouragement of our group from nearby. The relief and pride they felt when they reached the waiting group on the other end was palpable.

Sleep came easily for most, and evidence of their quality rest showed up with many early-wakers this morning. Breakfast is about to begin, so I'll end this update now and will write again at my next opportunity. We'll be outside all day today, doing some significant hikes and outdoor lessons, and won't be back to the lodge until this evening's dinner. Happy trails! - Kevin

Day 2

Our second day at Cal-Wood was a full-day spent mostly outdoors. The weather, again, was picture perfect: warm sun, light breeze, blue sky, and plenty of snow on the ground. Most students were comfortable without jackets, especially during some strenuous hikes and snowshoe outings. For this day, each learning group was off doing something different. Some groups were getting their first lessons and challenges on the orienteering course, others were learning about tracking, and still others were out on snowshoes for a significant distance. One group even went out to the old Calvert family homestead, maintained in it's 1901 condition. Most groups packed their lunch and had their lunch out on the trail.

Along the way, each group's instructor managed to weave in some great lessons, often disguised as fun games and challenges. I was impressed with every instructor here! They really know their stuff, and were quite skilled with our students! Teambuilding continued in sometimes subtle ways, and other times it was the clear focus of the activity. Students learned new conflict management skills too!

The foundation was clearly being established for the big event coming up on day 3...the Predator vs. Prey game. Students were learning everything they needed to know to be successful: orienteering, navigation, backcountry safety, teamwork and communication, forest ecology, wildlife ecology, food chains, human impacts on wildlife and natural areas...and the list goes on!

Our day led us into another incredible dinner - this time it was pulled pork, au gratin potatoes, fresh veggies and salad, fruit, fresh-baked bread, and a great strawberries and ice-cream dessert. To say students had worked up an appetite was an understatement! I don't think we left a morsel of anything!

To cap-off the day, the whole group gathered around the campfire to enjoy each cabin-group's presentation of their skits. Students had been given some time in their cabins before dinner to plan their skits based on the topic they were given. The creativity and energy was infectious around the fire as each group took their turn "on stage" under the stars. The group chant of "lights, camera, action!" kicked off each group's turn, and all the flashlights and headlamps lit-up the "stage". One of the surprise highlights was a rap-performance, all about wild animal scat, by the Flagstaff teachers. The students loved it, but I don't think we're in danger of losing any teachers to the hip-hop music industry any time soon!

After roasting some marshmallows, and celebrating another successful day, everyone headed back to the cabins for a well-earned sleep. Late in the evening, a few students did get sick, and I really appreciate the parents who ventured up to Cal-Wood to pick up their kids. We were so sad to see them go, but we knew they'd feel better in their own beds at home. I was impressed with the way that many students helped gather the belongings together for the students who needed to head home. They'll be missed on day 3, but we sent them home with all our well-wishes.

Good night, and we'll see you back at Flagstaff tomorrow afternoon! - Kevin