Expedition connects student to the wilderness

The connection between people and nature is a bond that some would consider essential. It develops understanding and appreciation of the environment and creates space to better discover who a person is.

Photo by Styopa Myagkov

Sisters students trek into the Three Sisters Wilderness each fall in the life-shaping IEE program.

Earlier this month, Sisters High School Interdisciplinary Environ-mental Expedition (IEE) group achieved these lessons by exploring the Three Sisters Wilderness on a backpacking trip.

Guided by teachers Rand Runco, Samra Spear, and Glen Herron, the class comprised 48 total students, split into nine groups of five to six students that went on different days. Each group had an additional senior intern and adult leader who aided students on their three-day adventure.

The adult leaders were all volunteers who acted as teachers and guides. These leaders hailed from Oregon, California, Montana, and Colorado, with returning older volunteers who continued the tradition of giving their time to the students.

"There's something that Runco says a lot, which is that our volunteers aren't people we can just hire," said senior intern Cooper Merrill.

IEE interns are select students who have already taken IEE, but return to provide the experience to the class below them the following year.

"My role is trying to give kids the expedition I had. I wanted to provide them with an experience, not create one for myself," said Spencer Tisdel, a senior intern.

Regardless of a person's role in the trip, this journey is challenging physically and mentally for everyone involved, but the biggest hurdle to cross is making it as a team.

"All of the students and interns are challenged by making it as a team. Maybe one person is more physically challenged and another person has to take on more gear to help out, but everyone is working towards acting as a whole," states Runco.

The small group setting helped develop this sense of camaraderie and allowed students to better get to know their peers they may have otherwise never talked to.

"The best thing is when it brings together a group of unlikely kids. When I was an intern I had a group that didn't usually hang out...but by the end, all of us bonded in a way that created so many new relationships," said past senior intern Ila Reid.

Students describe taking away a new outlook on the wilderness areas they explored, as well as recognizing mental and physical strength they didn't know they had.

"My biggest takeaway was learning how to really go off the beaten path, something that I think many outdoors people have lost, but is one of the most beautiful and important things to do when spending time in the wilderness," said junior Styopa Myagkov.

When exploring these areas, teachers and volunteers made sure to explain the importance of outdoor ethics and "Leave No Trace" principles. When exploring the outdoors it's important to recognize you're always going to have an impact, and to try your best to minimize it.

Every participant took away something different from this trip, but each lesson was full of meaning that aided them in better understanding their sense of self, and deepening their connections with the outdoors.