Our Programs >> Spring

Saturday, May 8th 2004

None of the kids really knew what to expect. Some had memorized the name HIKE and BIKE, but none really knew what it meant. For some, this would be the first time on a bike. And for most of these students, this journey into deep wilderness was different than anywhere they had ever been before. Hiking through an old growth forest along a glacier fed river can be a life changing experience for a first timer. And so that’s how it goes….

This day on the Old Sauk trail, there were blue skies there to greet us, despite the forecast of thunderstorms. The kids piled off the bus with wide eyes and excitement. And the kaleidoscope of greens drew their attention in a million directions. “Hiker Dude” readied the group of 30 with an introduction and a comedic demonstration of the 10 Essentials of Hiking. Then it was time for the Forest characters, Moss Man, Fern Fairy, and Flower Power to enter the scene skipping up the trail. The kids laughed at the sight of Moss Man’s “Old Man’s beard” and gasped at the sound of the flowers named Bleeding Heart and Toothwort. This is what it takes to encourage a passion for wilderness. When you cross the wonders of nature with the imagination of children, you can see kids take real pleasure in learning, unlike what we often find in the classroom. And with the challenge of hiking and biking in the great outdoors, children, particularly those with disabilities, begin to feel accomplished, enabled, and confident. These feelings are what make them want to do it again.

Along the trail, the kids went on a search for the many mosses, ferns, trees and flowers that were introduced to them. They matched Moss Man’s hair to the Witches Hair hanging above them. In the midst of the groundcover, they spotted Sword ferns and Lettuce.

At the dead end of the trail, the kids were dumbfounded to see the river had swallowed the path whole. A chunk of forest was simply gone! You see, the Sauk River experienced floodwaters this year, greater than any on record. Old Douglas Firs were ripped from the forest floor and drifted like toothpicks downstream. The bloated river careened down Class IV rapids towards the town of Darrington clearing everything in its path. A simple lesson on river flow dynamics, topsoil erosion and even trail maintenance was taught without many words at all. Also, it was easy for the students to look upstream at the snow and ice on top of Mt. Pugh and understand its relationship to the river…sun and ice make water.

So then it was time us to follow the river’s lead and head downstream, where a barbeque at the Old School Park awaited us. Next, it was on to the Darrington Ranger Station for the bikes, or trikes really. You see this wasn’t just any bike ride. This was a fleet of all different kinds of cycles from the SKIFORALL Foundation: three wheelers, 4 wheelers, low riders, tandem and arm crank bikes! SKIFORALL specializes in adaptive recreation for people with disabilities. This gang was “exercising the abilities” and then some. Not even the heat and sweat could not tear these kids from their seats. After 2 hours of allowing the children to have a chance to ride on all the bikes that SKIFORALL brought, it was time to go.

These adventures are always fun for participants and volunteers alike. But sometimes you may not know what lasting effect these programs have on these children. Will they grow up to enjoy a lifestyle of recreation? Have they learned how to respect the wild? And most importantly do they now have the confidence and skills to do it again? I knew that these questions were answered and our mission fulfilled when one young boy asked “Can we go to the Hike and Bike again tomorrow, Mr. Hunter?”

By Hunter Hendrickson, Executive Director of the Wild and Scenic Institute