Nate went on the most amazing field trip in late November! He had been looking forward to this for *months* for many reasons.....he got to "miss" school for 3 days, he would be with all of his friends (BOTH 5th grade classes were going!) , and he would get to put his Scouts Skills to use! There were a lot of chaperones that went, but neither Greg or I could go. (Which, luckily, didn't bother Nate!)
It was a 3 day field trip in Mentone, AL (about a 2.5 hour drive) to a camp called Nature's Classroom. They arrived about 11 am and quickly got settled in their cabins. (All 16 boys plus about 6 male chaperones were in one cabin!! Luckily it was 2 stories tall.) Then they all had orientation, lunch, a hike, field groups, dinner, basketball, and free time. Nate was in heaven!
Nate said the cabins were super cozy and warm - as was his sleeping bag - and good thing because Tuesday morning they woke up to an 18 degree wind chill!! Perfect weather for a 3 hour hike :)
They made it! Nate said Desoto Falls was so pretty and worth the long hike.
Nate and his bud/twin, Mason, taking a moment to enjoy the view :)
Back at the main camp that afternoon, they had a few field group studies and an egg drop competition. Nate & his partner Luke were the only ones whose egg didn't break!!
After dinner they had a bonfire & s'mores! I'm sure that fire felt good since it was still *very* chilly. (It did not get above freezing almost the whole time they were there. I am so impressed they all survived!! The parent chaperones said they were freezing and miserable, but the kids hardly noticed the cold or complained about it.)
Wednesday morning, they had one more hiking adventure before having to pack up. Great group of boys!
Yes, those are icicles on their hike, I don't know if I would have lasted!!
Nate's favorite part of the trip was Split Rock. They each traversed inside a small tunnel of rocks, and then popped their heads out to see their team leader. Then they were all pulled to safety! So cool!
One of the main things they try to drive home at Nature's Classroom is being aware of your waste. At every meal, they tried to reduce their liquid & solid waste as much as possible. In fact, they weighed the group's waste after every meal! Their goal was to have ZERO waste and finally at their last meal - lunch on Wednesday - they did it!!!! They got to put a plate (aka trophy) on the ceiling with the school's name on it. No Holy Spirit class has even gotten their plate on the ceiling! Very exciting moment.
Mrs Collins & Mrs. Scalfani's 5th grade classes. Best field trip ever!!
I was glad that Nate had an amazing time, but I was SO thrilled when he got home and I could finally hug my favorite boy!! :)
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