Ahhh… there’s nothing like a new pair of shoes. The smell, the fresh laces, the feeling like you could conquer the world. Right now I’m asking you to imagine yourself in a new pair of shoes, but not the kind that is fresh out of the box. I’m asking you to join me for Native […]
The mission statement for High Trails that is prominently displayed on all of the shirts we wear around is “Learning how we can all fit together on one healthy planet”. I believe that for all of us to fit together on this here Earth, we need to grow. Fit together by growing? Sounds a little […]
“Single file line in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” This is what I shout to my students within the first 5 minutes of their arrival. The kids scurry to get into the best line that they can form. “You all have been awarded a Bonus Point,” I say. At first I get quite a few […]
Here’s a question: how can you use 3 cars to explain why stars are different colors? If you look up at the sky on a clear night, when the light from the moon or the light from the city isn’t washing out the sky, you might be overwhelmed by how many stars you can see. […]
“This needs to come from your heart,” I said in a soft tone. I watched anxiously as 12 different sets of eyes peered back at me in puzzlement. I had asked my cabin group of sixth grade girls to turn to the person on their left and tell them something that they had recognized and […]
Occasionally, walking through the wilderness, I find some bird feathers on the ground, due in no small part to my work in the woods. However, coming upon a feather the likes of which I had never seen, the moment gave me pause. My mind naturally wandered to what bird it had come from. It then […]
I remember going grocery shopping with my dad one time. I begged for a candy bar. He answered with his famous Rolling Stones quote, “You can’t always get what you want.” This was sort of a family joke, but it has stuck with me my entire life. After recently rereading the book Hatchet by Gary […]
I watch patiently as my student grabs hold of the rope, draws a breath, and leaps. He swings out across the gap of “molten lava” (the dirt and pine needles of the forest floor an inch below) amidst the cheers of his classmates. And then his feet hit the ground and drag. Once again, everyone […]
A few weeks ago, I was attending a music festival in Santa Barbara. As I was walking around the camp ground, I met a man named Brian who invited me into his camp. We had been talking for a while when he pulled out his meteorite collection, which he had previously found in the Nevada […]
It’s about 8 o’clock on Monday evening—the first night of program—and my cabin group and I are sitting outside for Nocturnal Nations class. The forest is thick and dark around us, only thinning out above where the stars make silhouettes of the pine trees. We’re bundled up in jackets, hats, and gloves, but I can […]
Have you ever thought back to when you were in fifth grade? What was the world like for you then? I remember when I was in fifth grade, and getting ready to go to Camp Hi-Hill, the Long Beach Unified School District’s Outdoor School (at the time) in the Angeles National Forest. I was excited […]
After 26 hours of continuous hiking, multi-pitch climbing the East Buttress of Mt. Whitney, and summiting the highest mountain in the lower 48 states, Ryan and I were completely exhausted both mentally and physically. We had just completed a daunting, ambitious, and demanding goal that we both initially thought we might not be able to […]
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any – Fred Astaire I had a strange encounter at the grocery store the other day. The man in front of me in the checkout line accidentally dropped a loaf of bread while putting the rest of his groceries on the counter to pay for […]
In just a few short months, I will board a plane with my bicycle and fly to the one of the northernmost towns in Alaska. After cycling through Alaska, Canada, and the U.S., I will proceed south through the Americas and all the way to the southern tip of Argentina while backpacking in natural areas […]
As my field group of students eagerly anticipates their cookie bar snack, I break the news to them that before they can partake in their treat, they must “mine” it for the precious gems (chocolate chips) and ores (raisins) that lie inside. After they have crumbled their cookies into piles of sorted resources, I ask […]
See more here: https://dirtyclassroom.com/dirticulum/ At High Trails Outdoor Science School, we literally force our instructors to write about elementary outdoor education, teaching outside, learning outside, our dirty classroom (the forest…gosh), environmental science, outdoor science, and all other tree hugging student and kid loving things that keep us engaged, passionate, driven, loving our job, digging […]
What could possibly be going on here? Adventure Course at High Trails, that’s what. During a high climbing, arrow shooting, wander about the woods day, most students are lucky enough to get lost in a fantasy story while participating in our low elements course. What is a low elements course, and why do we use […]
Alaska to Argentina, in a truck, with NO gas??? Everything we need to sustain our lifestyles is all around us. It simply calls for a little inspiration and ingenuity to utilize our earth and create sustainable solutions for our energy needs. Motivated by the desire to travel and get into some of the best white […]
Working at High Trails, I quickly became a proponent of teaching outside. There are a lot of clear benefits. In California, class size is almost always 20 or more, but our groups are rarely more than 15, and we can spend quality time with each and every one of our students. Students that are squirming […]
“Let me tell you a story of wolves and rivers,” I tell my students, “…Gray wolves of Yellowstone were one of the earliest species in North America to be considered endangered in 1967. Gray wolves had been hunted down to near extinction until they became protected. Then environmental agencies and organizations tried ‘reintroducing’ only 21 […]
At High Trails, we have lots of staff members who at some time or another have to manage people. We have Directors, Coordinators, Head Cooks, and several Collaborators. Within that group of around 15 people, only a couple have had formal training in how to manage others. The rest of us showed we were good […]
As a recent graduate from the University of Vermont I was unsure of my career path. Right out of college I was offered a lab technician position for a Fortune 500 Company making over 50,000 dollars a year. They even offered me an apartment in the city. At the same time, I was offered a […]
“Being a hero doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It just means that you’re brave enough to stand up and do what’s needed.” Rick Riordan – The Mark of Athena The Percy Jackson books have been adapted into movies and have become very popular with young readers and adult readers like myself. I started reading the Heroes […]
“When the only open spaces you’ve seen are parking lots, and you’re used to hearing screeching tires instead of rustling leaves, a simple patch of woods can be an astoundingly liberating experience.” – Gregory Michi from the book Holler if You Hear Me One of the things I love most about my job at High […]
Trail Name: Castle Rock Forest Service Designation: 1W03 Total Distance: 1.3 miles Overview: short steep hike up to a beautiful rocky crag with great views of Big Bear Lake. Difficulty: Moderate to Advanced. Activities: Hiking. Horses and Bikes are possible, but difficult because of the steep and rocky terrain. Trail Type: 100% Singletrack Possible Loops […]
Looking up into the night sky it is often hard to conceptualize just how vast of a space you’re looking at. Sirius is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and yet it is 8.6 light years away. Moving a little closer to earth, one of the most prominent features of the night […]
Since moving from Montana this last fall, I have witnessed rain once and a spitting of snow three other times. It is dry here. At High Trails, we live in an interesting ecosystem: a high desert. This lack of rain got me thinking about where water in Southern California comes from. You see, Montana, my […]
Like many other children, when I was about 8 years old, all I wanted to do when I grew up was to be an astronaut, which helps explain why all of my favorite movies have to do with aliens and outer space. My favorite class I get to teach to my High Trails’ students is […]
We turned right at the stop sign, the last stretch of country road before we turned into the dirt parking lot just outside the preserve. The preserve, a special place to my dad and I, a place where nothing else mattered but discovery. The hustle and bustle of everyday life lifted and a chance to […]
Exploring the Research on How Fire is Changing the West Late summer of 2013 brought the most destructive day of California’s Rim Fire, when wind and prolonged drought conditions created an inferno that transformed 30,000 acres of dense conifers in Tuolomne County near Yosemite National Park into a moonscape. Ignited on August 17, 2013, from […]
What makes a place a home? This can be a tough question. Think about it for a moment. When you say, “I feel like I’m at home” what makes you feel that way? 2,000 years ago when the Yuhaviatam arrived in the San Bernardino Mountains they built the first human homes in the area. The […]
I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I? Good question. After you solve this, only 32 more riddles to go. We’ll help you get started; the answer is the letter “e”. End, timE, spacE, Every placE. […]
To us, a “special concern” is anything that a parent would like us to know about their child before their child arrives here at High Trails. We see over 8,000 students every school year, so we receive a wide range of concerns: chronic illnesses, dietary restrictions, behavioral problems, severe allergies, emotional issues. If you can […]
What organism can support 100 times its own weight, stand upside-down on glass, is found on every continent except for Antarctica and is the most efficient predator on earth? Why it is none other than the world’s smallest gardener, the ant. These social insects are virtually helpless by themselves, but in a colony they can […]
Place-based education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and other subjects across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their community, enhances students’ appreciation for […]
Southern California has just finished its driest year on record. The National Weather service reported that Los Angeles received only 3.49 inches of rainfall between January 1 and December 18, 2013, the lowest amount since records started being collected in 1877. 1 This drought is especially concerning because, here in the south part of the […]
Homesickness is a common situation for us up here at High Trails. Take away mom making you breakfast in the morning, watching your favorite TV show after school, your dog – Mr. Sparky – licking your face, and your favorite blanket that you sleep with every night. A lot of the comforts of home can’t […]
My dad then turned to me and said, “I have to fire this worker. I remember when I was in high school and my dad showed me a picture on the front page of the Charlotte Observer (NC) of construction workers on scaffolding moving a giant organ into a church. He was excited to show […]
Our job, as outdoor educators, is to figure out ways to inspire our students, get them excited about the environment, and make a lasting impression. In order to do this, we have to figure out ways to tie everything we do and say back to their lives in the city. Every single one of our […]
Dressed in a ridiculous uniform of all green, I stood crouched behind a bush looking out into a sea of red. I looked over my shoulder as one of my teammates snuck up to join me. We quickly whispered back and forth and devised a plan of attack. I ran to the right while she […]
Did you know that this state is so large, so diverse, and geographically varied that over 5,800 plant species can call California home? This is about the same as all other states combined! We also have over 2,100 endemic species in California, which means they cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The unique ecosystems that boast this […]
Never have I felt fight or flight like this. My only choice, the message going to the thick of the muscle in my legs, is to run. Get as much space between me and danger as possible. The animal is too big, too wild… Uncommon Encounters In The Wild lays bare over fifty heart-pounding encounters […]
When walking into an outdoor store like REI, I am often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of outdoor gear, equipment and clothing available to keep us safe and healthy in the outdoors. But what do we actually need? This question is integral during Outdoor Survival Hike, one of High Trails’ cornerstone classes, in which students […]
As instructors at High Trails we are constantly trying to relate the material that we teach back to the student’s daily lives. Sometimes this is difficult, because not all students understand why topics like astronomy and space travel are relevant to their lives. One tactic I have used during Astronomy is to explain the relationship […]
Why, then, is it that so many outdoor enthusiasts love the writings of two dopey, naïve men trudging through the Appalachians? Be it Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild or Thoreau’s Walden, extreme lovers of the outdoors enjoy the enchantment and thrill of true adventure novels. Men or women venture out into the deep wilderness, test […]
Before arriving at High Trails, I worked for the Philadelphia Water Department and The Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory. These experiences have exerted a gravitational pull on me to everything and anything that pertains to water. Living in a society that seems to circle around problems, like an endlessly rotating merry go round; I strive to […]
“Really? Birds don’t have a sense of smell?” I asked during a Plant and Animal Interactions class in college. My professor was ready for this question. “Nope, and I will explain why. Let’s talk about chili plants and birds”. If the purpose of fruit is to be eaten for seed dispersal then why is the […]
Question: If you knew your interactions with students were having a genetic impact on the way they behaved in the future, would you change the way you relate to them? In a study lead by Dr. Moshe Szyf, Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill University, the idea that “nurturing” infant rats led to significant […]
When we lose our innocence- when we start feeling the weight of the atmosphere and learn that there’s death in the pot- we take leave of our senses. Only children can hear the song of the male house mouse. Only children keep their eyes open. In the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard provides […]
Trail Name: Poopout Hill via Jenks Lake/South Fork Forest Service Designation: 1E04 Total Distance: 3.8 miles one way Overview: scenic trail that takes you past Jenks Lake to the edge of the San Gorgonio Wilderness Area Difficulty: Moderate Activities: Hiking and Horses. Bikes and motorized vehicles not permitted on South Fork Trail. Trail Type: Graded […]
