Field trip ends exciting school year

An ambitious nine-day, two-state trip climaxed the school year at Camp Sherman’s Black Butte School.

“The kids have seen so much in recent years,” said Roger White, whose daughter Lauren was on the trip.

Previous trips to Washington, DC, Salem, and other activities led to the choice to try something different at the end of the school year.

Fourteen students and nine adults traveled to southern Oregon and northern California in the “banana slug,” the familiar yellow bus generally seen parked outside the school.

The adventure included stops at Crater Lake where there was still a good snow pack. It included a visit to the historic Lodge at Oregon’s only National Park and a discussion of the geology of the area. The children also learned that Phil Britt is credited with the first picture of Crater Lake, in 1885.

The group camped in quarters at the Medford Girl Scouts multipurpose room during part of the trip.

A trip to Collier railroad State Park was a hit with the group as well as beach visits and collecting agates at Crescent City. Tide-pooling was also a group success as well as visiting the historic Battery Point lighthouse, only accessible at low tide.

“I think for many of the kids, the beach activities were the hit of the trip,” said Kent Gill, an adult accompanying the group.

The group took an exciting 25-mile jet boat ride up the Klamath River and got to stay at the American Youth Hostel in Klamath Falls. Into northern California, there were stops at Prairie Creek State Park and strolls among the forest redwood giants.

“I particularly liked this as we learned what some of the scientific names meant,” said parent Larry Fernandez. “The size of the trees was amazing.”

A stop at “Trees of Mystery” proved particularly exciting.

“We rode the Gondola up 800 feet so as to get a rooftop look at the large trees,” said Fernandez.

Daily hikes proved quite inspirational among the large redwoods and a large bull elk was seen on one of the trips.

“These are heavier and with a bigger body than the elk we see around here,” said Gill.

Back in Oregon, the group trekked up to the Oregon Caves. Then it was back to Medford and showers for weary travelers. After this, the younger children visited the children’s museum at the Southern Oregon Historical Society museum. The older children attended a play, Cyrano de Bergerac, at the Ashland festival.

“The costuming was elaborate and colorful,” said Gill. “The children had previously read the play and understood it very well.”

A visit by the group to the Jacksonville cemetery was a learning experience for all. Some of the gravestones went back to the 1860s.

“The children were surprised at the early childhood deaths among many of the people buried at the cemetery,” said Gill. “Many of our current day vaccines and medicines were not available at that time.”

The group offered a hearty thanks to the parents and school personnel who planned and took time off to help with the adventurous trip.