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.

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.

                                             See you next time.

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

This expedition the southeast coastal team on was Pangea went to the everglades in Florida. The first day we paddle six miles to picnic key and the next day we paddle to pavilion key. When we stayed at random campsites for the rest of the expedition in the everglades. One of the days we were on the river all of my clothes got wet and I had to get some clothes from the staff that I could stay warm. When we went to a random campsite and when everyone looks around the island that we stayed at and everyone founded different kinds of old bottles. The animals that I saw are fish, birds, gator, sea cow, turtle, dolphins, sharks, ducks, and rabbit and a raccoon. Most of the time when we were on the Everglades we had good weather and bad most of the time when we were paddle. Everyone on team Pangea paddle with a different person everyday on the river. One of the days when we were staying at the next morning we had to pack up our canoes when we walked through mud and I lost my shoes a lot of times when we were had to load our canoes. When we were staying in Georgia we meet this couple in the campground that we were staying at and we meet is couple and their dog named Georgia- Poo and she was an English bulldog.

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

I am Billy Cullity - S.O.A.R. Spring 2011

Billy Cullity                                                                                                      1/13/11

Blog 1

            Hi my name is Billy Cullity and I am 13 years old, I was born on July 1^st 1997. I am from North Palm Beach, FL and still live there currently. Some of my hobbies are fishing and pretty much anything you can do on the water. I also like the outdoors and most of the activities you can do in the out doors. I also like to go to shooting ranges and shoot my rifles or pistols.

            I have also traveled a few places to such as Argentina, Panama, Chile, and a lot of places in the states too. I also want to start a collection of wooden masks from all the new places I go especially Costa Rica. One of the reasons why I want to collect masks is because my Grandpa whom passed away loved masks and I love them to. They remind me of my grandpa and all of the fun times I had with him. They also remind me of all the different places I got them from and the fun times I had when I got them. Some day I would like to have over 100 masks and have them all on a wall just for memories or have them in different parts of my house.

            I also like to play ice hockey and football. I am also interested in music such as country music and American folk rock; my favorite artists are Billy Currington and Jack Johnson. I live with my mom and my dad because my brother and sister already moved out and I also live with my aunt and cousin in some sort of way cause I go to their house a lot. Some of my goals for this semester are getting my advanced scuda license and catching a lot of big fish.

Billy Cullity 1st Blog Entry- Spring 2011

Billy Cullity                                                                                                       1-31-11

Expedition 1

            On our previous expedition, we went to the Everglades in South West Florida. We were paddling through the Gulf of Mexico, for the first half of the expedition. We were also paddling through the swampy areas for the second half of the expedition. In general we were paddling the whole time for two weeks straight.

           

            For the first half of the expedition we were paddling through the Gulf of Mexico. While we were paddling through the first half of the expedition we came across a couple storms, two to be exact. The first storm we came across was the worst one; there was a very heavy down pour of rain and very strong winds causing big waves and lots of white caps. We had waves crashing over the canoe with very high chances to flip our canoe. We had to go to an island and beach our canoes until the storm died down. The second storm we came across wasn’t as bad but it was still pretty bad. There was more wind but no rain and bigger waves. We also had to stop at an island and once we got there one of the canoes sank, but we retrieved it and only lost a couple small things. That’s when we decided to stay the night there and then as we were unloading the canoes, another one sank, we retrieved that one to. That was the end of the storms for a while.

            The next morning the sky was clear and there was no storm. We only had to paddle one half of a mile that day. The campsite we stayed at that day was great; Tristan and I got to set up out hammocks. Our hammocks were ser up over water literally! It was also the day we all tried to get in a canoe and then had to flip it once we got in it, it was fun. The next day we paddled about twenty miles and saw one alligator, this was also the day we started paddling inland through rivers and small little bays. We also caught some fish that day and I caught a big spotted sea trout.

            Then the last day of the expedition we only had five miles. We also finished expedition one day early, and got to do fun activities the next day because of this reason. Some of the activities we did were walking around town, going out on a pear, and eating out for Tristan’s birthday.

            The next day we started driving to Georgia. We stopped at the Florida information center as we were crossing over into Georgia for free orange juice. Then once we got to the camp site we played Frisbee and played on the jungle gym after we set up camp. Then the next day we were on the road again, heading back home to North Carolina. Once we got back home we had to sleep in the basement because the new cabin wasn’t done yet. But now were still in the basement waiting on the new cabin but having a normal base week until we go on our next expedition.