Students get a taste of wilderness

Sisters students trek into the wilderness. photo by Charlie Kanzig

Nearly 60 juniors at Sisters High School took a walk on the wild side last week as part of the fall expedition into the Three Sisters Wilderness for the Integrated Environmental Expedition (IEE) class at Sisters High School.

The IEE program integrates environmental science, geography, physical education and English in an afternoon block during the fall and spring trimesters. The annual fall expedition up the Pole Creek trailhead introduces students to the wilderness while also teaching valuable lessons in outdoor etiquette and survival, how the headwaters of Squaw Creek fit into the Deschutes River Basin, and how the geography of our area impacts those who live and recreate here.

The students were divided into small groups of six to eight, led by a senior IEE intern and other adult helpers. Starting times were staggered and campsites varied to lessen the human impact in the wilderness. Each small group spent about 48 hours in the mountains.

Course instructors include Rob Phelps, Samra Spear, Glen Herron and Rand Runco. More than a dozen community and parent volunteers helped in the field over the four days that students were on the mountain.

Starting at the Pole Creek trailhead, each group made its first push into the wilderness with loaded backpacks about two miles to where the trail crosses Soap Creek. At this station students got a short lesson from Rima Givot on the creek, including its source, temperature and inhabitants.

From Soap Creek students packed in another two to three miles to their designated campsite which would be there home for the next two nights. Each group shared the workload of camp life, including cooking, clean up, and waste management.

A base camp run by instructor Samra Spear, was set up below Hayden Glacier and provided supplies and instruction about the next stations of the trip. Hiking high up a lateral moraine along-side the glacier marked the highlight of the trip for many students.

Nathan Batara, a recent transfer from Hawaii, found the two hour struggle up to be well worth the energy expended.

"When you get up so high along the glacier it makes you realize how small you are," he said. "It takes a lot of encouragement and teamwork to keep going because it's so steep, but the view and the beauty of the glacier makes it worth it."

Each group also made a trek to Demaris Lake, where instructor Rob Phelps gave a lesson on tree identification and pointed out signs of glacial activity in the area.

"It was great to see things in real life after studying them in the classroom," said Batara.

Because of wet weather, one group had to come out early on Saturday, and two other groups did not go.