Camping Field Trip

Burrell students spelunk their way through Hocking Hills

On October 21st the Outdoor Pursuits class took to the open road for a camping adventure. Six students and four chaperones took a day off of school and the weekend to explore the caves and surrounding lands of Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio. The main goals of the field trip were to practice what they learned in class, to get exercise, and to cook food outdoors. The students took five hikes over the three days they were there, walking more than 13 miles and up 100 floors of elevation, exploring caves along the trails. Each day they had to prepare their meals at the campsite and stayed in tents. As Senior Kaylee Armando (trail nickname "Stick") said, "We were roughin' it!" That is no exaggeration because they even had to light their campfires with flint and steel. Students were able to cook many foods and eat well, enjoying mountain pies, hamburgers, pancakes, breakfast burritos, and campfire doughnuts. One of the highlights of the trip was an 1800s reenactment that gave them some of the authentic living conditions of the time period. Sophomore Ava Nee (trail nickname "Cava") commented that her favorite part of the reenactment was making the fire with Junior Meadow Wlodarczyk (trail nickname "Spider Monkey")  in order to make bread. Armando and Nee both laughed when they shared a story about their "Frontier Donuts" which included a quote from Mr. Rossi (trail nickname "Francis"): "They are so good, you will bust out of your britches." Take a look at the picture to the right, which is the inspiration for the declaration. A lot of the time was spent talking, telling stories, laughing around the campfire, and enjoying the simple beauty of nature all around. The students attending were Senior Kaylee Armando, Juniors Alexa Armando, Nadia Nee, Jessica Stull, Meadow Wlodarczyk, and Sophomore Ava Nee. They were accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Thome, Mr. Rossi, and Meadow's mom.