Sam Millard
4/26/11
The first day of our expedition to the Outer Banks we got to our campsite in Cape Hatteras and set up camp.
The next day we went to a history museum in Roanoke Island, where we saw a blacksmith shop. The blacksmith showed us how to make nails the way they made them in the times the settlers settled in the Outer Banks. We also went to the sand dunes in Jockey Ridge where we played war games.
The day after that, we left our campsite to go to another campsite, but because of tornado warnings we stayed the night at a motel in Cedar Island where some of us had a rave party.
The next day we went to the campsite, which was also in Cedar Island, that we were supposed to go to, and spent the night there.
The next day we got up and paddled. We paddled for about 2-3 miles before we got to the island we would spend the night at. At that island there was a giant marker buoy that somehow was beached and we climbed on it.
The next day we paddled back to our campsite in Cedar Island where we spent another few days before driving back to Base Camp in Balsam NC.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Billy's blog outerbanks
4-25-11
Billy’s Blog
Outer banks, NC
The previous expedition we went to the Outer banks in NC.
We first went to Camp Hatteras. At Camp Hatteras we would run on the beach every morning and then go off to do some activities. One day we went out on a boat for the whole day. Evan Small was driving the boat and we stopped at a couple places to fish. Then we were driving out towards the ocean and had a lot of big waves hitting us. Evan Harr and Dustin were sitting on the front of the boat and we crashed into a giant wave and it came over our bow and got Evan and Dustin soaked. After that we drove back inland and Evan Small ran us into a sand bar. It wasn’t that bad but it was funny.
We ended up leaving Camp Hatteras and took a ferry out to Ocracoke Island. Once we got there we had about an hour to walk around the small town. After that we had to go catch another ferry to go back to the mainland. After we got to the mainland we had to stay at a motel because of the tornadoes. At the motel we had a rave party when the power went out. Evan A, Evan H, Dustin, Sam, and I participated. It was really fun.
The next morning we went to our actual camp site. The next day we put our canoes in the water and paddled out to an island. We made a bunch of trenches surrounding a fort and watched it get destroyed by waves. Later we all went back to the beach and swam in the Atlantic for the last time this semester. Then we loaded the canoes and went back to the mainland. The day after we got back to the mainland we went to town and walked around. Then we came back and were trying to catch crabs. The next day we got ready to go back to base and started our 9 hour drive back.
Once we got back we had to clean group gear and pack it away for the rest of the semester. The next day we saw our base staff again and had to transition back to base. That was our last full, real expedition of the semester.
Billy’s Blog
Outer banks, NC
The previous expedition we went to the Outer banks in NC.
We first went to Camp Hatteras. At Camp Hatteras we would run on the beach every morning and then go off to do some activities. One day we went out on a boat for the whole day. Evan Small was driving the boat and we stopped at a couple places to fish. Then we were driving out towards the ocean and had a lot of big waves hitting us. Evan Harr and Dustin were sitting on the front of the boat and we crashed into a giant wave and it came over our bow and got Evan and Dustin soaked. After that we drove back inland and Evan Small ran us into a sand bar. It wasn’t that bad but it was funny.
We ended up leaving Camp Hatteras and took a ferry out to Ocracoke Island. Once we got there we had about an hour to walk around the small town. After that we had to go catch another ferry to go back to the mainland. After we got to the mainland we had to stay at a motel because of the tornadoes. At the motel we had a rave party when the power went out. Evan A, Evan H, Dustin, Sam, and I participated. It was really fun.
The next morning we went to our actual camp site. The next day we put our canoes in the water and paddled out to an island. We made a bunch of trenches surrounding a fort and watched it get destroyed by waves. Later we all went back to the beach and swam in the Atlantic for the last time this semester. Then we loaded the canoes and went back to the mainland. The day after we got back to the mainland we went to town and walked around. Then we came back and were trying to catch crabs. The next day we got ready to go back to base and started our 9 hour drive back.
Once we got back we had to clean group gear and pack it away for the rest of the semester. The next day we saw our base staff again and had to transition back to base. That was our last full, real expedition of the semester.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Outer Banks Expedition-- Our Island Campsite. By Evan Harr
4-25-11
During the Outer Banks expedition, we only went canoe paddling for two days. The first day we paddled three miles to an island. It was a bird sanctuary and a beach. On one side was the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side was the Pamlico Sound.
At this island there were quite a few things to do. We could swim in the ocean, go fishing, climb on buoys, and more. I had a lot of fun playing war and digging holes. We even made a tunnel that connected the two holes. We also built a dolphin and mermaid out of sand.
During this hole-digging contest, we saw a stingray get beached up on shore. He flopped around a little bit, then flipped over and swam back into the water. It was an amazing sight to see.
When I went fishing, I left my pole stuck I the sand, and It fell into the water when I was gone. When I came back, I couldn’t find it, and I thought a fish took off with it. Luckily, Tristan found it later on, and I was very relieved.
I decided to go swimming in the ocean for a while and it kind of felt like I was at home again. I love the ocean and swimming in it, especially back at home. It also kind of made me miss home, because I used to go to the beach all the time in summer. It is so nice having a home so close to the beach. I can get comfortable with the waves, get a tan, cool off, hangout with friends, and more. It is just so awesome and I really miss it. Anyways, I am really glad that I got to enjoy a fun day out in the water at the beach again.
When we got back to base, I was so happy. I finally finished my last expedition of the semester. It means that parent weekend is getting closer and closer. I couldn’t wait to go back and sleep in our bunk beds. I was also very excited to see people at base like Nicole and Kevin. It was just a very great day.
Overall, I really enjoyed staying at the island. I also liked swimming in the waves of the ocean again. I probably wouldn’t go back though. Anyways, it was a fun last expedition, and I can’t wait to go home!
During the Outer Banks expedition, we only went canoe paddling for two days. The first day we paddled three miles to an island. It was a bird sanctuary and a beach. On one side was the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side was the Pamlico Sound.
At this island there were quite a few things to do. We could swim in the ocean, go fishing, climb on buoys, and more. I had a lot of fun playing war and digging holes. We even made a tunnel that connected the two holes. We also built a dolphin and mermaid out of sand.
During this hole-digging contest, we saw a stingray get beached up on shore. He flopped around a little bit, then flipped over and swam back into the water. It was an amazing sight to see.
When I went fishing, I left my pole stuck I the sand, and It fell into the water when I was gone. When I came back, I couldn’t find it, and I thought a fish took off with it. Luckily, Tristan found it later on, and I was very relieved.
I decided to go swimming in the ocean for a while and it kind of felt like I was at home again. I love the ocean and swimming in it, especially back at home. It also kind of made me miss home, because I used to go to the beach all the time in summer. It is so nice having a home so close to the beach. I can get comfortable with the waves, get a tan, cool off, hangout with friends, and more. It is just so awesome and I really miss it. Anyways, I am really glad that I got to enjoy a fun day out in the water at the beach again.
When we got back to base, I was so happy. I finally finished my last expedition of the semester. It means that parent weekend is getting closer and closer. I couldn’t wait to go back and sleep in our bunk beds. I was also very excited to see people at base like Nicole and Kevin. It was just a very great day.
Overall, I really enjoyed staying at the island. I also liked swimming in the waves of the ocean again. I probably wouldn’t go back though. Anyways, it was a fun last expedition, and I can’t wait to go home!
Tristan bllog 4/25/11
As you know we went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I will be writing about the wild horses we saw on Shackleford Island.
OK, lets get rolling. On the island there are about 150 wild horses. Our group’s goal was to see at least one wild horse.
We got dropped off on the island by a small ferry in the morning. When we got off the ferry, we did not see any horses and I was like “Well ok, they must not be in this location right now.” So we all walked down the beach about half a mile and we got to the middle of the island and there they were, five wild horses in all their glory. Evan Harr and Dustin Kenny walked up to the wild horses. They were within 5 feet of them and the horses acted like they weren’t even there. It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. I thought “OMG, I cannot believe what I am seeing”. I was amazed how calm they were.
To conclude I had a blast at Shackleford Island. We saw wild horses for the first time for gosh sakes! Who could not be excited to see wild horses? We were all a little excited. What was my favorite highlight? Seeing wild horses of course!
jockey ridge is dustins
Jockey Ridge National Park
In my final blog I will be talking about what we did at Jockey Ridge National Park so here it goes..
The night before in our nightly meeting we were told that we were going to go to a national park and my thoughts were oh gosh we are going to have to learn something, good thing that was not the case.
So on our way to Jockey Ridge National Park we stopped at a general store and I saw our staff buy two boogie boards and all I thought was that we are going to a national park to learn something, why in the world would we have two boogie boards? That is when they told us that we were going to be sand surfing. I thought that it would be really a cool. It did not turn out so well.
When we got there, there were a lot of dunes and a really steep one so some of us tried to sand surf, but it did not work so we all ran and jumped off of it. When we jumped we were free falling for about five seconds because the hill was this steep. No joke! It was really fun.
After we all got bored with that we started to play war- kids against staff. Mitchell and I were the medic and the riflemen and my rank was a corporal so it was really fun.
` Almost at the end we pretended to call in an air raid because I said that the enemy had tanks. After we called in I told Ray-Ray that it would be funny if an actual plane from World War 2 came. After about five minutes of me telling him that a World War 2 plane flew across the dunes and it was so funny. After that we left and we went back to camp.
I think that this trip was really cool I really enjoyed it I am thankful that I got to go there.
Thank you everybody for reading my blogs but this is my final blog ever I will not be coming back thank you and have a nice day
In my final blog I will be talking about what we did at Jockey Ridge National Park so here it goes..
The night before in our nightly meeting we were told that we were going to go to a national park and my thoughts were oh gosh we are going to have to learn something, good thing that was not the case.
So on our way to Jockey Ridge National Park we stopped at a general store and I saw our staff buy two boogie boards and all I thought was that we are going to a national park to learn something, why in the world would we have two boogie boards? That is when they told us that we were going to be sand surfing. I thought that it would be really a cool. It did not turn out so well.
When we got there, there were a lot of dunes and a really steep one so some of us tried to sand surf, but it did not work so we all ran and jumped off of it. When we jumped we were free falling for about five seconds because the hill was this steep. No joke! It was really fun.
After we all got bored with that we started to play war- kids against staff. Mitchell and I were the medic and the riflemen and my rank was a corporal so it was really fun.
` Almost at the end we pretended to call in an air raid because I said that the enemy had tanks. After we called in I told Ray-Ray that it would be funny if an actual plane from World War 2 came. After about five minutes of me telling him that a World War 2 plane flew across the dunes and it was so funny. After that we left and we went back to camp.
I think that this trip was really cool I really enjoyed it I am thankful that I got to go there.
Thank you everybody for reading my blogs but this is my final blog ever I will not be coming back thank you and have a nice day
A Great Human Accomplishment by. Stephen A. Foster
From a distance, you can see a HUGE monument on the largest hill in the area; it is called Kill Devil Hill. With, the memorial dedicated to one of human-kinds greatest achievements, manned flight.
The great achievement of manned flight was accomplished by two Ohio bicycle engineers, named Orville and Wilbur Wright. By watching the birds they were able to figure out that by warping their wings the birds were able to glide and fly across the sky. They ended up using these ideas on small kites. When it worked really well, they figured that they could create a larger, manned glider. So they found out about this area in North Carolina that was flat, windy, and had a lot of space. They ended up making a base camp there at a place called Kill Devil Hill. They did much research there and ended up completing a glider, not big enough to carry a man, but big enough to try to fly. It ended up working really well, so from there they were extremely motivated to continue to fly.
In the next 8 years they built manned gliders of which some worked and some did not. To get them at the right speed to take a person into the air, they built a track wrapping around Kill Devil Hill to gain enough speed to fly. When they weren’t able to go too far, they figured that they could build an engine to create more speed to fly them further. The engine, through trial and error, ended up working. They got it going about 14 miles per hour, and made it 400+ feet. I think that is truly amazing.
Later on they kept building, better and better airplanes, to fly and sell. They ended up getting a contract to sell to the United States Army Signal Corp, and later a contract to build for France.
When we visited the Kill Devil Hill National Historical Site, I truly was interested in how the Wright Brothers were able to accomplish these feats and throw the world into the age of flight.
The great achievement of manned flight was accomplished by two Ohio bicycle engineers, named Orville and Wilbur Wright. By watching the birds they were able to figure out that by warping their wings the birds were able to glide and fly across the sky. They ended up using these ideas on small kites. When it worked really well, they figured that they could create a larger, manned glider. So they found out about this area in North Carolina that was flat, windy, and had a lot of space. They ended up making a base camp there at a place called Kill Devil Hill. They did much research there and ended up completing a glider, not big enough to carry a man, but big enough to try to fly. It ended up working really well, so from there they were extremely motivated to continue to fly.
In the next 8 years they built manned gliders of which some worked and some did not. To get them at the right speed to take a person into the air, they built a track wrapping around Kill Devil Hill to gain enough speed to fly. When they weren’t able to go too far, they figured that they could build an engine to create more speed to fly them further. The engine, through trial and error, ended up working. They got it going about 14 miles per hour, and made it 400+ feet. I think that is truly amazing.
Later on they kept building, better and better airplanes, to fly and sell. They ended up getting a contract to sell to the United States Army Signal Corp, and later a contract to build for France.
When we visited the Kill Devil Hill National Historical Site, I truly was interested in how the Wright Brothers were able to accomplish these feats and throw the world into the age of flight.
Stormy Motels By: Evan Anderson (Ray-Ray)
On the day we had to take ferries back to the mainland, the staff said that we were getting tornado warnings and lightning storms that were apparently heading our way. After we got off our second ferry ride, we were told that there were some worried parents that would feel better about us staying low for the night and stay out of the coming storm’s furious, unrelenting wrath! Luckily there was a motel next to the ferry dock we got off at.
We began getting out our necessities for the night, which really wasn’t that much since we were at a motel. Then black clouds were spotted off a little ways from where we were, foreshadowing the coming events, giving the gloomy but aweing sight that you couldn’t turn away from. Soon after the lightning was visible, very visible. Lightning lit up skies giving the feeling that Vegas was on the other side of the hill, fortunately, no lightning struck the ground that we could see, but it did take out our power a bunch of times.
Worried staff told us to stay indoors and find something to do to occupy our time. So that’s when we got the idea…. We found as much thing as we could that would flash fast and light up our room like strobe lights. Once that was achieved we took an I-pod that had good techno and dance music and attached it to some speakers and had an all-out rave party! It was awesome!!! Some tips! If you use a bed to help with dancing, don’t go back to jumping on hard floor, you end up feeling pitifully weak because you don’t have the extra bounce. Eventually it was ended by the staff because they got angry that the sheets were on the floor and because of the ruckus, plus it was time for nightly meetings.
You can have fun at any time, if you have the mind for it!
We began getting out our necessities for the night, which really wasn’t that much since we were at a motel. Then black clouds were spotted off a little ways from where we were, foreshadowing the coming events, giving the gloomy but aweing sight that you couldn’t turn away from. Soon after the lightning was visible, very visible. Lightning lit up skies giving the feeling that Vegas was on the other side of the hill, fortunately, no lightning struck the ground that we could see, but it did take out our power a bunch of times.
Worried staff told us to stay indoors and find something to do to occupy our time. So that’s when we got the idea…. We found as much thing as we could that would flash fast and light up our room like strobe lights. Once that was achieved we took an I-pod that had good techno and dance music and attached it to some speakers and had an all-out rave party! It was awesome!!! Some tips! If you use a bed to help with dancing, don’t go back to jumping on hard floor, you end up feeling pitifully weak because you don’t have the extra bounce. Eventually it was ended by the staff because they got angry that the sheets were on the floor and because of the ruckus, plus it was time for nightly meetings.
You can have fun at any time, if you have the mind for it!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Tristan's Blog
Dear readers,
In this blog I will be talking about a few things such as food, staff food, along with the diverse environment. This is also a student led expedition. So we were running the show`.
To start off I want to tell what the environment was like. For most of the expedition it was very swamp like, humid, buggy, and full of wildlife. In fact one night I was sleeping in my ENO hammock and was awoken at 3am by an owl. I was so shocked. It sounded like it was right next to me. But anyway the environment was so sweet. I enjoyed the environment very much.
The rest of the expedition was more of a salt mash consistency such as mud instead of dirt or sand, reeds instead of trees, and most of all brackish water instead of fresh water. Those were the most drastic changes that I noticed.
Ok, now let’s move on to the food. You would think that since I am bringing up food that we had really good food, not at all. Every day we had oatmeal for breakfast, pb&j or crackers with summer sausage. Then for dinner we had pasta every night. I never want to have oatmeal again. That’s the food topic.
That was the lead up to the staff getting sick of our food. They finally decided to take control of the meal plans. Nat cooked hash browns with scrambled eggs, green bell peppers, and onions all mixed into one pot of deliciousness. For lunch we had pb&j, and dinner was burritos containing refried black beans, rice and more.
Now Mr. Evan Small on the other hand cooked chocolate chip pancakes for breaky. For lunch it was lunch meat and for dinn dinn we had pesto pizza. Once again the staff swoop in to save the expedition with outstanding food.
To sum it all up it all this was one my favorite expedition of the semester because it was student led and we (the students) were running the show.
Thanks for all the support. You know who you are!!!
In this blog I will be talking about a few things such as food, staff food, along with the diverse environment. This is also a student led expedition. So we were running the show`.
To start off I want to tell what the environment was like. For most of the expedition it was very swamp like, humid, buggy, and full of wildlife. In fact one night I was sleeping in my ENO hammock and was awoken at 3am by an owl. I was so shocked. It sounded like it was right next to me. But anyway the environment was so sweet. I enjoyed the environment very much.
The rest of the expedition was more of a salt mash consistency such as mud instead of dirt or sand, reeds instead of trees, and most of all brackish water instead of fresh water. Those were the most drastic changes that I noticed.
Ok, now let’s move on to the food. You would think that since I am bringing up food that we had really good food, not at all. Every day we had oatmeal for breakfast, pb&j or crackers with summer sausage. Then for dinner we had pasta every night. I never want to have oatmeal again. That’s the food topic.
That was the lead up to the staff getting sick of our food. They finally decided to take control of the meal plans. Nat cooked hash browns with scrambled eggs, green bell peppers, and onions all mixed into one pot of deliciousness. For lunch we had pb&j, and dinner was burritos containing refried black beans, rice and more.
Now Mr. Evan Small on the other hand cooked chocolate chip pancakes for breaky. For lunch it was lunch meat and for dinn dinn we had pesto pizza. Once again the staff swoop in to save the expedition with outstanding food.
To sum it all up it all this was one my favorite expedition of the semester because it was student led and we (the students) were running the show.
Thanks for all the support. You know who you are!!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Billy Cullity South Carolina and the Edisto
Billy Cullity 4-04-11
Blog
Expedition 4
The previous expedition was on the Edisto River in South Carolina. We canoe paddled 100 miles of the Edisto, more than half of the Edisto. On the first day the staff showed us what a strainer was. A strainer is an object which is on the surface of the water, usually a tree. It’s called a strainer because moving water goes right under and will suck anything under the water. The reason why staff had to show us what a strainer was is because there are a lot of strainers on the Edisto and they wanted us to stay away from them.
The second day of the paddle we loaded the canoes and took off. We came across a lot of strainers that day, and one of the kids dropped a paddle because of a strainer. Evan Harr and I were ahead of everyone and had to find a place to stop, there were non-stop strainers and nowhere to stop. We were out of line of sight from everyone and finally got to stop and wait for everybody. Later that night the staff congratulated us for making the right decisions and being aware of our surroundings and waiting for the right place to stop.
The next couple days were basically the same except for the day we built our own island. Then the next couple days were still the same we paddle and it rained. One day we went to a boondocks type place to eat lunch and had to stay there for a couple hours cause of a storm. Then we paddled to our campsite and that was our last full day on the river. The next day we went to the van and were so excited. We went out to eat for dinner. Then the next day we went to Edisto beach and stayed there. Then the next day we went to Charlestown landing and took lot of pictures and saw an old boat. We also went to the zoo there and saw lots of stuff. Another day we went to the actual city of Charleston and walked around. The next day we went to Edisto beach and hung out then went back to camp and packed up, drove to Charleston one last time and saw April while she was on vacation in. Then got back in the van and drove back to NC and took nice shower and unpacked our van and then went to bed. The next morning we did phone calls home and transitioned back to base staff, and that was the official end of expedition.
Highlights and bullet points of the trip:
• Paddled against current
• Saw alligator
• Saw snake
• Someone dropped a paddle
• Paddled through strainers and had fun with them
• Paddled down a small rapid
• I rammed Tristan and Mitchel’s canoe
• Saw an old sail boat in old town Charleston
• Went to old town Charleston
• Saw April in Charleston
• Went to a zoo
• Saw a Bear
• Saw a puma
• Saw bisons
• Saw a bobcat
• We were very happy to see the van again
• Played volley ball
• Dustin fell in empty boat at dock and flipped it
• Went to Edisto beach
• Went out to eat at bucks pizza
• Staff made us food
• We went to Charlestown landing
• Saw the U.S.S. Yorktown
• Walked around Charleston
• Took lots of pictures at Charlestown landing
Blog
Expedition 4
The previous expedition was on the Edisto River in South Carolina. We canoe paddled 100 miles of the Edisto, more than half of the Edisto. On the first day the staff showed us what a strainer was. A strainer is an object which is on the surface of the water, usually a tree. It’s called a strainer because moving water goes right under and will suck anything under the water. The reason why staff had to show us what a strainer was is because there are a lot of strainers on the Edisto and they wanted us to stay away from them.
The second day of the paddle we loaded the canoes and took off. We came across a lot of strainers that day, and one of the kids dropped a paddle because of a strainer. Evan Harr and I were ahead of everyone and had to find a place to stop, there were non-stop strainers and nowhere to stop. We were out of line of sight from everyone and finally got to stop and wait for everybody. Later that night the staff congratulated us for making the right decisions and being aware of our surroundings and waiting for the right place to stop.
The next couple days were basically the same except for the day we built our own island. Then the next couple days were still the same we paddle and it rained. One day we went to a boondocks type place to eat lunch and had to stay there for a couple hours cause of a storm. Then we paddled to our campsite and that was our last full day on the river. The next day we went to the van and were so excited. We went out to eat for dinner. Then the next day we went to Edisto beach and stayed there. Then the next day we went to Charlestown landing and took lot of pictures and saw an old boat. We also went to the zoo there and saw lots of stuff. Another day we went to the actual city of Charleston and walked around. The next day we went to Edisto beach and hung out then went back to camp and packed up, drove to Charleston one last time and saw April while she was on vacation in. Then got back in the van and drove back to NC and took nice shower and unpacked our van and then went to bed. The next morning we did phone calls home and transitioned back to base staff, and that was the official end of expedition.
Highlights and bullet points of the trip:
• Paddled against current
• Saw alligator
• Saw snake
• Someone dropped a paddle
• Paddled through strainers and had fun with them
• Paddled down a small rapid
• I rammed Tristan and Mitchel’s canoe
• Saw an old sail boat in old town Charleston
• Went to old town Charleston
• Saw April in Charleston
• Went to a zoo
• Saw a Bear
• Saw a puma
• Saw bisons
• Saw a bobcat
• We were very happy to see the van again
• Played volley ball
• Dustin fell in empty boat at dock and flipped it
• Went to Edisto beach
• Went out to eat at bucks pizza
• Staff made us food
• We went to Charlestown landing
• Saw the U.S.S. Yorktown
• Walked around Charleston
• Took lots of pictures at Charlestown landing
Edistio River Expedition by Mitchell Harrison
This expedition Pangaea went to the Edisto River in South Carolina for two weeks.
One of the days it was so cold that I couldn’t feel my fingers and I had to put a pair of my socks on to keep my fingers warm.
We stayed at Givhen’s Ferry for two days. One of the days when we were staying there we played volleyball. After the volleyball game most of the people went swimming and fishing. Evan Small, Billy, Ray, and I played two on two volleyball. Evan Small and I won against Billy and Ray.
One of the days we went to a gas station and staff got us ice cream. It was great to have a special treat from the staff. Another day we got to go to a gas station to buy some snacks and some famous Cheerwine. I got a honey bun and some Oreo ice cream. While at the state park we all took showers because we hadn’t taken showers in two weeks.
We got to get out a day early on the river. Then we went to Charleston and got to see a lot of history at Charleston landing. We also got to see a very old ship that was used in the old times. I had a very fun time paddling on the Edisto River. It was my second time with Nat on a river. I can't wait to come back.
One of the days it was so cold that I couldn’t feel my fingers and I had to put a pair of my socks on to keep my fingers warm.
We stayed at Givhen’s Ferry for two days. One of the days when we were staying there we played volleyball. After the volleyball game most of the people went swimming and fishing. Evan Small, Billy, Ray, and I played two on two volleyball. Evan Small and I won against Billy and Ray.
One of the days we went to a gas station and staff got us ice cream. It was great to have a special treat from the staff. Another day we got to go to a gas station to buy some snacks and some famous Cheerwine. I got a honey bun and some Oreo ice cream. While at the state park we all took showers because we hadn’t taken showers in two weeks.
We got to get out a day early on the river. Then we went to Charleston and got to see a lot of history at Charleston landing. We also got to see a very old ship that was used in the old times. I had a very fun time paddling on the Edisto River. It was my second time with Nat on a river. I can't wait to come back.
Our Student Led Expedition Blog, By Evan Harr
4-4-11
This past trip on the Edisto was quite miserable sometimes. There was a lot of rain, and of course, thunder and lightning came along with it. It was a tough paddle, but we were with the current most of the time. We did some fun things in Charleston, and when we were staying at Edisto Beach State Park.
There was some hammock camping, but mainly tent camping. I let Ray Ray use my hammock for a few nights. The other nights that had lightning storms were unsafe for hammocks. Everyone, no matter what, had to sleep in tents some nights. I preferred tent camping because it was so much warmer and nicer altogether. I still like my hammock a lot and love that my parents bought it for me. Tents are a lot better in the rain too because you don’t get nearly as wet or cold.
There was some terrible fishing. We didn’t even get one bite. It was lame because the bass are so dang lazy. I don’t like river fishing unless it’s fly fishing, which I’ve never tried. I wouldn’t recommend fishing in the Edisto River. I did get to troll a little, but I was more worried about hooking a dolphin than a fish. Some man gave us sardine and shrimp bait. It was really cool although it didn’t do anything for us. There was a time when I thought I had a fish, but that was only because I had a weight on the fishing pole. At one point I had four different fishing poles out since nobody was using any!
Along the paddle we stayed at a few different state parks. The first one was called Colleton State Park, and it was very small. It was kind of fun because we got to fish and play volleyball. The volleyball games were awesome, but unfortunately we didn’t get to play on sand. It was really awesome and tough even though some people weren’t even paying attention. I also got to charge my phone there! I really don’t even remember who won. Again, the fishing in the little stream still sucked.
The next state park was called Givhan’s Ferry, and it was like at least ten times bigger than Colleton. It was a lot of fun there, and the volleyball was amazing there. There was actual sand, but the ball was pretty flat. I made some sweet hits, especially my diving one. We played a few games, and got to be shoeless, which is always great at SOAR. One of the days, staff bought ice cream for us, which was really awesome. They were one of those drumstick ice cream cone things. They are covered with chocolate inside the cone, and on top of the ice cream. They also had peanuts over the chocolate. They were a very delicious and free snack. The next day, we went to the bigger store, and got some yummy snacks, and Cheerwine! I have loved Cheerwine ever since I had it the first time at Neo Cantina. Anyway, this campsite is where we got to have a zero mile day, which was really sweet because we also got to sleep in.
The last state park was Edisto Beach State Park. That was probably the best campsite that we stayed at. We had two campsites like at Colleton, and the staff got there own, just like the students. Our site was very secluded. It was a little walk into the woods, and then we went back into our sites that were by a little body of water. It was like a bay where we saw raccoons and deer. During our stay here, we went into the city of Charleston some of the days. One of the days we went to Charleston state park where we saw many historical things. We went on a boat that sent mail and cargo to other places, and we also saw where the wall was dug, and more. We also saw an African American grave, which was just flat land, since they were property and nothing more. We also went to the zoo and saw a Puma, Black Bear, Bison, an Elk, Deer, and a Bobcat. Tristan was very excited to see the Puma, since that is his trail name. The next day, we went to the beach. We did school in the building there, and then headed to the water. The ocean was freezing, and I only went in for a little. We also bought a kite, and it lasted for a while. I probably got the best run out of everyone because mine went really high. At one point when Stephen was flying it, the string came off of the kite and flew into the ocean. Tristan tried to get it, but it sank before he got close. It was probably my fault since I tied the knot for the kite. We also had some nice snacks and lunch at the beach which consisted of subs and trail mix. Right after people got tired of it, we went to Piggly Wiggly, which is now called Lucky Ducky. Anyways, I bought Cheerwine and Sweet and Salty Chex Mix. At camp, when Ray Ray was done with his gummy worms, and there was just sugar left, I kind of snorted it. The staff got really mad at me because someone decided to tell on me. It hurt, but was fun while it lasted. We went into Charleston one more time, and we saw April. We also went to the candy store, and a deli that was apparently really good. I couldn’t find my money, so I missed out on buying something there.
Overall, it was a great, but hard trip. We worked very hard and got some rewards along the way. I am thankful that it is finally over. It probably wasn’t my favorite, because it was pretty tough. I’m glad the semester is almost over, and summer is almost here. I have so many fun plans over summer, especially with SOAR kids, and I can’t wait. We have one and a half expeditions left, which I am stoked for. I will be free once again when I get home.
student led EX by Sam Millard
Our student led expedition
By Sam Millard
The first day of our expedition we left the van and started paddling the Edisto River. After paddling for around half an hour we got to our first camp sight. After we set up camp some of us made sand castles which was a lot of fun. The next day we got up and paddled.
We did the same routine until around the fourth day which we got to a state park. The next day was our rest day which we didn't do any paddling. On that day we did school work and played volleyball. That night it started raining which wouldn't be surprising, but the first four or so days there wasn't a cloud in the sky. For the rest of the expedition, with an exception of the last day, it rained.
The day we finished canoeing we went out to get pizza. The next morning we drove our van, which we hired a company to move to our final destination, to another state park. The last few days of our expedition we went to Charleston, which was very close to our camp site and we went to the beach. On Saturday we drove back to Base camp.
By Sam Millard
The first day of our expedition we left the van and started paddling the Edisto River. After paddling for around half an hour we got to our first camp sight. After we set up camp some of us made sand castles which was a lot of fun. The next day we got up and paddled.
We did the same routine until around the fourth day which we got to a state park. The next day was our rest day which we didn't do any paddling. On that day we did school work and played volleyball. That night it started raining which wouldn't be surprising, but the first four or so days there wasn't a cloud in the sky. For the rest of the expedition, with an exception of the last day, it rained.
The day we finished canoeing we went out to get pizza. The next morning we drove our van, which we hired a company to move to our final destination, to another state park. The last few days of our expedition we went to Charleston, which was very close to our camp site and we went to the beach. On Saturday we drove back to Base camp.
The Importance of Adaptability
During our most recent expedition, adaptability was the name of the game. You really must be able to adapt to overcome. Throughout my SOAR experiences, right below safety and school, their main objective was to teach us life lessons that will help us throughout life. Adaptability was definitely a major one, because when you make a plan, you need to be ready for it to change, on a dime.
When you are in the backcountry (anywhere that’s away from civilization), it is hard to know exactly what could happen. From forgetting food to changing weather conditions, many things can happen (both affected us on this last expedition).
During this last expedition we paddled over one hundred miles in around ten or so days. Within ten days a lot can happen. For example, for the first half or so of the paddle, the skies were sunny and clear, then the sky started to cloud up and we paddled through many-a-storm. We needed to adapt when, during one of our lunch breaks, it started pouring down rain. We ended up setting up our tents and huddling down for three-hours to stay warm. To keep ourselves entertained, most of us ended up playing cards to pass the time while some slept. I think that was a perfect example of adaptability. We also had several more examples of the need to adapt. During mid-expedition, we found out that we didn’t buy enough food to last us until the last day, so we ended stopping a day early about thirty or so miles away from Edisto Beach State Park (our original ending destination).
In my opinion these were all really good examples of adaptability. During that expedition, it was especially hard for Yoda (our leadership role) to keep the rest of the group motivated and going, because this was our student lead expedition. This means that the staff, basically, stepped back from their everyday leadership, and had us lead ourselves. So the staffs were only there for safety, to make decisions Yoda couldn’t, and to inform the “Yoda” about the day/plans. But, the storms became a safety issue, so during the storm days a lot of Yoda’s decisions making abilities were taken over by staff. This made it harder for Yoda and the group to know exactly what the plan was. We had to basically blindly adapt to what the staff, did until they informed us why.
So in my opinion, adaptability is one of the most important life skills that an outdoor leadership school can teach is adaptability. Because later on in life when you become an employee, you must be able to adapt to whatever your boss is telling you, and get it done so that you can keep your job. Personally, I am really glad that I have had the opportunity to learn this trait early in life.
-Stephen A. Foster
When you are in the backcountry (anywhere that’s away from civilization), it is hard to know exactly what could happen. From forgetting food to changing weather conditions, many things can happen (both affected us on this last expedition).
During this last expedition we paddled over one hundred miles in around ten or so days. Within ten days a lot can happen. For example, for the first half or so of the paddle, the skies were sunny and clear, then the sky started to cloud up and we paddled through many-a-storm. We needed to adapt when, during one of our lunch breaks, it started pouring down rain. We ended up setting up our tents and huddling down for three-hours to stay warm. To keep ourselves entertained, most of us ended up playing cards to pass the time while some slept. I think that was a perfect example of adaptability. We also had several more examples of the need to adapt. During mid-expedition, we found out that we didn’t buy enough food to last us until the last day, so we ended stopping a day early about thirty or so miles away from Edisto Beach State Park (our original ending destination).
In my opinion these were all really good examples of adaptability. During that expedition, it was especially hard for Yoda (our leadership role) to keep the rest of the group motivated and going, because this was our student lead expedition. This means that the staff, basically, stepped back from their everyday leadership, and had us lead ourselves. So the staffs were only there for safety, to make decisions Yoda couldn’t, and to inform the “Yoda” about the day/plans. But, the storms became a safety issue, so during the storm days a lot of Yoda’s decisions making abilities were taken over by staff. This made it harder for Yoda and the group to know exactly what the plan was. We had to basically blindly adapt to what the staff, did until they informed us why.
So in my opinion, adaptability is one of the most important life skills that an outdoor leadership school can teach is adaptability. Because later on in life when you become an employee, you must be able to adapt to whatever your boss is telling you, and get it done so that you can keep your job. Personally, I am really glad that I have had the opportunity to learn this trait early in life.
-Stephen A. Foster
The Creation of Cathalan Island. By Evan Anderson
It was a distant day ago when a daunting task was put upon us. One of the many days paddling on the Edisto, we decided to stop at this luxurious beach. The white sandy beach was dotted with perfectly placed palm trees, great for hammock use. It had a cabana type structure that was utilized for cooking.
One thing caught my eyes above all other things. It was a spit of land in the middle of the river that we could walk out to. With the help of a few other group members, we walked out to the patch of sand and began to analyze this real-estate. We looked at its promising possibility. However, there were dangers as well. The powerful current threatened to erode anything we would think about building.
Ignoring the issue, we decided to address the current when it became more prominent; we began to start building a base wall, expanding the island and closing the water away from getting inside to the part we wanted dry. Once that task was finished we split up the team. We had some gather moist sand from the main beach, they put the sand into the closed off section and began raising the island out of the water.
The others were maintaining the island from the eroding current. Sticks and branches were placed around the island to help block the water from just simply grinding away at the island. Almost there. The final step in defense was an outer barrier that was created to take the brunt of the current. That wall would also need maintaining, however it was very minimal. Creating the outer barrier also created our own tide changes in the water between the island and the barrier.
Now that the island was fairly protected, we decided to look upon our achievement. However, it was missing something, something rather important in fact. Our humble creation was missing vegetation. It looked rather dull after we realized the hard truth. So, we gathered up small green plants and positioned them in good looking spots. Now it looked better, it was still missing something very important though…..
We finally realized it was buildings. We began to gather very small sticks and built several adobe huts upon the island. We also constructed a small little dock. We finally sat up on the beach and looked to our creation in satisfaction. After we left we gained a curiosity of how long the lonely island could possibly last. But we all were glad with the knowledge of building a large island in a strong current was very possible. And now you know too!
One thing caught my eyes above all other things. It was a spit of land in the middle of the river that we could walk out to. With the help of a few other group members, we walked out to the patch of sand and began to analyze this real-estate. We looked at its promising possibility. However, there were dangers as well. The powerful current threatened to erode anything we would think about building.
Ignoring the issue, we decided to address the current when it became more prominent; we began to start building a base wall, expanding the island and closing the water away from getting inside to the part we wanted dry. Once that task was finished we split up the team. We had some gather moist sand from the main beach, they put the sand into the closed off section and began raising the island out of the water.
The others were maintaining the island from the eroding current. Sticks and branches were placed around the island to help block the water from just simply grinding away at the island. Almost there. The final step in defense was an outer barrier that was created to take the brunt of the current. That wall would also need maintaining, however it was very minimal. Creating the outer barrier also created our own tide changes in the water between the island and the barrier.
Now that the island was fairly protected, we decided to look upon our achievement. However, it was missing something, something rather important in fact. Our humble creation was missing vegetation. It looked rather dull after we realized the hard truth. So, we gathered up small green plants and positioned them in good looking spots. Now it looked better, it was still missing something very important though…..
We finally realized it was buildings. We began to gather very small sticks and built several adobe huts upon the island. We also constructed a small little dock. We finally sat up on the beach and looked to our creation in satisfaction. After we left we gained a curiosity of how long the lonely island could possibly last. But we all were glad with the knowledge of building a large island in a strong current was very possible. And now you know too!
Monday, April 4, 2011
dustins blog
Blog
Hey everybody, we just got back from the Edisto River and it was awesome. It was awesome except there were the storms and those were not fun at all. It rained and all that stuff, for three to four days in a row and it sucked.
Day1- So we left base and took a six hour drive to Zigzag landing and we put in our boats and we went through a lot of strainers and we paddled two or three miles that day and that was pretty much it for the first day.
Day2- So we left the first place and we paddled fifteen miles to another camp site and it was ok except that this camp site had a lot of Hunter, Wolf and other spiders I don’t know the name of. But other than that it was a pretty nice camp site.
Day3- We woke up and we pretty much did the same thing and we instead of staying on some piece of land we went to Colletons state park. It was very very very small and we had a fun time though. We played volleyball so that was cool.
Day4- We left Colletons and we paddled fifteen miles and did the same thing the first two nights and we went to bed.
Day5- We woke up and we paddled twenty miles and we stayed at Givhans ferry for two nights and we played volleyball on the second day.
Day7- It was our first day of rain and it sucked and it started to storm. Then we went to some random camp site and spent the night.
The rest of the trip was just like that except for the last day we did at least thirty miles and we went to the van and we got there listening to Sweet Home Alabama and it was paradise. Then we went out for pizza.
Then until today we stayed at Edisto Beach State Park and it was awesome.
- Dustin
Hey everybody, we just got back from the Edisto River and it was awesome. It was awesome except there were the storms and those were not fun at all. It rained and all that stuff, for three to four days in a row and it sucked.
Day1- So we left base and took a six hour drive to Zigzag landing and we put in our boats and we went through a lot of strainers and we paddled two or three miles that day and that was pretty much it for the first day.
Day2- So we left the first place and we paddled fifteen miles to another camp site and it was ok except that this camp site had a lot of Hunter, Wolf and other spiders I don’t know the name of. But other than that it was a pretty nice camp site.
Day3- We woke up and we pretty much did the same thing and we instead of staying on some piece of land we went to Colletons state park. It was very very very small and we had a fun time though. We played volleyball so that was cool.
Day4- We left Colletons and we paddled fifteen miles and did the same thing the first two nights and we went to bed.
Day5- We woke up and we paddled twenty miles and we stayed at Givhans ferry for two nights and we played volleyball on the second day.
Day7- It was our first day of rain and it sucked and it started to storm. Then we went to some random camp site and spent the night.
The rest of the trip was just like that except for the last day we did at least thirty miles and we went to the van and we got there listening to Sweet Home Alabama and it was paradise. Then we went out for pizza.
Then until today we stayed at Edisto Beach State Park and it was awesome.
- Dustin
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Our trip to Costa Rica (Sam)
Sam Millard
Our trip to Costa Rica
On Tuesday morning we woke up around 5 and the Team, Logan and Matt, Logan's friend whom joined us on our expedition to Costa Rica, left Logan's house for the airport. Once we got to the airport and through security and costumes we ate lunch. After lunch we got on the plane to Costa Rica. Once we got to Costa Rica we took the bus van to our hostel where we were spending the night at which was in the capital, San Jo`se. Once we got to hostel we made bed arrangements and went out to go shopping and buy our dinner. For dinner we went around town and bought food at food stands and open markets. At around 8:30 we went back to the hostel to go to bed. In the morning Evan Anderson, Evan Harr, Steven and I went with Logan to get pastries for breakfast. Once we got back to the Hostel we cut the pastries in half and each had 3 halves witch we took turns choosing. After breakfast we packed up the bus van and drove to our next hotel. On our way there we stopped at a soda (restaurant) witch our driver Willy chose out for us. After a delicious lunch we got back in the bus van and continued driving to our next hotel. Once we got to our next hotel in La Fortuna, Logan and Evan Small made sleeping arrangements, I was in a room with Evan Small and Dustin. Once we made sleeping arrangements we ran to the waterfall which was only about a mile away. At waterfall there was a rope swing that was about a 20 foot fall into the river. Logan was the first to try the rope swing, followed by Evan Harr soon after. The rope swing was fun, but a little scary at first. After spending around half an hour jumping from the rope swing we headed back to our hotel. A little after we got back to the hotel, we ate dinner and went to the town of La Fortuna. In town I got a little Irritated because every store there sold the exactly same stuff, touristy junk that said Costa Rica on it. Once we finished shopping we had evening meeting in a small gazebo like building. Half way through our evening meeting BMX bikers came in the building were we were having evening meeting and started doing tricks on their bikes. After evening meeting we drove back to our hotel and went to bed. The next day we drove to a resort witch we would spend the day at, horseback riding and relaxing in the hot springs. Once we got to the stables the people in charge of the horse back riding assigned us horses and we started riding. After we were finished horseback riding we went to the hot springs. At the hot springs there was a dry bar and 3 water slides as well as a couple pools, witch all varied in different sizes. The next day we went zip lining and back to the waterfall and the hot springs. The next day we left to go to the next hotel which was in Manuel Antonio. On the way there we stopped at another soda to break for lunch. Once we got to our hotel we set up and then went to a small part of the beach. While there I ripped open a coconut with my teeth within a couple minutes. After that we went back to the hotel an hanged out in the designated hang out room. The next day we went to the beach. At the beach Logan rented a couple body boards and a surf board for us to use. The next day we went to the beach and rented the boards again. The next day we went back to the hostel we stayed at in San Jo`se. The next day we drove to the airport and left to return to the states.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Billy's Blog
Billy Cullity 3-14-11
Blog
The previous expedition we went to Costa Rica. We arrived in San Jose and stayed at backpacker’s hostel. We went to town later that night and bought souvenirs and food. The next morning we ate pastries for breakfast and headed out to a town called La Fortuna in the middle of the rainforest.
In La Fortuna we went to a river that had a small waterfall. At the waterfall there was a rope swing and it swung us right in front of the waterfall. The next day we went to a resort called Los Lagos and we went horseback riding. Evan Small and I decided to race on our horses and of course I won the race. I almost forgot to mention that La Fortuna Is next to a big active volcano. After we went horseback riding we went to the pool area and went down three different water slides, there was also natural hot springs that we went to. Later that night we went to town and bought more souvenirs and more food. The next day we went back to Los Lagos and went zip lining and saw a small snake that is deadly. We also went back to the rope swing and also back to town. Then at night went back to the hot springs and water slide that was our last day in La Fortuna.
The next morning we went to Manuel Antonio and went to the beach. The next day we went back to the beach and rented 1 surf board, 3 body boards and 1 skim board. We played in the water pretty much the whole day. The next day we went back to the beach and rented more stuff. I was body boarding the whole time and I wasn’t able to stand up on the surfboard but I was able to stand up on the body board which was even harder. I was able to ride the body board as if I was surfing. Later that day we ate out in town at a pizza place. I also almost forgot to tell you the Evan H, Steven, Evan A, and I all got a room to our selves, it had 2 king sized beds and a TV and a lot of other nice stuff, we got the nicest room.
The next morning we went back to San Jose and went back into town and bought more souvenirs and food and enjoyed our last full day in Costa Rica. The next morning we ate more pastries and drove to the airport and flew back to America.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tristan's Costa Rican blog
Tristan’s blog for Costa Rica
In this blog as you know we went to Costa Rica in Central America. My most favorite things would have to be horseback riding on the outskirts of an ACTIVE VOLCANO (yes I had to use caps lock), and seeing white faced Capuchin monkeys. First of I want to thank the staff for giving us so much freedom on this expedition! Thank you staff!!!!!! So on that note let me talk about horseback riding first. So this was my first time horseback riding ever. I enjoy being around animals very much . Anyway, my horse’s name was purple in Spanish. Honestly I forgot how to say my horse’s name in Spanish. So I’m supposed to hop on this thing that is like 100% muscle? I hop on my horse and I felt the horse relax, and I knew that I was in for a treat. Then I see this dude come out on this white horse. His name is Victor and he is the one who leads the horseback trips. He led us up and down hills, vales, and even across a couple streams. I loved my horse. My horse would follow any thing I told my horse to do. Even if she was a little nervous on going on a small path, I whispered it’s ok to my horse and she seemed to listen and acknowledge what I said; and that made me feel safe and happy at the same time. When we got to the stable I felt sad to leave my horse; but she would see other people.
So know lets have some monkey talk! This whole expedition I would run around saying ?Donde esta los monos? Which translate to “Where are the monkeys?” So you can tell I was looking forward to see wild, little, white faced monkeys. When I saw them, I looked like a little boy in a candy store. I was amazed that they were so close to us humans. I took a crap ton of photos and I will hopefully I can post them along with my blog!
Thank you every one who has helped me through tough times and who stood by my side when I needed someone, especially my mom!!!!
hola costa
Hola it is me Dustin Kenney
In this blog I will be giving you a day by day layout of the trip. We started in Charlotte, North Carolina and boarded the plane. We flew to San Jose in Costa Rica.
The next day we headed out of San Jose and went to La Fortuna in Costa Rica. We stayed at a pretty cool campsite. Then we went to bed.
This day in La Fortuna was really cool. We got to go horse back riding around Volcano Arenal and we galloped a lot and just had a fun time. I had a really fast horse. After horseback riding we went to a rope swing, the hot springs, and to town.
The next day we went Zip lining. We saw a great horned viper, it can kill you within an hour so we kept our distance. Then after that we went again to the rope swing, the hot springs, and went to town also.
We left the resort and we headed to the beach to stay at the Blue Monkey. It was awesome. We got to the beach and we watched the sun set that day. It was cool.
In Manuel Antonio we lived the beach life and went surfing, boogie boarding, and skim boarding. I stood up on a surfboard and it was cool. We also went into a national park and saw monkeys and sloths.
Our last day on the beach we got two surf boards, three boogie boards, and a skim board. When I was surfing a giant wave came out of nowhere and it crashed on me. I hurt my ankle really bad but I am fine now.
We left the beach and headed back to San Jose and stayed our last night in the backpacker’s hotel. It was cool because it is a nice calm place.
We came back to North Carolina and we were sad to be done in Costa Rica.
The Coffee and Food of Costa Rica
When you’re visiting Costa Rica, it’s almost sacrilegious, coffee lover or not, to refuse to try some of their world famous coffee. It is probably the most fresh, whole coffee that I have ever tasted in my life, and when combined with their amazing food, it beats some of America’s five- star food eateries. It is truly an experience that I will never forget.
In Costa Rica, almost everything is cheap; food (sometimes less than a dollar), coffee, and souvenirs. At most, a pound of coffee, is only about $7.00 or 3500 colones (the Costa Rican money system), In the United States, that much coffee (that may I mention, wouldn’t be as fresh or good) could cost you upwards of $12.00 or more.
When the Costa Ricans traditionally make coffee, they add just a little bit of sugar and a bit of creamer, they do so in the right amount to really make it taste perfect. When I passed my coffee proposal, my second cup of coffee, was Costa Rican, so now it’s really hard to go back.
Enough with the coffee, I want to tell you guys about some of the amazing food and drinks that they have there. I really don’t know the name of the food, but, it is kind of like a “Hot Pocket”, it’s a pastry that is filled with meat instead of cream or fruit. It is probably one of my favorite foods there, though in close second, is a very flaky, cream filled, and powder sugar coated, pastry that we had a couple times for breakfast in San Jose’.
One of my favorite fruits in Costa Rica to eat is a relative to the banana, called a plantain. You normally don’t want to eat it. Sam tried it uncooked and it didn’t taste so good! Most of the time you see it fried into a brownish-yellow color, and with a little sugar it taste really amazing. I highly recommend it!
The best places for food in Costa Rica were not fancy places, they were places called “SODAS”, and they were created as “Truck Stops” for the stressed truck drivers that have to travel the “scary roads” of Costa Rica. They are always VERY cheap, (about $5.00, at most) and they provide some of the food that the locals like to eat, and not the tourist.
All in all, I really want to visit Costa Rica with my family sometime, and be able to experience even more of the area, including; the whitewater, other volcanoes, and more SODAS. While we were there we saw so of the many cool areas in Costa Rica, like; the Arenal volcano (extremely active), La Fortuna, San Jose’, and some of the beaches.
Mitchell Wilkinson- Harrison blog
This expedition Pangaea went to Costa Rica for ten days. When we got to the airport we met Willy. He was going to be our bus driver in Costa Rica. Then we drove though San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Then we drove to a backpacking hotel were we stayed for one night . Then on the next day, Logan went into town to get us breakfast which was so good. One of the days we went into to town and we got to get some local food and did some shopping too. Then we went to the rainforest for a few days. Then the next day, we got up and went horse backing for the most of the day. Then after we were done with the horse, we went to the hot springs and went swimming when we went back to our hotel that we were staying at. One the next day we went Zip lining for the most of the day and after we were done we went back to the hot springs. Most of the days we were cooking our meals or buying meals in town. One of the days we went to the beach for a few days and we rented a skim board, surfboard, and a few body board; and everyone had a good time on the beach.
After we got back to the U.S.A, we went to Taco Bell because we didn’t have food to eat. We got back to Logan‘s house very early in the morning we got to sleep in the next day. Then we went out in the backcountry for three days before we had to come on to base. We went to Sonic on Friday.
Horseback riding by Evan Anderson (Ray – Ray)
This was a momentous day for me. For as long as I can remember I have been afraid of horses! They are big and powerful creatures that could end me in a blink of an eye, all summed up that would mean intimidating. However, on this day I didn’t really have choice, (I did but that’s not as exciting). As I watched the others mount up and ride out into the pasture, I stood heart wrenched thinking of all the possible ways a horse could destroy me. Then the instructor finally called me over, I tried my best to calm my breathing and my pulse so that the horse couldn’t sense my fears. Once atop the saddle my fears started to diminish. The horses started to ride out, up the mountain we went! About an hour later we came up to these open fields. My horse and I had been trudging along lazily in the back enjoying the beautiful scenery of the volcano and rainforest. We finally got to a big open field and everyone’s horses began to gallop away, my horse follows suite but when we got to the top of the first hill in the middle of the opening my horse gets struck by a shock of….. Boredom! I couldn’t explain any other reason why it would stop, this same event happened throughout the day. Eventually we began to sing songs together, it was making a catchy grunting sound, (probably was just me). Soon we came upon the buildings of the resort, far behind the group I strode in like a triumphant warrior on my half dead looking horse. Earlier my horse was stumbling along, it was very tired and I thought it was going to drop and roll on me. I felt sorry for it and thought that I should probably get off and walk it, but I didn’t think that the horse instructor would have appreciated that very much for some odd reason. Finally we got back to the resort and the horses ended up getting their very much deserved rest. I learned from this to not be scared of some things until you have tried it because it could become a great experience!!
Friday, February 25, 2011
key west blog(sam)
Our second expedition which we just completed was to the Florida Keys. While we were in the Keys we got certified as Open Water Divers. Me and Billy already had our Open Water Diver certification, so we got our advanced certification.
The first day of our expedition we set up camp in the pouring rain, which wasn't much fun.
The next day we drove to our camp sight which we stayed at for the rest of the expedition. While we were there we had much fun playing King of the Hill on a raft that the camp site provided.
Most of us had to watch an incredibly boring movie and had to take a test before we could dive.
Later during the expedition we went Scuba diving. I went 70 feet down on one of my dives. On that dive I saw a Green Moray Eel. On the other four dives I did, I saw numerous barracudas, many fish and even a stingray.
On our way back to base camp we stopped to spend the night at Billy's house. A lot of the other parents were there as well. While there we had a great dinner consisting of lobster, clams, steaks, and lots of other things. In the morning we had a delicious breakfast and continued driving back to base camp.
Billy's Blog, Florida Key's
Billy Cullity 2-21-11
Florida Key’s
This previous expedition was based out of the Florida Key’s. The expedition’s main activity was scuba diving. Most of us got open water certified two of us including me got our advanced open water certification. To get your advanced certification you need to do five different dives such as your buoyancy dive, underwater naturalist, underwater navigator, deep dive, and your first dive which is just to get use to the water again. I’m really glad that I got my advanced open water certification.
On our first dive we were just swimming around getting use to the water. On our second dive we were swimming through hula hoops and practicing our buoyancy control. Our third dive was our deep dive to 70 feet deep; we had to do a math problem on the surface and time ourselves and then the same math problem and 70 feet and time ourselves to make sure that we didn’t have nitrogen narcosis. On our fourth dive we had to practice our underwater naturalist skills. On our last dive we had to practice out underwater navigation skills, and that was our last dive of the trip.
Later on we got our temporary certification and then went back to camp. The next day we went to Key West and went to the sunset festival and watched crazy street performers. We also had key lime pie. That was the last of our expedition in the keys.
The next morning we packed up camp and set out for my house. When we got to my house we went swimming in the pool, played pool on my pool table, ate a delicious dinner and watched TV and other small stuff. Then the next morning we took a couple of group photos and then said goodbye to my family and set out for Georgia. Then we woke up the next morning and went to Savannah and did school and then went back to base camp in Balsam, NC.
Relaxing in the Keys by. Stephen
During our visit to the “World Famous Florida Keys”, we saw, did, and learned so many cool things. From, SCUBA diving to visiting the United States Coast Guard museum. There were so many things to see and do.
During the first night of our trip, before the Florida Keys but in Florida, we seemed to get the bad weather out of the way; we ended up setting up our tents and stuff outside, in the pouring rain. Though, after that day we had no trouble with weather, other than wind. Most of the days were nice and sunny, with the exceptions of a few cloudy days. The day that we arrived at “the Southernmost KOA” on Sugarloaf key, we were ready to hit the sack, and be ready for the next exciting two weeks ahead of us. During that time, we SCUBA dived, celebrated my birthday, learned about Key West, and just had ourselves a “working” vacation, for lack of a better term.
The majority of the expedition was spent not in the water SCUBA diving, but, watching the world’s most cheese video and learning from a book, so that, in the end, we could all receive our PADI Open Water certification. For the majority of us the work paid off though, and most of us got our PADI’s, except for Mitch and I. When I went under on my first open water dive, I wasn’t able to equalize my ears and I wasn’t able to dive that day. Then the next day, I was sick and wasn’t able to make that dive either. But, it didn’t faze me; I just went snorkeling on the reef instead. I saw many cool fish; barracuda, lobster, grouper, and some other type of tropical fish.
My birthday was pretty close to perfect. I worked toward my PADI, had snickers for snack, and finish the day off with eating steak, yams, and mixed veggies, while listening to some of my favorite songs. The steaks were amazing, along with the dessert, which was a cheesecake my mom sent me from the Cheesecake factory.
Now, I’m excited for our next expedition. To Costa Rica, my plan is to pass a personal proposal to drink coffee. Down in Costa Rica, it’s basically a requirement, with the type of coffee they have down there!
Mitchell Wilkinson- Harrison blog
This Expedition Pangea went to the Florida Keys for two weeks.
On the first day we stayed at Anastasia state park in Saint Augustine, Florida. When we got there it was raining and we were trying to set up our tents in the rain. It was not fun. Before we left the park we had to do our morning run before we could get into the van. Then we started our long drive down to the Florida Keys.
We stayed at a KOA campground for about a week and a half. While in the Florida Keys I got to sleep in my hammock the whole expedition. When we were staying in the campground we met a lot of people that were staying in the same campground as us. Pumba and I met Mark, a guy who was making coconut fish in the campground. He was an awesome person to meet.
One of the days when we were at our campsite we went to Key West for the day and went to the aquarium there. They had a lot of different kids of animals in the aquarium. One day we got to go on a Cost Guard museum ship. On the way back to base we stopped in Savannah Georgia to do some work before we went back to base.
For-Syth by Evan Anderson (Ray-Ray)
This is a beautiful square in downtown Savannah GA, where a beautiful wedding is about to take part. I really honestly know nothing of this square. Its origins or purpose, but none of that matter does it? I can however tell you what it looks like. It has a large monument in the center and a large statue of a man sits atop poised with a flag in hand, a very victorious feeling indeed. Obviously this man must be very famous! Full of grassy areas and great mossy trees, topped off with nicely placed lighting, the square is a wondrous attraction for all who witness it. However the only reason that we ventured into this wonderful place is not because of its beauty, nor because of a field trip or the wondrous occasion of the wedding. This was all just coincidental convenience. No the only reason we stopped was to be able to complete and correct our journals, do health checks and numerous other similar activities. So all in all, Work and beautiful scenery go together quite well.
Florida Keys Expedition Blog by Evan Harr
This expedition in the Florida Keys was really fun. We got to do a lot of fun stuff. We did things like scuba dived, fished, kayaked, and more. It was really fun because we had a nice balance of things to do. We also went to Billy’s house on the way back. There was a lot of hammock camping. At every campsite we went to I set up my hammock, so I put it to good use. I also slept in Evan Anderson’s bivy, and now I really want to get one. They are really comfy, warm, and rainproof. I wouldn’t mind getting my own tent either, just like Mitch has. A two person would be awesome. Over summer, I really want to go camping with my dad, and I am equipped with all the gear I have from SOAR. Hopefully we can rent an RV.
Anyways, my highlights of the trip were scuba diving, fishing, and Billy’s house. One of the fishing times, we got to buy frozen shrimp, and it was great. The bad thing was that all the little fish kept stealing my bait, but what was awesome was that a man gave us some bait and a small hook to catch those little fish. I caught some mangrove snapper, but that’s about it. The man caught a bunch of those bait fish. I caught some snapper off the dock near the bridge we fish off of also, even though we weren’t supposed to be fishing there. The whole time, I got to use my really nice new fishing pole. It is an ugly stick pole with a Shakespeare reel. We also got to fish at Billy’s house, and I used one of his rods while fishing off of his dock. I didn’t catch any fish there, but I got some bites. I had to buy a 3 day fishing license except for when I went to Billy’s house.
It was really cool that I got to see my family, including my sister, at Billy’s house. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see my dog, but it was ok because I got to see Billy’s two dogs, Daisy and Butch. They were really nice dogs, and they really liked to lick your face.
I am really excited that I am a certified open water scuba diver for life now. It is really a big accomplishment for me. Eventually, I will try to become a certified advanced open water scuba diver! I also really enjoyed kayaking because we finally got to put them to use, and I got to troll my fishing pole while we were kayaking, even though I didn’t catch any fish.
Overall, it was a great expedition for the two weeks we spent in the Keys. I enjoyed all the activities like fishing, going to Billy’s house, kayaking, scuba diving, hammock camping, and more. It was all very worthwhile, especially when we went to Key West and Savannah Georgia. We did a lot of things in Key West like going to the aquarium and the National Coast Guard Museum. I like everything else about the trip, and I wish I could do it all over again.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tristan’s blog 2/21/11
Florida Key’s
In this blog I will not discuss just one day but the whole expedition. So In this expedition we went to the famous FLORIDA KEYS. I personally had an outstanding time. But I will admit that the written part of the open water exam was very, very boring . But it was worth every second of it because without the written portion of the exam I would have not been able to get certified to be an open water diver. I am very happy to say that I passed every part of the exam written and physical part. I can’t wait to go back to New York and go to some sweet dive sites! I also can’t wait to go to Costa Rica for the first time in my life. I am also stoked to say that my Dad will be sending me my Shamono fishing reel and rod along with some lures so I can catch some Peacock bass. I have heard that they put up a good fight and are good eating. Well thanks for reading!
Thank you mom for all you have done for me!
Florida Keys of Dustin
Hello it is Dustin and we just got back from the Florida Keys. It was a blast, I had so much fun. The most fun that I had has been scuba diving because it is a new realm and it is so beautiful. I was happy and I was surprised that I could breath underwater. JB was a funny but serious instructor for scuba. Most of us got our license but two of us did not so that was kind of sad. Two of us got their advanced license so that was cool because they went to seventy feet. We stayed at KOA in the keys. We all played king of the hill and it was fun pushing people off an ice burg. JB tried to touch a barracuda and that was cool but there were no sharks though which was sad. The weather was warm but not the water hahaha. When I was diving I was calm but aware and it was peaceful to be able to see all of the pretty colorful fish and squid. I am proud to be an open water scuba diver.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tristan Carroll - S.O.A.R. Spring 2011 - Blog entry #2 - The Everglades!!!!!
Tristan Carroll 1/31/11
A storm in the Everglades!!!!!
I wake up to the sound of the waves. I say to myself “Today is going to be a good day.” My thoughts were wrong. Today my paddling partner is Ray Ray (Evan A). Before we departed we ate breakfast, then we loaded up the canoes. After that we did about two to three hours of school what joy. When we all were done with school we would depart to our next campsite.
Ray Ray and I were very good paddling partners. We pirated other canoes and then we would force them to join forces with the S.S. Rumington. In total our booty was three wash bins and a small tackle box. After our pirating antics we decided to get serous. We paddled a long distance. I saw a nice grayish blackish cloud. I look back at Ray Ray. He is so happy. The waves roll in. Rain is coming in all directions. Ray Ray and I paddle up to Nat. Nat tells us to paddle to an island. The cold rain turns to a numbing hail. Ray Ray is ecstatic. Hail is coming in all directions. After twenty minutes in to the storm my feelings towards the storm had changed. My feeling went from scared to excited. I knew that I would be OK because Ray Ray was in the back steering the canoe. He has been sailing his whole life; he knew what he was doing. Dense fog rolled in from our left. Lucky for us we were near Nat so we had some sense of where we were going. We are now roughly a mile or two away from a small-unmarked island. Ray Ray said that this would be the toughest part of the paddle. His instructions were to lean back and paddle. I did as he told. We surfed the waves on to a small-unmarked island. We beached at the island. We waited out the storm at the island. Luckily nobody perished. That was a good thing…. Sometimes! After the storm we paddled off in to the calm waters of the Gulf Of Mexico. We made it to our campsite at dusk!!!
THE END!!!!!
Thank you Mom for all you have done for me!!!!!!
Stephen Foster 1/31/11 Blog Expedition #1 - Spring 2011
Stephen Foster
1/31/11
Blog Expedition #1
An Interesting Day…….
Well……
The storms didn’t come to us completely by surprise, after all we canoed through a storm the day earlier, and that morning we found ourselves in a tent that was flipped over sideways. But, that day we had a good six to eight mile paddle ahead of us, and we could already see the swells starting to form, so we rushed to pack up our supplies and chowed down on breakfast, our plan was to get out before the swells worsened and hopefully get in to camp before dawn. So by 12:00 PM, my canoe partner, Evan Anderson ( Raymond), and I were off and heading towards our next camp. When we saw all of the wind and waves that morning we were both ecstatic, hopeful that we would have another storm like the day before. For the majority of the day paddling wasn’t half bad, sure it was a little choppy, but, we got through it with ease. About 3 hours later, we saw what we thought was our next camp, Highland Key, so we crossed our fingers and headed into the bay. The counselors , after figuring that we were in the wrong place, decided to beach at a local beach, while they asked Evan and I to go ask a couple of fisherman, where Highland Key was.
This was when we learned that we were at least a mile or two away from it, and that’s when the waves and wind decided to pick back up again. Evan told me to guide the canoe into a small bay, on the beach that the rest of the team was located at. About a minute before we made landfall, I saw someone ( I think it was Dustin), running out of the trees and brush and told something to Evan Small ( Staff), at which Evan and his staff partner, Nate, threw all of their stuff onto the beach and also ran back into the shrubs. I later found out that this was because Dustin and Mitch’s canoe was sinking because of the swells. When the canoe was bailed out, Nate grouped us all up and told us that, once again, our plan had changed, we were going to try to make a final push, less than a mile away to a larger beach. So once Nate broke the group, all of us were running to get in and shove off. Evan and I, got into our canoe, which because it was in the small bay, was protected from the harsh white-cap waves. It turned out the only people that were able to shove off affectively was Evan and I’s canoe and Nate’s Canoe, Nate informed us to just keep fighting the waves and paddle hard towards the island. While, we were making our way, ever so slowly, along the island, we saw another student, Tristan, trying to save his now flipped canoe, and Evan and I just kept, paddling and paddling, until we were almost around the corner and away from the beach when we heard (Somehow!!!!) Nate yelling and Tristan blowing his whistle. This was the end of our ever so amazing trek to the other island, and we ended up stranded on the beach for that night, and we were able to make our “break for it” the next morning, to the other island/beach while the waters were calm.
This is an event that I won’t forget for the rest of my life, all of the struggle and all of excitement that came from this storm, the whole time, Evan Anderson and I were cheering and yelling, just having the times of our lives battling off this storm, and winning!
Sam Millard- Blog Entry February 4, 2011 - S.O.A.R Spring Semester
This expedition we went on a canoe trip in the Florida Everglades. We went on our canoe trip for 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks we went through storms, sunshine, cold, heat and even PM (pirate moments). During the storm we went through we endured massive waves and hail, but in the end we all got to shore safely. Once we got to shore one of the boats almost sank and we were freezing cold. The next day we canoed only half a mile to the neighboring island for a day of rest. On our day of rest we had school and had PM. PM also known as pirate moments are moments where we drift away to a town called Margharitaville on the island of Rumington, created by Evan Anderson. In Margharitaville everyone on the team is in charge of something or some kind of industry and the town is a town in the Carribean during the time of the pirates. After a couple days we finished our canoe trip and headed back to North Carolina in the van.
Mitchell Wilkinson- Harrison- Blog #2 - S.O.A.R Spring 2011
Mitchell Wilkinson- Harrison
10% Paddle by Ray-Ray (Evan Anderson - Blog # 2 - S.O.A,R. Spring 2011
10% Paddle by Ray-Ray (Evan Anderson)
Day 7, canoes depart for Lopez campsite.
This day had to be the group’s most successful day of the entire canoe trip. We had the wind and the tide going the same direction we planned on heading.
20 miles in under 7 hours with some awesome innovations being made by the individual boats. On this day I was with a staff from our group (Evan Small) and we both decided paddling was pointless effort, but we still wanted to have some speed to make good time. I just happened to have this nearly perfect stick which would work great as a mast. My sleeping pad was accessible as well. So the idea came to be that we could create a sail to make our laziness more, obvious. I pulled out my sleeping pad and lashed it about the mast (or the stick I had), used the paddle to hold out the sail to catch good winds and boy did we fly across those bays! Other people had other ideas, Stephen used his hammock. I worked efficiently but we believed too much air was flowing through it because it was light materials. The 10% paddling comes from the fact that we only paddled 10% of the time like during small streams or rivers where wind is minimal. So the theme is that whenever you’re doing something difficult, use your resources around you to make life easier.Evan Harr - S.O.A.R. Journal entry 2 - Spring 2011
Evan Harr
This last expedition we went canoeing in the Everglades. On the way there we got to stop by Dustin’s mom’s coffee shop and get some free hot chocolate and coffee! We first stayed at a couple state parks, and just chilled out there. When we finally put our canoes in the water, we paddled a lot and had many fun experiences. It was a great experience overall.
I enjoyed fishing, and I caught 9 fish! Some of these fish included Spanish Mackerel, Ladyfish, and Silver Trout. We usually ate them for dinner when we caught them. It was probably my favorite thing to do this expedition, and I was really stoked when I caught my first fish. My personal pole snapped after the first time that I used it. Luckily, my parents are going to send me a new one that is much better. There was a lot of wildlife on this expedition. It included raccoons, bald eagles, vultures, more birds, and fish. We also saw sea turtles, crocodiles, dolphins, and sharks. More animals included rabbits, squirrels, and a manatee. My favorite animal of all would have to be the sharks that we saw. They were really cool and we think they were bonnet sharks.
In all, there were three storms on this expedition. The first one was the worst one and that is when I caught the Spanish Mackerel. The rain hurt when it hit you, and the waves were pretty big so we got to ride them on the way to our island. I was with Billy that day in the boat, and we had a lot of fun together. At one point during the storm, we couldn’t see the two canoes ahead of us. The other two storms were pretty mild compared to the first one, and some people freaked out, but I toughed it out.
After the first two nights, we never stayed at the right islands that we were permitted to. At the beginning of the week, we got a permit to stay at certain islands, and most of the nights, we ended up at the wrong islands. Some of my stuff got wet because apparently the dry bags that we used weren’t good enough. Next time, I won’t pack as much stuff in the dry bags so I can roll it up tighter.
I learned how to steer in the back of the canoe for the first time. Both of the days that I was in the back, the canoe would either keep turning right or left. This got frustrating and often slowed down my canoe because I had to keep using my paddle as a rudder.
At most islands we went to, they were like horseshoe graveyards, because they had so many dead horseshoe crabs on them. On one of the islands, we found a live one. At another island, we actually found a gravesite for a person where there were a couple American flags. Over the expedition, I got to sleep in Evan Small’s hammock a few times. It was amazing, and my parents are going to send me my own ENO hammock. I can’t wait, because they are also going to send me a pair of 5 points shoes. They are shoes that have five different toes separated and can work as any type of shoe, like running and water shoes. Evan Anderson let me borrow a pair of them, and I like them a lot.
Another thing that we did over the expedition was Evan Anderson made his own island, and chose jobs for all of us to do on it. I am the second in command because my name is also Evan, and that alone gives me 4,000 shillings. Most other people get less than 900 shillings. I am also the fisherman and the flax farmer, which are pretty important jobs. A shilling alone is worth 10 American dollars.
Overall, it was a great expedition, even though I couldn’t wait to pull our canoes out of the water. My favorite part was fishing, and sleeping in Evan’s hammock. I had a great time with everyone!
Dustin - Blog 2 - S.O.A.R. Spring 2011
Hey you guys it is me again and I just got back from the Everglades and let me tell you it was a blast.
On the first day we went and we put in at the drop off and we set out for our journey. We did five miles on the first day.
Thursday we did twelve miles and it was really hard. We saw a few dolphins and they were right next to our boat. We had dinner at a late time but it was no big deal really.
Friday we got out of the island and we only did a few miles but there was a big storm going on I freaked but the waves were really cool and it hailed and it stung because I was not wearing a shirt but I am fine know. We waited the storm out on an island then we went to a different island to spend the night but it was not the island that we were supposed to be on. None of them were except the first and the last two.
Saturday there was another storm but not has bad. My boat almost flipped because there was a lot of waves and water coming into our boat but no big deal. I just bailed the water out. And we saw a sea turtle and that was also cool.
Sunday it was a fun day. We waited out a storm and by the way the day before this one I swam in a big swell and it was dangerous but I didn’t care. I swam like none other. It was a time to be a strong swimmer and to know how to read the waves. I only did one of those things and it was the swimming part. The waves were huge. So on Sunday we paddled like 20 ft and we spent the day on a pretty island.
Tuesday we left that island and we did a few miles. We saw a few sharks and we stayed at a dock. We caught three fish that day and we ate them. They were pretty darn good.
Wednesday we did 20 miles and it was hard but we wanted to get out early.
We made sails out of our sleeping pads and we did like six miles an hour. We were flying. But it was cold because of the water.
Thursday we went back to base and now we are just chilling till next time. BYE
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