We started the week by getting to know each other, creating our group contract, and having a discussion about how to prepare for a hike.  What should we bring?  Who should we tell where we are going?  We learned an acronym to remind us of the important things to remember: S.A.F.E.R.

S – Stop and Stay Put if you are lost

A –Always Tell and Adult where you are going

F – Go with a Friend

E – Bring proper Equipment

R – Rest and take care of yourself by eating and drinking water

We set off up the mountain for Aspen Vista.  The plan was for the Bigs (aka Golden Eagles this week) to hike up through the aspens along the ridge through Carl’s Meadow and up to the Quad.  The route was more than a mile with an elevation gain of 1500 feet. A big challenge!  Along the way we stopped to drink water, eat lunch and learn how to use our compasses. We enjoyed the wildflowers, beautiful trees and great views.  It was a cool and  drizzly day.  Fortunately, we were prepared for the rainy outing with the right equipment so everyone stayed (mostly) dry.  ALL of the Golden Eagles made it to the top, which was exhilarating and exciting for the Eagles.  We were in radio contact with the Ladybugs so we called them from the top as they were on their big hike down the mountain from Aspen Vista to the Big Tesuque Campground.

The Littles – aka ladybugs – also hiked through a light rain and chilly weather –  but the brave ladybugs persevered.  We did ladybug dances to stay warm. As the ladybugs ate lunch we learned about the directions and how to make a compass with a needle and water. We looked at maps of the mountain and spent the rest of the hike looking out for landmarks and other ways to tell where we were on the map. By the end of the hike, we were tired ladybugs we wanted to rest.  We read ‘Oh The Places You’ll Go’ and hung out by the river as it began to warm up.  After our big hike we warmed up in the bus with some singing, the Animal Game, and a lot of silliness.

Tuesday was another fun day  – on our way up the mountain we sung songs: the Bear Song, the Bumblebee Song, and Black Socks to name a few.  The Little Ladybugs started our hike in Hyde Park and hiked about a half a mile to the waterfall.  We all got a chance to do some bouldering after plenty of time learning the safest way to climb a rock.  Counselor Mike spotted us one at a time as we learned to spot steady holds and climbed up – just far enough to be safe and exciting at the same time!  As we hiked down we played Landmark Telephone and paused to listen  – to the water, to the birds, and the other sounds of the forest. At the end of the hike, Mike taught us how to make rope and paint brushes out of yucca – a great wilderness skill!  Some of us painted with the yucca in our nature journals and some made rope for binding their journal.

On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles arrived at the trailhead of the Borrego-Bear Wallow Trail with the intention of some Mountain Kids doing the entire 4-mile loop and some doing the Bear Wallow Trail out and back (about a mile shorter).  They had a choice.  It should not have surprised me that they ALL chose to challenge themselves with the longer hike. These are Mountain Kids Super Hikers, after all!  Along the way we saw a lot of interesting and beautiful things. We saw many beautiful wildflowers (and pressed a few), examined a tent caterpillar nest, and learned about how to tell the age of an evergreen  – without cutting it down.   With games to drink water, riddles, the A-Z Animal Game, the Birthday Challenge  – a group problem solving game, and some orienteering, we learned and had fun as we hiked along. We had lunch at the Tesuque River and had time for free play in the water.  What a beautiful spot on a hot summers day, and ALL of the kids completed the 4-mile loop.  We are definitely a group of Super Hikers!

Wednesday.  The Golden Eagles were at Base Camp today for a lot of learning about Wilderness Skills.  We completed an orienteering course, learned about three types of survival shelters and built one of the three with a team.  We learned some knots and used them to make a travois – a stretcher that can be made with sticks and ropes to carry an injured person.  The best part was when we got to practice using it!

We made paintbrushes out of yucca plants, pressed flowers and made maps for our journals.  We played Capture the Flag and Alaskan Football and had a discussion of how a pinecone spreads its seeds.  It was a busy day of learning, discovering, and fun.

On Wednesday, the Lady Bugs adventured to the Rio en Medio for some hiking, water play, and the opportunity to see poison ivy in real life!  We identified it quickly and cautioned the kids to be aware and not to touch it as they walked by. We also had fun learning how to play Stalker, making watercolor paintings with yucca paintbrushes, and finding Secret Spots while playing by the river.

On Thursday, the Bigs and Littles swapped locations.  The Bigs hiked up to the Rio en Medio waterfall. It was refreshing and beautiful.  To commemorate our accomplishment as Super Hikers this week, each of us received a necklace with four beads to represent our four days with Mountain Kids.

The ladybugs had a sweet day at Base Camp. After such a long week, we were ready to just rest, play games, and make arts and crafts. After learning more about maps, East, West, North, South, and landmarks, the ladybugs went on a small boundary hike. Then we learned about different kinds of forts and outdoor shelters.   First, we drew a picture of a fort, and then we went out collecting sticks to build one. Many of us elected to build smaller forts that we could take home, but several of us worked on a huge fort, big enough to sit in! We finished our nature journals and bound them together with yucca rope that we made. When it got hot we played Drip, Drop, Splash, but made sure to treat the water with respect and not waste too much. It was a really amazing day and so nice to spend time fun a relaxed time together at Base Camp.

What a great start to Mountain Kids Summer 2012 this week has been!

We met at the Children’s Museum for a few games in the morning, played a name game to get to know each other, and created our group contract. We talked about how to keep ourselves and each other safe in the forest. We agreed on some of the things we WANT to have in Mountain Kids, and some that we want to keep out. We “signed” the contract with an outline of our hands.  After a snack, we embarked on our first field trip to Little Tesuque Creek.  There was water flowing this year (phew!) and we did lots of exploring, playing and learning along the way.

Each group chose their group animal name for the week.  The Littles (5-6 year olds) decided to be Cottontail Rabbits, while the Bigs (7-9 year olds) chose to be Bald Eagles. This set up quite a fun role playing dynamic for the week when the Bald Eagles got “hungry” and spied the cottontails nearby – made for some good sneaking and stalking fun!

The Bald Eagles talked about the Four Directions, and oriented ourselves using (NESW) Never Eat Soggy Waffles as a guide.  We talked about how to determine north if you are lost in the woods (and how not to – moss)! We discovered a mysterious and elusive insect called a “Carmelicus”, and also played many games of Camouflage and Stalker.  Several kids invented their own game involving hunting dogs and cottontail rabbits.  We hiked along the creek, had lunch, played in the water, and made our nature journals for the week.

The Cottontail Rabbits learned first about four different animals from which they chose one to be their group animal name. They learned about the white-tailed deer, the fox, the grey haired bat and the cottontail. They choose cottontails, which provided a lot of inspiration for games of hide and seek and lots of hopping around the forest. They got great at finding what we like to call ‘Sit Spots’, places where they can practice using their senses to experience nature all around them in quiet, semi-solitude.

Our second day took us to the Beaver Ponds.  In the morning we learned about adaptations beavers have to help them live in the water.  Thanks to Mike and Spencer for volunteering to dress up as beavers to illustrate these adaptations!   Once at the ponds, we had an opportunity to see real beaver dams (although uninhabited at the moment) and then test our skills at building our own dams.  Digging up the mud was hard work, but it was fun to get dirty (for most!) and many kids enjoyed pretending to kayak in the shallow water with the downed logs.

The Eagles practiced listening to the beautiful sounds around the ponds and learned about and practiced Sit Spots and using four out of our five senses.  They found many little “caves” in the bushes, just perfect for such an activity – they recorded what they could smell, hear, see and touch in their nature journals.

The cottontails built wonderful mini-dams inside aluminum pans and spent time playing in the water. They collected sticks, played games, listened to birds, wind rustling, water rushing, and cattails brushing each other in the pond.

On Thursday morning Heather shared the Forest Carnivore animal trunk from the NM Department of Fish and Game with the kids.  They had the opportunity to touch and see pelts and skulls of many local animals.  Heather shared a lot of interesting facts about each animal as she let kids examine the pelts and skulls.

Our field trip took us further up into the mountains to the Big Tesuque Campground.  Water play here is always a favorite, and we found many beautiful wildflowers to enjoy.

The Bald Eagles hiked up to a close meadow and played Camouflage, Sardines, Robot, made Sound Maps in their journals, and became Human Cameras for one another.  The day concluded with a Mountain Kids Trivia Game where they had to correctly answer 20 questions together as a team about what they learned that day.  They passed with flying colors and each received a piece of chocolate as a reward!  Mmmm.

The Cottontails again found loads of enjoyment in playing in the water and did some arts and crafts: mostly coloring. They found Sit Spots where they focused on one natural object and drew what was in front of them. They shared beautiful pictures with the rest of the group. We hiked up to the meadow and played more games. By the end, the Cottontails were tuckered out and we sat and read stories in the shade.

On Friday morning, Oliver, the Bug Guy, at the Children’s Museum came to share his incredible collection.  We were amazed by the size of some of the insects, and got to see some of his newest bugs.  Each of us then chose one insect to draw for our journals.  After visiting with the bugs we all headed over to Base Camp for some games and imaginative play in nature.  We played Bear, Salmon and Mosquito, Capture the Flag, and hiked up to the tunnels, which the kids love crawling or walking through.

The Cottontails jumped right into games with the Eagles and listened well to instructions and rules. They worked more on their drawing and played drip drop splash with the Eagles to cool off. Of course, we talked about how precious water is and how we have to be thoughtful when using it just for fun. One of the campers, Miles, read everyone a story about owls and we all reflected on the incredible adventures of the past week.

All in all, it was a fabulous start to the summer.  There were plenty of happy, dirty and tired kids each day, and we all enjoyed being together in the great outdoors.  What a wonderful group of children and a magical place that we live.