Grade 8 students left last Monday for their three-day trip to yurts in the Mores Creek Summit area (past Idaho City on Highway 21) as part of the Winter Outdoor Program curriculum. This trip exposes students to the winter environment and enables them to develop their winter self-care skills. Students carried their backpacks and gear while snowshoeing into the yurts 1.5 to 2 miles.
After arriving at the yurts, students spent time exploring the winter landscape, performing various
journaling and science activities, analyzing the snowpack, and building igloos and “quinzhee huts,”
shelters that they will be expected to sleep in as they progress through the High School winter
curriculum.
A particularly important aspect of all Riverstone trips is a continual development of self-care skills. During the Fall backpacking trips, students become more proficient at staying warm and dry in a backcountry environment. During the winter trips, they will be expected to draw upon their experiences in order to stay safe and comfortable in the snow. There will be some cold hands and toes, but with a warm yurt nearby, these will be emphasized as learning experiences.
These pictures show final preparations for students as they discussed safety and divided the food for the trip between their packs. Check back for photos from the trip itself!
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