At Ijams, we have found that many of our program participants, children in particular, are new to outdoor activities. Being located in an area where approximately 60% of the school-age children qualify for free or reduced lunch, we are learning that many kids have little to no exposure to outdoor activities that may require expensive recreational equipment such as climbing gear, kayaks and bikes. Many of these children may also have limited access to adults who can foster their developing passion for nature. As educators we are learning that families, and other trusted adults, are direct decision makers in the lives of children and must be at the forefront of this movement. Building on the foundation established by the Natural Families Network, we hope to create ways to encourage families to spend active time together in the natural…
My previous camping trips I have taken in the past years have been memorable and full of hardship. I consider myself a very outgoing and adventurous person, that is why I go on crazy trips. Canoeing is my preferred way of traveling when touring lakes and rivers such as the Boundary waters and the Flambeau river. Major disadvantage of canoes is that they weigh up to 85 pounds. The weight matters being when crossing land to get to the next lake the canoe goes on your shoulders to carry it.…
Who am I? I have been called many things; a bumbling buffoon, a sleepy sailor, or even a hairy hippy. I am so much more than these mere titles. I am a sponge to the world that deposits its ideas into me. I am a filter that chooses which ideas I want to follow.…
Riding down the hill. Picking up speed. Wet pavement. Need to slow down. Hydroplaning.…
Certain people love the outdoors. They would jump at the opportunity to do anything outdoors. In my case though, I would not be as excited to do anything outdoors especially camping. I’m not a very outdoorsy person.…
Today I was looking at some old pictures from my 1993 trip to Death Valley National Park. When I was a kid I hated camping, but now I have fond memories of these trips, which just does to show how time can change our perception of things. We visited Echo Canyon, and camped there for the night. There is a ghost in Echo Canyon, which I photographed at the time. This canyon is true to its name-sake as you can shout and your voice will carry on the wind for miles and bounce back off the mountains in the distance.…
The Time I Went Hunting With My Dad One November morning way before I wake up, I woke up to my alarm. I walked to my door like a sloth. My Dad was already dressed and was waiting for me. I put on my pants and my boots. I put on my coat and hat.…
Clomp! Clomp! Clomp! Our boots pound the rocky Colorado trail in the middle of a cold, starry night above the massive tree line with a spectacular view of the lights of Leadville, as we hiked our first 14,000 foot mountain of the summer. Clomp!…
My vision started to fail on mile four of the six-mile hike. Small white specks flickered across my field of vision. The next thing to go was my hearing, followed by my ability to walk in a straight line. My platoon sergeant saw the signs of heat stroke and forced me to stop. I should have stopped myself, but all I could think was: you will finish this, or you will die trying.…
How Outdoors Impacted My Life When I was young, all I did was play outside. Being outdoors was all we did as kids. Summers consisted of long wiffle ball games that ended up being overly intense, complete eight-teen man baseball games out in the field, and huge blowout soccer games that would last hours. The last, but my most favorite activity was fishing, it is a passion I cannot stray from. From the time I could walk I have fished.…
It was a normal summer day of hunting when first I seen a couple does. Then all of a sudden I heard a buck. The buck was chasing the does right to almost under my stand, and then he stepped broadside at 30 yards. Then I asked my dad if I could take him; he said “yes”. He was about to step into my shooting lane, I hit the safety ‘Click’ the safety clicked to fire.…
Outdoor Ed was a 3 day, 2 night field trip that the sixth grade class got to go on. We traveled to the YMCA of the Rockies where we had amazing food, excellent classes, and a campfire to top it all off. The food at Outdoor Ed was spectacular. Each day, we would eat three professionally made meals that made me want to stay there forever.…
This will also target customers who love to get amongst and be one with nature. Market research The research I have found was my exact thoughts of how they would look on their websites, typical survival course businesses that are already running called Hillary outdoors, SOS, bush Craft, and Zombie survival all New Zealand wilderness courses. They all incorporate survival techniques and skills that you will find so helpful when in the bush, but what makes this Survival course unique is nobody in the world has a underground survival course that is specifically used to show people how to survive if ever in a cave.…
The Camping Trip During the summer after my fifth grade school year had ended, I went on one of the worst camping trips in my life. It was sometime during the 2nd week of June. I was looking forward to this trip because all of my family was going. I mean everyone was going, my grandma & grandpa, my aunts & uncles, and my cousins. The year before not many of my family went, so that’s why I was looking forward to this camping trip.…
In 2004 my family and I made our first trip to the beach. The adventure seemed to take a lifetime to reach our destination. Being in the car for 12 hours is not what any child would call a fun time. My brother and I would play video games and watch movies to past the time away and eat the snacks mom would pack us.…