If you were driving on Highway 38 on a Friday afternoon and wondered what 25 adults, all wearing the same shirt, were doing with dirt, logs, rocks, and tools, you were likely not the only one. Allow me to introduce the High Trails staff on this Friday afternoon, performing their seasonal trail work on the […]
Right foot, kick. Left foot, kick. Reposition ice axe. Repeat. You hear the wind come roaring over the notch in the ridge and brace yourself as it comes whipping down the couloir. You lean into the 45 degree snow covered slope until the gust subsides and then continue slogging ever upwards. It was April Fool’s […]
As instructors at High Trails, we play an integral role in the development of a newfound love and appreciation of nature in our students. While these young people are in our stead, we see evidence of this daily. But what happens once that bus pulls away and heads back to the city? What happens once […]
It isn’t very often that you get the opportunity to work for a company that places a heavy emphasis on your growth – both personally and professionally. It is even less often that your employer gives you a full day’s pay to spend a Friday hanging out with fifty of your closest friends watching Olympic […]
Teaching outdoor education during the week…and living the outdoor lifestyle on the weekends. Go hike a popular and beautiful Big Bear classic trail, Cougar Crest. Trail Name: Cougar Crest Trail to Bertha Peak Forest Service Designation: 1E22 Total Distance: 8 miles, round trip Overview: Scenic hike that works its way up mountain ridges to a […]
Is igneous bliss or are all the little sediments of rock knowledge metamorphosing climbers into rock experts? Ha! As rock climbers, we experience many different types of rocks when we go to climb at various crags all over Southern California. Many climbers don’t even think twice about the differences between these rocks, much less the […]
In education today one of the big buzzwords is STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. A study by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) determined that female interest in STEM majors declines as young women enter college. {1. https://www.aauw.org/files/2013/02/Why-So-Few-Women-in-Science-Technology-Engineering-and-Mathematics.pdf] As a woman and mother of a teen daughter, I especially hope to encourage […]
The first class students have at High Trails is the Team Discovery Hike, where they get to know each other better, learn about the plants and animals native to the region…and hear about the history of Big Bear. The local history always interests students and they ask awesome questions which, until recently, I could not […]
While Outdoor Education draws in staff that has a passion for being outdoors, working with students, and understanding the natural sciences, one of the continual challenges for us at High Trails is finding new and innovative ways to provide opportunities for our staff to grow. One solution to this problem is to bring in fun […]
Do you… Think you know it all about Big Bear? Want to learn more about local natural history to beef up your first class with students, our Team Discovery Hike? Seek additional knowledge about the San Bernardino Forest flora and fauna to apply to your Plant Detectives, Feathered Friends, and Furry Friends classes? Need to […]
The biting, icy wind was fierce and growing stronger by the minute. Gusts howled over the ridgeline we walked, slamming into us with a force great enough to drive me to my knees. I huddled in the snow and waited for the gust to pass, certain that if I stood up I would be knocked […]
All of these excuses didn’t matter…Deep down I knew there were a few things I needed to work on, but I hadn’t figured out exactly what I needed to do to fix the problems I was having while teaching. The peer mentoring program at High Trails Outdoor Science School is a way for instructors to […]
Working at an outdoor science school in the San Bernardino Mountains has some perks. Aside from hiking in the forest, teaching students about nature, coexisting in a healthy world, breathing fresh mountain air, and going on weekend adventures, we also get to learn about the forest from true professionals. For once, WE got to be […]
When High Trails was approached by Amanda Martin last spring with the offer to have the AEOE (Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education) Southern Fall Conference at our site, we thought “Why Not? It might be kind of fun.” Little did we know just how fun it would be. 80 outdoor educators + a crisp […]
“The grass is always greener on the other side.” I have ardently disliked that phrase, not because it is cliché but because of how painfully true it is with regard to human nature. Our incessant comparison of everything inevitably brings us dissatisfaction. I am no exception. As a passionate instructor at High Trails who loves […]
Have you ever flushed a toilet or turned on a sink and wondered to yourself, where DOES the water go once it has disappeared from sight? Well, the instructors at High Trails Outdoor Science School were wondering the same thing, so they loaded up into their magical Subaru school busses and headed to the Big […]
Instructor: “Ok, who can tell me an example of a renewable resource?” Unnamed Student Raises Hand. Your mind goes blank. You look down at your attendance sheet. Back at the student. Back at the attendance sheet. Nothing. Their name? You don’t have a clue. Embarrasing. Instructor: “Umm… yes… you.” This has happened to everyone. Whether […]
“So you’re a camp counselor?” “No, Ma! I teach at an Outdoor Science School.” “Isn’t that the same thing?” We instructors at High Trails Outdoor Science School get asked this question time and time again when anyone asks us what we do for a living. It can be frustrating because we are NOT a summer […]
Imagine an island paradise: rolling hills and exquisite wildflowers, turquoise water crashing into rocky sea caves, and creatures found nowhere else on earth. Although this may sound like a faraway dream, it’s actually right here in our backyard! Channel Islands National Park Channel Islands National Park encompasses five of the eight islands off the coast […]
These days most of the California population is concerned about water. Are we going to run out? Who is in charge of our water resources? How can we conserve and protect what we have? As for High Trails instructors, we sought to expand our minds and learn more about the the Muncipal Water District, the […]
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 […]
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 […]
I am one of three Medic Coordinators at High Trails, which, in a nutshell, means I am in charge of student health and safety for the duration of a school’s stay here. At 23 years old, I am the youngest of the High Trails administrators, in addition to being one of the youngest people on […]
