Thriving in the Wild
Nine students and two teachers travelled to the Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve for two days of outdoor activities as part of the Grade 9 Expedition.
After a long bus ride students were eager to walk around and meet “Hershie” the resident moose, as well as the wolf pack in its 15 acre enclosure at the wolf research centre. Our eyes opened wide when we saw the freezer full of “road kill” for feeding the wolves! We also got to play with the pack of husky dogs used for dog sledding in the winter. We quickly learned who the boss in the kennels was!
Students had several opportunities to go mountain biking on the extensive network of trails in the area. Despite a few “wipe outs” in mud holes, there was a lot of enthusiasm to try a variety of the trails. Everyone made it back to base camp muddy but smiling!
The longest day of outdoor fun included mountain biking on hilly gravel roads, hiking to a lake, paddling across the lake in canoes, and then taking part in the “Walk in the Clouds”. Harnessed into safety gear, we followed a series of cables and platforms through the forest canopy for a unique and breathtaking view of the forest. We then retraced our route, and ended our day with a leisurely break at the dock of Macdonald Lake for a quick swim (for the brave!) and more canoeing and relaxing in the sun. What happened to the 80% chance of rain?
Highlights of the trip included: a campfire overlooking a lake at sunset, group games in the lodge, eating our lunch while drifted across a lake in two massive canoes, meal times in general (these are teenagers, after all!), Bulk Barn snacks, our large group soccer game (OK we could have done without the bugs!) and the rest stop on the highest platform of the “Walk in the Clouds”.
We capped off each evening with a “night walk”, sneaking silently toward to the wolf centre, pausing periodically for our chosen “howlers” to call the wolves. Both nights the alpa-male responded with his deep-throated, mournful, yet chilling call. The second night, it was like he and Mr. Berg were actually having a conversation. That’s not something you hear every day!
The motto for our Expedition was, “get out of your comfort zone.” All of us did, whether that was a dip in a frigid lake, climbing some 20 metres up into the canopy of the forest, biking hard kilometres, learning to steer a canoe, doing without consistent cell phone service (we survived!), hanging out with people we didn’t know as well, or experiencing the Canadian Shield up close (including the bugs!). It was a tired but happy bunch that boarded the bus for home. And that’s when it started to rain! Perfect timing!
Janet Bauman, Teacher
