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Essays On Outdoor Education
Outdoor education essay
Essays On Outdoor Education
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Water rushing, pushing, and pulling our raft down the river. The crystal clear liquid leaves nothing to the imagination as I eagerly peer over the edge of the boat, frantically searching the round stones for the mysterious Giant Salamander said to be native to these waters. I had recently watched a documentary show on these Giant Salamanders, and the researchers were overturning rocks and searching in crevices waist deep in these very waters. The Nantahala River, located near Bryson City North Carolina, is home to many aquatic creatures, including this elusive Giant Salamander.
As a child living in the mountains, I had access to hundreds of acres of land to find as many creatures as I could. I would dig in the dirt looking for worms, overturn
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We were a crowd of trouble, or maybe it was just me who was trouble. My Aunt did nickname me Hurricane Haley when I was younger since I was a bundle of energy no one could stop…and it was my first time rafting. Great, what could go wrong?
I grew up around here. The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) was a second home and I was well known and well looked after by all the NOC workers since both my parents were expert guides there: my mother, a raft/kayak instructor, my father, one of the top canoe instructors in the country. This was where they met, fell in love, and later raised me—their wild child.
Even before I was born, I had a little taste of nature. My mother was rafting, with my father and some of their friends when she lost her balance on an easy rapid. She was falling toward the water, and I went right along with her since she was 8 months pregnant with me at the time. My father, having insane fast reflexes, caught my mother right as her head skimmed the water before she could fall into the river completely. This was how I was named, you see. My name Haley came from part of the river’s name: the Nantahala (Nanta-hala). I don’t know if this is where they really got my name, but it’s a cool story, and it’s nice to know I have some roots in the place my parents’ thought was so
There are things that you will see here that you just won’t find anywhere else. Nothing else matches the spirit and love the native Hawaiians and local residents have for the people that come to visit.
pools from northern Australia to Japan". It spends most of the day hiding in crevices, but is
I love camping and spending time outside, but this summer I had a completely new experience when I visited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Before leaving, I had very little knowledge of the Boundary Waters. After getting advice from friends and purchasing some special equipment, I realized that camping there was going to be much more complicated than I had thought.
My father immigrated to the United States when he was ten years old. He worked hard in his childhood and strived to become the first member of his family to attend college. While I was growing up he had only two requests for me: that I only do what I truly enjoy doing and that I don’t forget my Indian heritage.
“Come on, “ my counselor Emily screamed from shore. The quick rapids made it very difficult to dig our paddles into the river. My cabin was stopping to eat lunch on our Tuesday canoeing trip. On Saturday, we had traveled down to Brownstown, Indiana for a week full of friends, fun, and God. My church stayed at a retreat center called Pyoca. Every year on Tuesday, we would go on a canoeing or rafting trip depending on the water levels. Emily, Annabelle, my canoeing partner, and I sat along the sand bank waiting for other canoes to come in. Many other groups slowly went by, while we patiently waited for other groups to come in. I was so hungry, I couldn’t wait. Canoeing had zapped all of my energy, and had made me really hungry. I began to quickly wade out into the river, so I could help the other canoes come in faster. Someone screamed, “Be careful” from the bank. Nate Epple, a counselor of
My life intersects with Into The Wild because I never had a good relationship with my mom or stepfather Dan who was 21 years older than my mother. So I “escaped” to Columbia much like Chris did from his own reality. Dan would drink every day; you would rarely see him without a drink in his hand. His drink of choice would be either whiskey or beer depending on what he could afford. You could always tell when he was smashed and when he was I was the person he wanted to tear down with his words the most. I remember one night after my grandma just had surgery and she was staying with us my mom asked me to cook. I told her I would. I then went outside to check what I was grilling and I knew Dan was out there intoxicated.
“Where should we go?” asked Olivia. We all took a vote and the rapids won because the worst case scenario, we would tip over. Unlike in the waterfall where we would all go down the fall, and possibly get hurt at the bottom. We started on the rapids, Reilly and her Dad were the first ones to fall and their canoe floated past us, then her dad, then Reilly herself. They eventually got to the bank and climbed up. Then my dad went down, he immediately grabbed onto the bank so he wasn’t that wet. I knew that Olivia and I were going to go down. Our canoe tipped and we fell in the middle of the river like how Reilly had. We floated until we could swim our way to the bank. Once we climbed up the bank, we were greeted by Reilly, her dad and my dad.
The first thing to see, looking away over the water, was a kind of dull line - that was the woods on t'other side; you couldn't make nothing else out; then a pale place in the sky; then more paleness spreading around; then the river softened up away off, and warn't black any more, but gray; you could see little dark spots drifting along ever so far away-trading-scows, and such things; and long black streaks-rafts ... and by and by you could see a streak on the water which you know by the look of the streak that there's a snag there in a swift current which breaks on it and makes that streak look that way; and you see the mist curl up off of the water, and the east reddens up.
I was fifteen when it all began; the laughing, taunting, teasing, the confusion. It wasn’t always like this. I used to be happy.
The story of the Hokulea, a model of the first canoes that brought the first Polynesians to Hawaii, is a story that restores cultural pride and history to Hawaiians. Her legacy was almost extinct, but survived and restored the relationship that society has with its island home. More than 600 years had gone by without seeing one of these canoes, until artist Herb Kane thought to build a sailing canoe just like the ones his ancestors sailed (“The Story of Hokulea”). Responsible for being the cornerstone of Polynesian culture, the Hokulea has evolved over many years and has helped revive a heritage that was almost lost.
I walk along the worn trail that leads towards a popular fishing spot at the Chattahoochee, a broad boulder looking over the river. I feel rejuvenated, away from my busy life, away from school, away from all the happenings of the world. I settle myself and my belongings. My parents have come along, too, to watch the moment the first fish a member of our family has ever caught flies out of the water. Once I’ve gotten myself comfortable, I hook a minnow onto my line and cast it across the sparkling water of
As we started to slowly drift down the river, seemingly inch by inch, I began to have feelings of disappointment. I had been planning on a more hazardous and fast-paced ride. The water was crystal clear and almost as flat as a sheet of glass. There was only a very mild current and being as impatient as I was, it appeared to me that we weren’t even moving.
We got into our lines, behind groups of excited families and happy little old men and women. As the line ascended up the ramp onto this enormous water vessel, pictures were taken of every group of passengers. Smile, laugh and look happy! Riiight. As a matter of fact, I was pretty anxious. I'd never been on a boat like this, and especially not for a whole week.
frogs, and fish. We would go to the pond to catch the tadpoles and fish. When night