The Hummingbirds had lots of fun making bug traps and exploring nature and bugs in their own habitat. On Tuesday, Wade Harrell from the Harrell House Bug Museum and Science shop shared his collection of bugs with us. In the collection, we saw living black widows, tarantulas, vinegaroons, and many more. We got muddy in the creek on Monday, explored the Beaver Ponds on Tuesday, hiked all the way to the pools at Deer Creek on Wednesday (wow!), and had a blast playing in the trees on Thursday! All in all it was a buggy and dirty week of fun!
This Week the Eagles used their Eagle eyes peering through camera lenses to capture and share the beauty they found all over New Mexico. On Monday we hiked through an Aspen Grove and played games along the way. On Tuesday we mustered heroic persistence for a long but beautiful hike . The magical, misty, wide open view was worth all the complaining on the way up and hail/rainstorm on the way down. On Wednesday we donned our camping gear and headed out to Abiquiu Lake for a camping trip. As the rain clouds cleared we spent the day working on out photo transfers, swimming in the lake, and learning about its history from the park rangers. Once night fell, we shared stories, songs and s’mores by grandfather fire. The next day we had the opportunity to hike Chimney Rock at Ghost Ranch and cool off in the lake, before heading back to Fort Marcy filled with vitamin nature, cameras of artfully composed photos, and lots of great memories.
“Focus, Patience and Practice,” this was our mantra as we learned some of the skills our ancestors used to survive 75,000 years ago. These “Ancient Lifeways” were taught to us by Matt Brummett, a skilled expert in the field. All of the older campers made their own hand drill, a tool used to make fire. We practiced a lot, some campers getting close to making a coal–a very difficult skill! We also made gourd canteens, a container our ancestors carried water in before the age of Nalgene and stainless steel! Our youngest campers each made a gourd bowl to eat out of, as our ancestors did. Everyone had the chance to learn how to make cordage (rope) out of cattails. We talked about how to make shelters to keep you warm and dry and then made shelters to sleep in on our campout. It was awesome to witness the TEAMWORK of the group as they made a coal together with a hand drill for our campfire (see photos below). We talked about the 5 Ws of preparing for a hike, and what to do if you get lost. We found some edible and medicinal plants on our hikes (Mmmm… dandelions!), and played lots of games to get us up close and personal with nature (Eagle Eye, Sardines, Capture the Flag and Meet-a-Tree, to name a few). We asked the Eagles how this week changed them. Here are a few responses: “I learned survival skills, and I am more confident in my ability to survive.” – Keifer “I got AWESOME!” – Joaquin “I got more creative.” – Jack J. “I got more peaceful.” – Merrick “I feel sorry for ancient people, and I am happy and thankful to have a house. I had fun!” -Jack D. All of the campers concurred with this last thought shared by Keifer, and agreed that PERSEVERANCE was needed for many of the skills and activities this week. Great life lessons! Thank you to all of the campers for all of your focus, patience, practice and fun this week! Photos of Eagles and Owls (See Hummingbirds below!):
Hummingbird Adventures!
On their photo safari, the Owls fearlessly captured many pictures of their natural surroundings. Among the birds chirping and the wind rustling the trees, the cameras shuttered harmoniously. The Owls played with light and dark, macro and micro shots, and portraits, taking photos of rivers, flowers, trees, moss, and campers. Choosing one original photo, they also created photo transfers, which required diligent work. The memories of playing and observing are held within the owls’ photos.
Berries! Raspberries, strawberries, and lemony squawbush berries. We started the week up at the Norski trails where the Eagles hiked the Windsor trail to a pretty meadow on upper Rio en Medio. We played in the water and made toy rafts from sticks tied with strips of skunk cabbage.
Tuesday we again visited Rio en Medio but from the bottom up. The raspberries about half way to the waterfall were sooo good – especially after the pucker power of the squawbush berries. Wednesday found us foraging for strawberries above Carl’s meadow in the clearing near the top of the Quad ski lift. We also worked on orienting maps using compasses and plotted our route up from Aspen Vista trail head. Thursday we took a break from berries and built an awesome shelter from downed aspen logs. We learned that while campers have been elsewhere, chipmunks have moved into some of the shelters from July’s camp-out.
The Beaver Ponds is a magical place to make forts, discover special creatures, find ancient fossils and make new friends!
Electra, the Osprey, enjoying her lunch.
What sound does a Turkey Vulture make? Not one you’d expect!
A curious burrowing owl saying hello.
A game of Bat and Moth to start the day out.
Eagles were paired with Owls to study animal skulls. They had to decide, are they predator or prey? What do they eat? How’s their sense of smell or hearing? Then they would share their discoveries with the rest of the group.
Animal pelts are interesting to examine and touch too!
The Espanola Wildlife Center is a great place to see birds that you might not normally see.
Friday was a fun day of exploring the Santa Fe Ski Basin without any snow. The creek that flows down Easy Street is a great place to cool off.
We had a teeny, tiny group this week with some big energy! We played games, did intros and talked about Biomimicry (big word!) at Fort Marcy before we headed off to the Big T for our adventure. We hiked, ate, played capture the flag and enjoyed the Tremendous Trees all around us. We played a lot of Frog Detective and got a little wet – lovely!
Tuesday took us to Tsankawi where we stayed dry, despite the downpour in Santa Fe! We found pottery shards, arrow heads and obsidian. We read a Native American story about how humans came to be on earth. We hiked, imagined life here, and explored caves – enjoying a little escape from the heat!
Wednesday: Rio en Medio. We talked about more examples of Biomimicry at circle. On trail we played Meet-a-Tree and A-Mia, made leaf boats and fairy homes (Owls).
The Eagles did a big hike to the waterfall and even had time for games along the way. It was a splendid day to put your head under ice cold water, if you dared!
Thursday: The Beaver Ponds brought us a new and unexpected friend – we found “Muffin” a sweet, sweet dog wandering on the road. We called the owner to no avail, and called Animal Control. The Owls played at the trailhead while waiting for Muffin to be rescued. The owner finally came after lunch! Meanwhile, the Eagles hiked around the pond and played Camouflage and Capture the Flag. Afterward, we scooped up the (recently freed!) Owls and headed to a new waterfall across the road. FUN!
The week began with some basic safety tips and ended with the Eagles (7-10 year olds) sleeping in shelters they built themselves!! For at least one camper, this was her first EVER campout – SO COOL!!
Below is a rundown of our daily adventures. There is a separate blog post for the campout.
Monday Adventure: Norski Trails: Preparing for a Hike, Shelter Building, Stop and Stay Put (what to do if you get lost in the woods), Buddies, staying together and Sit Spots! A busy and fun day!
Tuesday Adventure: Rio en Medio: Identifying hazards (including poison ivy in real life!:), Bats Eat Bugs (song), Fire Keeper, watercolors, Yucca Rope making, and a huge waterfall to cool us off. Great hike, fun day!
Wednesday: Ski Basin (Owls) – Maps and Orienteering, How to use a Compass, Magnetic North versus True North, Landmarks, Mapping your Hike, How to use a Topo Map! The Eagles went to Carl’s Meadow, but the visual memories are only in our minds. 🙂
Thursday Adventure: Norski/Winsor Trail: More Shelter Building, Nature as a Resource, Ropes, Knots and how to tie them, and the many uses for (your very own!) Bandana! 🙂
Friday: Bonus Adventure! Fun hike on the Winsor Trail!
