The Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers are the ancestral home of the Nez Perce Indians.  This is the land that Chief Joseph and his people fought for, and eventually had to abandon in their unsuccessful quest to outrun the U.S. Calvary and find freedom in Canada.  A group of 18 Catlin Gabel students and four faculty made the journey down these rivers on a warm and sunny weekend in April, covering about 40 miles of wild and scenic river.  Each night we camped along the river among towering Ponderosa Pine trees and grasses green with the spring. We hiked to the crest of one of the surrounding hills to suvey the glorious landscape. 

  Saturday morning we loaded up and hit the road for the two hour drive to Opal Creek.  Our destination: Jawbone Flats, an old mining town in the middle of Oregon’s largest contiguous low elevation old growth forest.  When we got there we began the three mile hike into Jawbone with our day packs.  On the way in we explored an old mine where you could see the tracks, we reassembled a mini railroad with wheels that would follow the rails, we played optical illusion games with the crystal clear waterfall and picnicked among gigantic trees and sang.  At last we rounded a bend and came upon a little village of old buildings where among an old general store and ancient cars we found our cabin for the night.  We took a breather with a game of cards and some fire building before heading out for some more hiking.  

 This time we explored more old mining artifacts, the glorious Opal Creek, executed surprise snow ball sieges, and honed our stone skipping and target throwing skills. When we got back to our cabin we set about making ourselves a delicious Thai feast which we enjoyed before a fun evening of games, making cookies and laughing into the night.

 Morning came with a little dusting of snow and after our breakfast of berry quesadillas.  We packed up and headed out on our final hike.  We headed up to Ruth Mine and were rewarded with a glorious snowy trail above the creek where we threw snowballs, learned the names of plants, and took in the majesty around us.  Too soon it was time to head back to the bus and the drive to Catlin.  We rolled in around 4 refreshed, bonded, and smiling.  Another Outdoor trip success!

We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather, the sun beamed down on us all weekend on the Oregon Coast.

 Creative writers and outdoor enthusiasts boarded the bus on Saturday and headed to Camp Westwind for our private writing retreat! After settling in and eating our lunch we tore out the doors of our lodge onto the beach and played like puppies, running, chasing, and leaping with beachy joy! 

We found a sea cave and helped one another scale the rocks and make it through the gauntlet.  We all made it and were rewarded by dramatic shore break and gorgeous light.  

We were fascinated by the array of unique objects washed up from the Japan Tsunami.  We found a whole lightbulb that had travelled unbroken, filament still attached across the sea!!! 

We returned to camp for snacks and writing where Ginia lead us in poetry and other writing exercises.  It was immediately apparent we had some very talented writers among us.

Dinner was a burrito fiesta smorgasboard. We also baked a cake! After dinner we played games. We built a fire and played games and sang all Sanders’ favorite songs around the fire.  

We woke up Sunday morning to sunshine.  We headed to the beach for individual reflection time as the light changed and the weather got even more gorgeous.  We returned to camp for a waffle feast.  We sat and digested over some more writing and sharing before packing up to hike up to the High Meadows.  After a grueling climb we arrived on top of the world where we basked in the sunshine and took in the views.  We came back from our hike to soup and salad.  We split into factions after lunch.  Some played on the beach, others hiked, and some of us found a pod of sea lions basking on the shore! 

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs and we headed outside for an evening of dune games, a one match bonfire challenge , s’mores, and laughter.  

Monday morning came too soon and we left camp squeaky clean, headed up to Catlin, stopped for snacks and arrived sandy, safe and sound.  

  What do you do faced with 11 days off and a great big world out there to explore? You head to the Ochocos for four days over conferences for the adventure of a lifetime!

We met Saturday morning at Catlin in the pouring rain, piled into our bus, and hit the road! Four hours, some Odyssey annotating, and many sourpatch kids later we arrived at the Ochoco Ranger House in the heart of the Ochoco Mountains in central Oregon.  We moved in and headed out to explore.  We stretched our legs with a hike up to the high point behind the house where we found a beautiful memorial and a lovely view of the valley.  Some headed back to the house while a few of us rigged up a ropes system and climbed a tower to get an even better view.  

 Refreshed we returned to the house to make pizzas and salads for dinner.  As we were enjoying our tasty dinner we glanced out the door and IT WAS SNOWING! This was especially exciting because Andrea and Esteban had never seen snow before! The celebrations began! Bonfire! S’mores! Sledding! Snowball fights! 

 Colin, the other trip leader, taught everyone how to split wood and and we had a magical evening.  We warmed up afterwards by packing our bags in preparation for our morning departure up Lookout Mountain.  

We woke up to a beautiful day Sunday, put on our packs, and and began the eight mile hike up the mountain.  Sadly we had to leave three of our party behind due to illness.  The sun was shining, there were beautiful views around each bend,  and we saw cougar, deer, coyote, and rabbit footprints in the snow.  We stopped for lunch and snacks and to boil snow for our water.   As we neared the summit the wind picked up and it began to snow.  When we got to the top we found shelter in the trees out of the wind where we set up our tents and hunkered down for the night.  The weather was cold and we huddled up, got cozy and enjoyed hot mac and cheese before bed. 

 When the sun came up one side of the mountain was golden and clear and the other side was a big black cloud with snow shooting out of it.  The sunrise was spectacular as we enjoyed our oatmeal.  We headed down the mountain together, bonded by our stormy night together.  We saw a pheasant and four deer before we saw the rest of our party rested and recovered coming up the trail to meet us! A glorious reunion ensued and we happily headed back to the cabin for stories, lunch, and naps.  

 The afternoon sunshine got us outside again on a wood gathering adventure and the evening found us making brownies, roasting hot dogs, re-living our adventures, laughing, and playing games. 

 Tuesday morning had come to soon, the trip flew by! We got up, made a tasty breakfast, cleaned the house and hit the road.  A fantastic sing along made time fly and by 2:00 we were at McMennamans Edgefield where we ate lunch and soaked in the hot pools before and early evening return to school.  It was a fun and special trip.  With such a small group we really came together and made new friends bonded by adventure!

 Saturday morning the bus was packed and ready with an accordion, three guitars, sketchbooks, song books, audio recording equipment, sleeping bags, and riding clothes. Sixteen of us were headed out to Ekone Ranch in Goldendale Washington for a weekend of making, playing, singing, exploring and riding. 

Ekone Ranch is 1060 acres of permanently protected forests, meadows and steppe at the edge of the Columbia River Gorge in south-central Washington State. An off-grid, non-profit, working ranch, home to year-round programming teaching sustainable living to children of all ages. 

 As soon as we passed the Dalles we left the rain behind and as we rolled down into the valley of the ranch the sun was out and we were surrounded by gorgeous fall colors.  We made quick work of settling into the long house that would be our roost for the next two days, fluffing out our sleeping bags on platforms and up in lofts.   

 We were eager to explore the ranch and took some time to get the lay of the land, from the open air lodge/tack room to meeting all the animals (horses, pigeons, chickens, cats, and dogs, to finding our lunch hot and delicious where we fueled up for our adventures. 

 After lunch we split up.  Some of us built forts in the woods.  Some found and recorded sounds by banging on trees and finding instruments in nature.  And others did plein aire painting and photography around the ranch.  Later in the afternoon some of us rode horses bareback while Zach and Ian serenaded us from a nearby hillside.  

 We had an adventurous pre-dinner hike out to the burial ground, where they do organic burials the first of its kind in the nation.  We got to the canyon rim and laid in the grass, taking in the colors and silence as the sun set.  

 We walked back in the dark trying to surprise one another all the way back to our hot dinner waiting for us. 

 After dinner we headed to the lodge, a huge hexagonal barn with a hole in the ceiling where we were met Rollean, a mountain man who made us a friction fire by spinning a dowel in his hands.  

 Out came the instruments.  We had a xylophone, three guitars, a cowbell, maracas, and more drums than you could shake a stick at.  We made a ruckus.  From percussion jams, to a cappella singing, to sing alongs of everything from Angel from Montgomery, to La Bamba, to Under the Sea.  

 The night rolled on and we headed out into the darkness for some games and running around in what we later found to be a field with plenty of horse poop in it.  Oh well, ranch life.  Nothing a few ghost stories couldn't take our minds off of. 

 Daylight savings gave us an extra hour of sleep and our pancake breakfast was delicious and just what was needed to finish out the trip strong.  

 The morning was filled with finishing projects, making more music, more hiking, and trail rides back out to the canyon and among the gorgeous golden oak trees.  

 It was a magical and rejuvenating weekend of making new friends, enjoying old ones, and challenging ourselves to see and hear things in new ways.  

What we did on our summer vacation:  Our group of 16 headed to The City of Rocks in southern Idaho on June 18th, and spent 4 wonderful days in one of the most beautiful climbing areas in the Pacific Northwest.  We spread our group out over two adjacent campsites, with a great fire pit for evening social time and an incredible talent show our final night.  We climbed hard and ate like royalty with our meal crews making beautiful dinners from scratch each night. While the nights were cold and the mornings were cool in the shade, the days were sunny, warm and beautful and a wonderful time was had by all!