IEE students take on Middle Sister

The cold wind is blowing hard against your face. It's a different kind of wind - cold and foreboding. This is what students felt atop Hayden Glacier on Middle Sister two weeks ago.

The IEE program at Sisters High School offered the junior class the opportunity to spend three days in the Three Sisters Wilderness. IEE stands for Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition. The class is offered to high school juniors and combines English, science, and physical education - English taught by Samra Spear, science by Glen Herron, and PE led by Rand Runco.

IEE started 15 years ago with the leadership of Runco and Kirk Metzger.

"We've built this program one backpack at a time," said Runco about the evolution of the program.

The class conducts two expeditions, in the fall and the spring. The fall trip is a mountain expedition up Middle Sister. In the spring the class does a raft trip down the Deschutes River.

For the fall expedition the junior class splits into groups of six people, including a senior intern who is the group's leader, as well as an adult leader. This trip was such an amazing experience, an opportunity to do and see so many things most young people don't. Stations were set up on different areas in the wilderness, including the hike up to Hayden Glacier. Hayden Glacier is approximately eight miles up from the Pole Creek trailhead and is quite the sight to see.

One of the IEE groups hiked up to the glacier in the early morning in time to see the sunrise from the glacier. The station required students to put on harnesses and crampons and then hike and belay on the glacier.

Students got an up-close look into the deep blue crevasses on the bright glistening ice that is slowly depleting, but still quite amazing to see. The group then hiked down steep rock gardens to the next station - rappelling down the side of a cliff.

Led by Laura and Garrett Campbell, the students felt very safe rappelling down the rock face. It was an opportunity to face a fear and overcome it. Students then hiked over to Mr. Herron's little oasis - a beautiful natural waterfall spring where they filled up their water bottles with the coldest, freshest water you would ever taste.

They then walked all along the dense forest looking at different trees and vegetation that is in that area. Everything looks very different at high elevation.

The action of the day was hiking over to base camp, where all the teachers and guests stay. The activities at base camp, led by Brad Tisdel, included writing journal entries about the experiences of the day, eating cinnamon swirl cake baked in a Dutch oven over coals, and doing song circles.

"To be able to get out of the normal school setting and go on an expedition for school is a true blessing in itself; definitely one of the best parts of high school so far," said IEE participant Sabrina Reifschneider. "This trip is something I will remember forever, and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to experience this thanks to the IEE program."