8/20/2015 Bobby Liston

Bobby Liston

Journal Entry 8/20/15

            Today I woke up in the Gate’s home and realized how nice it was that we got to stay there. As I woke up and packed my things, I came to the realization that this would be the last time in an actual house with a good home cooked meal. We said our goodbyes and gave out our gifts to the friendly family in Michigan. The lessons and advice that Mr. Gator gave us is still ringing in our heads. He opened all of our eyes to the topics, delivery, and passion that should be demonstrated in the outdoors interpretation. He was a great example of how an interpreter should carry themselves. We then headed to Howard Christensen Nature Center. The ride into there was very scenic, towering pines all the way up to the entrance. There, we met Dave and he briefly explained how the center operates and how it was founded. He stressed the importance of getting children off their electronic devices and into the outdoors. He also explained how many schools in the area travel to this center on field trips. The front room we were in had many taxidermy of wolves, coyotes, fox, beaver, and various birds. What intrigued me the most was the anaconda snake skin that was brought back from South America. We then moved forward into another room where we viewed live turtles, fish and snakes. He also had a large collection of pelts from mammals, which was great to feel since mammals is my outdoor education subject. After this he took us on the trails and met his hilarious goats. The trail was very interesting and Dave was very educated on many various topics. The trail was very beautiful with so many species of trees and many turtles on the pond he had. I was extremely glad we visited this place. After the nature center we drove to Hartwick pines. Hartwick pines is an old logging area in Michigan with some of the last untouched old growth pines in the U.S. They are massive! We went to a night program and learned a lot of different styles of teaching and presenting. I know I can change and add the things I learned from today to my own presentation. 

8/19/2015 Raquel Leal

Day 5: Wednesday August 19th, 2015.

Wow! I feel like it was only yesterday that I was struggling with outdoor education questions in Jeff's office in Currins Room 400. It wasn't so much the questions that were difficult it was the lack of time management that I was lacking...It was a nostalgic feelings getting onto the van this morning to start our expedition, the next step getting closer to Canada!!! This is really happening and there is so much work ahead of us all, I couldn't be more grateful to be around such great individuals with such high spirits! Although, I still was not very prepared with extra layers, there was that extra trip to Cabella's which probably shouldn't have taken as long as it did, it felt encouraging to have some fellow tribe mates help me out with finding the things I probably should have had at this point in time...I am trying my very best to be mentally, physically, and emotionally dedicated to the daily tasks that must be accomplished. I try and be the positive outlook although at times situations aren't going in a productive direction, I still believe that we all have the potential to create this experience the greatest, memorable feat that we all have ever accomplished!! "You cannot have a better tomorrow if you're still thinking about yesterday..." We got this!!!!

-Raquel Leal

8/18/15 Steve Nutt

             Today I woke up in my tent at 5:00am to a loud creaking coming from an abandoned water tower just outside our campsite. Judging by the scat nearby and the claw marks on the trees; it must’ve been a black bear investigating the food bags our group had hung the night before. It’s the things like hoisting food 12 feet in the air, and having to yell every time you go out to pee that makes me realize how far out here I really am which is both extremely exciting and sometimes overwhelming. Today was a long day of paddling. We made it to Fairy Point on Missinaibi Lake and then and extra 5 miles to our campsite. We were greeted with a beautiful view of the lake and the good news that we would be staying an extra day at this beautiful campsite in order for us to complete our outdoor education introduction lessons. My favorite part of the day was seeing the pictographs at Fairy Point. My wish, which I nagged Steve Acuff about for the whole week, was finally granted. Reading about the pictographs online is interesting enough, but to see them in person was mezmoring. The huge granite cliff faces were dotted with assorted drawings of different figures, symbols, and animals which some were up to 1500 years old. As I paddled by and gazed at the pictographs, I pictured the Shaman’s standing in their canoes and painting these symbols after experiencing a spiritual epiphany, the story of forgotten people. I looked around and reminded myself that they shared the same lake that I paddled on today. As I took in the moment, I also thought of how these pictographs are some of the last remnants of the Essinovoi tribe which were some of the first people to live on these lands. To some the pictographs are simply stick figures on rocks, but to them, it was a canvas of their history, culture, and heritage. As Bobby’s gopro camera glitched for the first time ever trying record the pictographs, I got the feeling the Shaman’s spirits were whispering “We still live here”.

-Steve Nutt

8/17/15 Meaghan Mason

Day 3: Monday August 17th, 2015

Today is the third day of ECOEE, and I'm still in disbelief that I am actually here. Most of the day today was spent learning and applying the basics of canoeing. We learned the pry, stern, j stroke, the draw, and how to perform a T-rescue. While I'm still struggling with some of the strokes and my steering could use a lot of work, I feel like I learned more about canoeing today than I have in all my previous experiences combined. We are only on the third day and I feel like I'm learning so much (and finding out exactly how much I don't know in the process. When I think about everything that is about to come I am still nervous about some aspects but at this point my anticipation and excitement for what we will see, experience, and learn for out ways any negative emotions or anxiety I feel.

-Meaghan L. Mason

8/16/15 MO

Day 2: Sunday August 16th 2015.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to conquer the second day of ECOEE 2015. Pancakes and eggs were already being made when I walked into the kitchen. We called the pancakes "demented" because of the way they looked (black) but they were still so good! After breakfast, we started a long day on our feet, preparing for our expedition of a lifetime. Today, we prepared the food for the back country. This consists of table after table full of dehydrated foods that I will cook for myself and the rest of the tribe. I got excited looking at all the groceries I was picking out to cook and to enjoy. Our class has been working together so well by helping each other getting tasks accomplished, being patient, and enjoying each other's company. This is the experience of a lifetime for all of us. Anxiety is high and so are the expectations but our energy is still high and alive. I am happy to be here and am ready for adventure. The future is unexpected and it is up to us to make this adventure worth every moment. This is the second day of ECOEE 2015 and I have already learned so much about myself, being a leader as well as the group. We will set goals, see the beautiful unknown that we have never seen before...smell what has been never been smelt before, hear what can bring fear to our minds, and feel freedom from being determined and passionate. Our goals are separated but intertwined. I am excited to see the leaders that we will become by the end of the trip.

- MO

8/15/2015 Josh Samuels

“I’m going on an adventure!” – Bilbo Baggins The Hobbit

            We all arrived today to start our adventure of a life time.

            This was the most unique first day of any school day I or anyone else has had so far. We had the normal paperwork that each first day of the year requires during the first day. This first day included much more. Dividing up river gear, collecting groceries for the week and dried food for the up coming canoe trip in Canada, cutting bear ropes, folding maps, and mentally preparing for the wizards, trolls, dwarfs, and of course the mighty dragon along the adventure.

Joshua M. Samuels

8-15-15

FIRST 2015 ECOEE BLOG-POST

Hello Everyone!
We are very excited to be bring you the first Ecoee 2015 blog post! Many things have been going on since that first day of class. Little did we know that the time we called class would quickly turn into a large portion of all of our lives. This first semester has been a time of growth for many of us. Throughout this semester our diligent tribe members have been expanding their knowledge of a plethora of interesting subjects. The group has been put through many uncomfortable  With that being said our group is extremely excited for our future endeavors that are have ahead of us. So far we have camped out at Horn Field Campus and went through an array of activities that created a trial run for what it is to come! It becomes invigorating having the opportunity to actually get out there and feel the morning dew as well as the sun rising overhead. Essentially, going back to the basics returns a sense of living simply. I feel as though we are all working well together as a group and with different team building activities will surely make us all grow together as a family. This last weekend the tribe went canoeing down the Illinois River on the Voyager. That was an extremely amazing mission we had to do, we covered approximately 64 miles in 3 days. For many of us this was the first time being in a canoe as well as paddling non-stop for miles at a time. This in it self creates a goal for the tribe's physical capabilities, as well as trying our best to start working on ourselves to get the proper exercises for the preparation of the expedition. So stay positive everyone, we just have to motivate one another to stay active to conquer the future endeavors that have yet to come....

WE GOT THIS!!!!

"Be the change you want to be in the world"
-Mahatma Gandhi

-Red Beard
-Rocklock