Students share their experiences from the 2010 Adventure Educator Semester

September 6^th – Day 1

Sailing
Once upon a time, ten Unity College students met on campus to embark upon a major voyage. They took a beautiful school van to the magical land of Wheeler Bay, Maine. Once they arrived, they exited their glorious steed and saw their fate personified in an ominous circle of blue dry bags. They were introduced to their instructors, Liz, Diane, and Alex; they were told they would have to survive a trial if they were to be allowed to participate in the journey. They donned their swimming costumes and put their lives on the line in a terrifying swim from the end of the dock to an enormous water creature called a “boat”. In order to leave the water, they each had to answer a riddle. Thankfully, they all passed valorously! But there was no rest for our heroes, they were immediately made to participate in a ritual called, “capsize drill”. Due to the excellent listening skills of the students and the magnificent leadership and guidance of the teachers, the whole affair went swimmingly! After drying off and treating their wounds, the group gathered for a speech from their beloved mentor Beth Arnold. Despite some having trouble staying awake, the whole group was glad to learn and begin the educational portion of the journey.

Once all of their gear was settled, there was a tragedy amongst their people. One of them was not going to be joining their adventure. Due to recent injuries, Michelle was going to have to abstain from the sailing portion. Once they had recovered from their grief, the leaders of the expedition assigned them new identities in the form of numbers. The work was calling, so the group organized food and personal gear, then packed it all into the vessel that was designated to carry them off into the sunset. They were given a thorough lesson on the ways of a sailor, and after a long, exhausting afternoon, they sailed off towards the horizon. The sea was a challenge the crew of ship 12 was eager to face. After they tested their skills against the rage of Poseidon, the men and women settled in for an evening of more learning and, eventually, r

Canoeing

The notorious Wind Breaker Pirates have moved their search for treasure inland. After their conquest of the
Monhegan Island Lighthouse, the Wind Breakers traveled inland to Indian Pond, from Indian Pond to a lonely island on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. They have seen beautiful sunrises, wind, rain, more wind, and more rain, but no treasure. Today, after a two day conquest of Moosehead lake their captain Alicia, of the sore feet, fearlessly lead the wind breakers over the dreaded North East Carry. The North East Carry guarded by
Captain Trucker, captain of the red truck, who preys on all who attempt to pass. Alicia was able to out maneuver Captain Trucker many times all the while keeping the crews moral high and the convoy moving.

With the escape from the North East Carry, the Wind Breakers found an inhabited island. They were foolishly welcomed onto the island and, as I tell you this story, they are busy planning their plans for the long and dark night.

October 5th—Day 30

Whitewater Canoeing Section

So, today we chose not to take the smoothest course. Our brother the Seboomuk River was calling our names this morning, so after feasting on a tasty meal of pancakes (there was chocolate involved!), we hopped into the van and voyaged to our put-in spot, where we practiced ferrying. We then continued downriver, portaging where necessary, and swimming occasionally. We were all working hard to finish the river before dark, but it was a challenge and we didn’t eat lunch until later in the afternoon. There was more portaging and plenty of spectacular flips until we reached the last rapid of the day. It went swimmingly for me & Brian, and everyone else made it to the eddy. What can I say, we like a challenge! It was getting dark, so we made our way to the van, and loaded up our canoes. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits despite the impending chill and late hour. There was even a group hug to deflate a float bag. We departed with plans for a roller derby team and a migratory evening meeting. What a beautiful day, hopefully tomorrow will be just as good.

All Hallows Eve!—Day 3 of Final       

Alpine/Backpacking Section

Ironically today’s hike took us on Black Angel Trail, and to Spider Bridge (which turned out to be no longer in existence). It was 3.8 miles with a crazy stream crossing that brought us to Spruce Brook; our home for this Halloween night. We all dressed up for this special occasion.  There was Alicia, the terrifying bear with the creepy silken paws; Dan Grylls who greeted us this morning with a shoulder roll and stories about the saltwater lion’s head he keeps in his pack; Kelsey, the accent confused exchange student with the good looking mustache; Jaime, the Russian changing fruit; Mike, the crazy wizard with his mighty walking staff; and Kendra the creepy old lady (Man?) with a diaper and candy. All these crazy characters met in the far kiva for a Halloween party of sorts. There was trick-or-treating, a massage circle, candy eating, lots of laughter, and, of course, “the beating of the head.” Dan Grylls constructed a piñata in the shape of his infamous lion’s head and challenged us to get the brains out. Armed with sticks and a tree limb, the Wind Breakers circled their prey, and one by one, ran up to the head and attacked it. Then, it all got fuzzy from there, literally, when the bear lunged at the head and ripped it open with her claws. Candy went everywhere. Dan Grylls was ashamed, and the rest couldn’t stop laughing. They collected their prize and consumed it, saving a little for the stranger who was following them. Spirits restored, they set out to make dinner, have a teeth brushing party, and head to bed quite early. Hopefully, tomorrow the good spirits that resulted from Halloween will remain. Maybe we’ll even celebrate Thanksgiving, too.
Until next time.