|
If you enjoy being outside, hiking, camping out, and learning in
nature with a small group of like-minded friends, then this program is for you. Check-in is Sunday
between 2:00 and 3:00 PM. The program ends with a family
program Friday from 2:00-2:30 PM.
The goal of Outdoor Skills is to learn how to have an enjoyable and
safe outdoor
experience with others through responsible decision-making and using
skills appropriate for natural conditions. The week will be spent
learning and practicing outdoor living skills, in the forests of the
W. Alton Jones Campus and the adjoining Arcadia Management Area.
Sunday through Wednesday morning will be spent on the W. Alton Jones
Campus. Sunday is devoted to moving in and meeting and getting to
know your fellow campers, junior counselors and counselors in your
Outdoor Skills field group. Sunday night also includes an “all
camp” campfire activity so you will meet and see other campers
and counselors in Earth Camp for the week. You will sleep in rustic
screen houses near the Poor Farm Base Camp, which has a bathhouse
nearby, and you will eat your meals in the dining hall through Wednesday
breakfast.
On Monday and Tuesday you will learn skills that will help
you have meaningful outdoor experiences with little impact on the
natural environment. You will also learn skills that will help you
prepare and plan for your two-day backpacking trip such as:
·
Map and compass reading
·
Food preparation and storage
·
Fire building
·
Camp cooking with campfire or camp stoves
·
First aid and safety
·
Environmental hazards
·
Dealing with Weather
·
Using tents
·
Using backpacking equipment
·
Leave-no-trace camping techniques
·
Basic ecology
Group-building activities will help you to get to know the other campers
in your group as well as your Counselors. This
is important since working together, good communication and understanding
each other’s needs is critical when in the backcountry. You
will have opportunities to swim, canoe and participate in some of
the all camp games, activities and campfires.
You will also learn how to pack all of the necessary equipment,
food and clothing for a two night backpacking trip. Your counselors
will teach you about backpacks: how to pick a pack that fits you
properly, adjust it for your size, pack it properly, put it on without
falling over and methods to stay comfortable when you hike.
On Wednesday morning you will head out on the trail, hiking and
taking in the scenery! Your backpacking trip will be a group effort.
As you hike it is important to help and encourage each other and
work together to find the trail. At the end of each day, when you
arrive at the campsite, everyone will share in the responsibilities
of setting up tents, cooking and cleaning up after supper. While
camping out along the hiking route, the group will practice leave-no-trace
camping techniques. This involves camping in a manner that little
mark is left on the land when you leave. Food is cooked over small
camp stoves, and pots and dishes are washed away from water sources
to avoid polluting. Other leave-no-trace practices include carrying
out trash, using biodegradable soap and properly disposing of human
waste. It is important to be as sensitive as possible to the natural
areas that you will visit.
Your hike will include two nights camping out and backpacking in the
Rhode Island forests of the 12,000-acre Arcadia Management Area and
the 2,300-acre W. Alton Jones Campus. On Wednesday morning you will
be driven in a 12-passenger van to the Connecticut/Rhode Island boarder,
approximately a 30-minute drive. You will start your hike from the
sandy shores of Beach Pond and hike about 4 miles to your first campsite,
which includes an abandoned picnic shelter, which can be handy if
it rains. On Thursday your 3½ mile hike will include some of
Rhode Island’s nicest scenery. Some highlights include Step
Stone Falls and Penny Hill. On Thursday night
you will camp in a pine grove near a gentle brook. Friday morning is
approximately a one mile hike back to camp.
You and your group will help put away all of the equipment that
you used, and you will have a chance to reflect on the week, wrap-up
and have closing activities. After lunch, there is some time to
spend with new friends before the family program begins at 2:00. Sign-out
and goodbyes follow at 2:30 PM as the week comes to a close. |
|
