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Adventures in Tracking

It was a jam-packed, fun-filled, snow-covered day to wrap up our Winter FOREST semester! The day began with a simulation of predator and prey relationships involving lots of movement to keep us warm! Next, we learned about the different types of tracks in the forest—the differences between canine and feline tracks, a ground bird and flying bird track, and finally how to distinguish a rabbit track (Nevada shaped) from a squirrel track (square shaped).

Tracks in the snow

Today in Wild Ways, we dove headlong into wildlife tracking! Many mammals can be elusive—so much so that a person may be inclined to think that there are not a whole lot of animals traversing the landscape. Not so! As soon as the snows come, we get a glimpse of how widespread these creatures are! Turns out, they are all over the place, right under our noses, hunting, avoiding being hunted, eating, sleeping, scent-marking, and so much more!

BUILDING QuinzeeS

It was so lovely to be out in the snow today! We had a great day full of lots of snow-related hard work. As students arrived, we got right to work, excavating a circle from the snow for our morning activities. We piled the snow in a ring around our cleared space, as well as in heaps that we turned into mini snow chairs.

A winter harvest

It was a cold morning, but with good layers and the warmth of the sun, we were comfortable and ready to go. We started off our day at Wild Ways welcoming a few new teens to the program, and then rolled into a Flying Deer classic, Bobcat Dodgeball! We reminded the teens that not only is this a game but a strategy for building their awareness and agility, two important aspects of moving in tune with the wilderness.

weasels, Voles, and other living things

We started our day milling about in the snowy field. Piling up snow and snowball fights kept us busy until we had our morning circle and a big game of Weasels and Voles. This game gives us an inside look on the life of voles in the winter time and weasels their ravenous and hungry predator. Most of the weasel and vole action happens under the snows surface and most often in their tunnels, so we made our own tunnels and hunted away!

The cobble in Winter

We celebrated our reunion in our Opening Circle as a large group this morning and talked about our goals for the next four weeks. We were graciously interrupted for a moment as a Red-Tailed Hawk swooped right into a tree nearby. What a nice visit! We talked about what other animals it might be hunting and imagined what it would be like to have to pay attention all the time if we were but a bit smaller. A good reminder to pay attention ourselves, to catch special moments like these that we might otherwise miss!

last day of FOREST

The weather today hinted at the coming winter, which was fitting. Light snowflakes enchanted the landscape and made for a nice backdrop to our final day together this fall. It’s been a full semester—building a village in the woods, crafting, engaging with the forest, and building connections with each other.

Wild Ways Thanksgiving Celebration

Today we unveiled the pots that were fired last week. They looked beautiful. We hope these gorgeous pots will find a good use at home. We also unveiled the buckskin which we finished last week. We will craft something with our pieces on our final week.

Although it was rainy, blustery and cold, we gathered for a story about the real historical adventure tale that surrounds the Thanksgiving story—which happens to be so much better!

Hot CHAGA-late in the Sunshine

The day began with some silence and a moment of gratitude. We continued with a song to bring our hearts together, “I can feel my heart beat…” And rounded off our day circle with a reminder, we are stronger together as one of the Explorers attempted to break many sticks bundled together.

We broke out into a wild running game to warm our bones and challenge our speed and agility: “Fire in the Forest!” Animals have to make it from one safe place to another to survive the fire in the forest (a noodle-handed staff member). We sat in the sunshine and enjoyed our snacks in the cool grass. The air was filled with stories, “would you rathers,” and laughter.

STories of PEACe

I can’t begin to express how beautiful the day was. Sunny, warm, and filled with good times with these amazing students!

We began the day in two separate groups, orienting to the day, and playing some games with a teamwork theme in the field.