A few weeks ago I sent out an e-mail to the school superintenant of almost every school district on the river from Portage all the way to the southern tip of Illinois. The e-mail described the trip and my desire to share my experiences with others along the way. I invited them to forward the e-mail on to their faculty to let them know what was up and see if their students would be interested in following along or even getting involved with the project. Of all of those school districts I contacted, so far only one responded, and that was Portage. From Portage Middle school I was contacted by Ms. Karplenia and from Portage River Crossings Charter school I was contacted by Ms. Rydberg. After several back and forth e-mails sorting out the exact details so some of the kids could watch the launch, I also learned that the kids had lots of questions and wanted to talk to me. So the idea was hatched for me to drive down to Portage to meet with the kids and answer what questions they may have.
It turned into quite a day. I had done a dry run packing job the night before to make sure all my gear would fit in the boat, and it does….barely. In the morning Dad and I loaded up all the gear (everything I will need for the next 10 months) and my boat and drove the two hours down to Portage. After a quick stop at Wal-Mart to get a couple Sharpie markers we found the school, checked in at the office, and proceeded to move four duffel bags of gear and a 17’ kayak into the theater (small auditorium). Then came the kids.
First it was a half hour with 65 kids from the 7th grade homeroom followed by 45 from the 8th grade homeroom. Both groups had already been introduced to the trip by Ms. Karplenia. I did a quick recap of the trip with a little bit of why Portage and why December then turned it loose to their questions, and there were many. The questioning ranged from “what kinds of animals are you going to see?” “are you going to fish along the way?” and “how are you going to charge your batteries?” with an underlying thread of questioning around the stability of my boat. These groups seemed especially interested in how I was going to communicate my location to the web site so I explained the SPOT device I am going to be carrying. I was impressed and very pleased with how interested the kids are in the trip and was happy to have several add their signatures and notes to the many that already adorn the deck of my kayak.
First it was a half hour with 65 kids from the 7th grade homeroom followed by 45 from the 8th grade homeroom. Both groups had already been introduced to the trip by Ms. Karplenia. I did a quick recap of the trip with a little bit of why Portage and why December then turned it loose to their questions, and there were many. The questioning ranged from “what kinds of animals are you going to see?” “are you going to fish along the way?” and “how are you going to charge your batteries?” with an underlying thread of questioning around the stability of my boat. These groups seemed especially interested in how I was going to communicate my location to the web site so I explained the SPOT device I am going to be carrying. I was impressed and very pleased with how interested the kids are in the trip and was happy to have several add their signatures and notes to the many that already adorn the deck of my kayak.
Next a bunch of the boys volunteered to help me move my gear over to the River Crossings classroom which is housed in a stand-alone building behind the main middle school. After the boat and gear was safely deposited in the classroom we took a lunch break while we waited for Holly Kobza’s surprise group of fourth graders to arrive from John Muir elementary school. In the mean time the students had a chance to explain that this school is a charter school with an outdoor emphasis wrapping all subject matter around things related to nature. Man…if only I could have gone to a school like that! It suffices to say that these kids were quite interested in this trip.
When we were all settled in I again re-capped the trip and then turned it over to what would end up being over two hours of questioning. There wasn’t a moment that there wasn’t a half dozen hands in the air eagerly waiting for me to satisfy at least a little of their curiosity. Again the questioning ranged from “how are you going to bathe?” “what if you run out of food or water?” “when did you first think about this trip?” and, of course, the underlying thread of “what if” questions regarding potential capsize.
Along with the questioning, I demonstrated a bunch of the gear and showed how the gear packs into the boat by filling up the rear hatch. After the questioning we turned the kids loose to sign the boat and get a chance to sit in it. To my surprise (and amusement) while one line formed to sign the boat another line formed for me to sign autographs.
It was a fantastic day and downright inspiring to see the enthusiasm and sense of wonder the kids have for the trip. It was an honor to get a chance to talk with everyone. I can’t to see them all again next fall when I paddle into town at the completion of the trip.
It was a fantastic day and downright inspiring to see the enthusiasm and sense of wonder the kids have for the trip. It was an honor to get a chance to talk with everyone. I can’t to see them all again next fall when I paddle into town at the completion of the trip.
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