PATHWAYS THE ONTARIO JOURNAL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION - WINTER 2017, 30(2) - ISSN: 0840-8114 - THE COUNCIL OF OUTDOOR EDUCATORS OF ONTARIO

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Pathways
 The Ontario Journal of
 Winter 2017, 30(2)
                          Outdoor Education

ISSN: 0840-8114
Pathways                                                       The Council of Outdoor Educators of
                                                                    Ontario Board of Directors

                           COEO                             President:			                                 Liz Kirk
                                                                                                  Brock University
Formed in 1972, the Council of Outdoor                              1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold, ON L2V 4Y6
Educators of Ontario (COEO) is a non-profit,                                                      ekirk@brocku.ca
volunteer-based organization that promotes
safe, quality outdoor education experiences                 Past President:		                    Deborah Diebel
for people of all ages. We achieve this by                           Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre, BWDSB
publishing the Pathways journal, running an                      3092 Bruce County Road 13, Wiarton, ON N0H 2T0
annual conference and regional workshops,                                           deborah_diebel@bwdsb.on.ca
maintaining a website, and working with                     Vice President:                       Emma Brandy
kindred organizations as well as government
                                                                         28 Viewbank Road, Toronto, ON M1N 1E7
agencies. Members of COEO receive a
                                                                                           ebrandy22@gmail.com
subscription to Pathways, as well as admittance
to workshops, courses and conferences. A                    Treasurer:		                             Natalie Kemp
membership application form is included on                                                 Royal Botanical Gardens
the inside back cover of this issue of Pathways.                     680 Plains Road West, Burlington, ON L7T 4H4
                                                                                        natalie.b.kemp@gmail.com

   The Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario              Secretary:         		                         Ben Blakey
                    PO Box 62                                                                       Montcrest School
                   Station Main                                          4 Montcrest Boulevard, Toronto, ON M4K 1J7
          Kingston, Ontario K7L 4V6                                                     ben_blakey@montcrest.on.ca
                  www.coeo.org                              Volunteer Coordinator:		              Karen O’Krafka
                                                                                         Hardwood Nature School
                         Pathways                                    576 Murray Street, Peterborough ON K9H 2V1
                                                                               karen@hardwoodnatureschool.com
Pathways is published four times a year for
members of the Council of Outdoor Educators                 Director At Large:		                       Andy Halse
of Ontario (COEO).                                                                         Outward Bound Canada
                                                                         550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4W 3X8
Pathways is always looking for contributions.                                              andy_halse@outward.ca
Please contact the Chair for submission
guidelines.                                                 Director At Large:		                           Jamie Innes
                                                                                                       Fleming College
Articles in Pathways may be reproduced only                              200 Albert Street South, Lindsay, ON K9V 5E6
with permission. Requests must be made in                                                          jinnes08@gmail.com
writing and should be directed to Kyle Clarke,
Chair, Pathways Editorial Board.                            Director At Large:		                   Liz Jankowski
                                                                    Upper Canada College, Norval Outdoor School
Opinions expressed in Pathways are those of the                         200 Lonsdale Road, Toronto, ON M4V 1W6
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of                                             ejankowski@ucc.on.ca
the Pathways Editorial Board or COEO.
                                                            Director At Large:		                 Barbara Sheridan
                                                            Barrie Forest Kindergarten, Springwater Provincial Park
Advertising included in Pathways should not
                                                                              1331 Route 26, Midhurst, ON L0L 1X0
PATHWAYS

be interpreted as an endorsement by COEO of
                                                                                      childonground@hotmail.com
the products or services represented. All rights
reserved. To receive an advertising information
                                                            Membership:                              Minka Chambers
package, please contact Kyle Clarke, Chair of
                                                                                   Innisdale Secondary School, SCDSB
the Pathways Editorial Board.
                                          ISSN: 0840-8114                        95 Little Avenue, Barrie, ON L4N 2Z4
  2        Pathways is printed on FSC recycled paper.                                                 minkac@bell.net
Pathways
The Ontario Journal of                           Outdoor Education
Winter 2017, 30(2)

    Pathways Editorial Board                      Features
Chair:                            Kyle Clarke     Family Nature Clubs: Exploring the Parent–Child–Nature
      Faculty of Education, Queen’s University    Relationship. .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
                       kyle.clarke@queensu.ca     Alexandra O’Rourke

                               Patrick Byrne      Kroka Expeditions: Where Consciousness Meets Wilderness .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11
  Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University
                         byrnep@mcmaster.ca       Walking in Wilderness: Reflections for Personal and Professional
                                                  Growth .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16
                                 Indira Dutt      Hervör Alma Árnadóttir, Jakob Frímann Þorsteinsson and Karen
                      Outward Bound Canada        Rut Gísladóttir
                         Indidutt@gmail.com
                                                  Endurance Tuesdays.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 23
                               Kathy Haras        Mark Brown
              Adventureworks! Associates Inc.
                  kathy@adventureworks.org        Nordic Master in Friluftsliv Studies (Outdoor Studies): An Invitation to
                                                  Students Worldwide .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25
                              Ryan Howard         Kirsti Pedersen Gurholt, Anette Bischoff, Erik Mygind and
                           ALIVE Outdoors         Suzanne Lundvall
              ryanhoward@aliveoutdoors.com

                            Zabe MacEachren       Columns
     Faculty of Education, Queen’s University
                       maceache@queensu.ca        Editor’s Log .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 2
                                                  Bob Henderson
                             Mitch McLarnon
       Faculty of Education, McGill University    President’s View .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
             mitchell.mclarnon@mail.mcgill.ca     Liz Kirk

                            Amanda Merpaw         The Gathering
                       Bishop Strachan School     COEO Conference Report and Research Summary.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
                                                  Bob Henderson and Emma Brandy
                          amerpaw@bss.on.ca
                                                  Tracking
                                 Peter Vooys
                                                  Paddling Survey to Ontario Secondary Schools: Overview of Results. 30
     Faculty of Education, Queen’s University
                                                  Get Kids Paddling
                            3pvj@queensu.ca
                                                  Trailblazers
Resource Editor:            Bob Henderson         Remembering Cliff Knapp .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 31
                  Department of Kinesiology,      Bob Henderson
                McMaster University (Retired)
                      bhender@mcmaster.ca         Prospect Point
                                                                                                                                                                                                    PATHWAYS

                                                  Pathfinder at 100.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 32
Managing Editor:          Randee Holmes           Lance Kennedy
               randee_holmes@sympatico.ca
                                                  Information for Authors and Artists.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 36
Layout and Design:             Karen Labern
                      karenlabern@gmail.com                                                                                                                                                            1
E ditor’s Log
             Exemplary programs, exemplary                      work together to showcase the powers of
             programming: it is a tricky but important          flexibility, reflection and facilitation.
             idea for a theme issue. Why is this? Well,
             in an obvious sense, every issue should            All these authors and/or programs have
             showcase exemplary programs and                    become familiar to Pathways over the years,
             programming. Then, there is the pressure on        and some attention in Pathways has always
             authors to ensure they capture the essence         been forthcoming. I should add that Jakob
             of a quality program. Finally, there is the        Thorsteinson has both contributed to
             feeling of responsibility of the guest editor      Pathways and has been a keynote speaker
             to request truly exemplary offerings about         at the annual conference of the Council of
             outdoor education. So how was this idea            Outdoor Educators of Ontario (COEO) at
             approached? First off, relax all, there are        Camp Glen Bernard.
             many exemplary examples out there, and
             here, Pathways offers up only a sampling,          This issue showcases novel program
             and we received more material than we              offerings, insight from a new outdoor-
             could use. These other articles will appear        focused school (Headwaters Academy),
             in future issues. Second, Pathways has been        the dynamic of launching a collaborative
             aware of exemplary outdoor education, new          international graduation program, and a
             and older programming that would make              survey from a new group called Get Kids
             a good fit in Pathways, for…well…decades.          Paddling (with COEO representation)—all
             It is a pleasure to work with both friends of      2017 initiatives. Congratulations to Mark
             Pathways and newcomers to put this issue           Brown and staff, Kirsti Guholdt-Pedersen
             together.                                          and colleagues, and Dave Goldman (and
                                                                many others) for these important initiatives.
             Royal Roads University on Vancouver
             Island is a source of many fine master’s           We mourn the loss of Cliff Knapp who was
             thesis projects with an outdoor education          known to many COEO members for his
                focus. Alexandra O’Rourke is a recent           1970–80 involvement in the Northern Illinois
                  graduate from Calgary with an                 University/COEO Masters in Outdoor
                     interesting look at the parent-child-      Education partnership and his prolific
                        nature relationship. Kroka, a           writings. In 2012, Cliff was an honourary
                          wilderness expedition school,         guest at the 40th COEO Conference.
                             is an exciting, even unique,
                                outdoor education offering      Finally, a Camp Pathfinder alumni looks
                                  that will surely inspire      back, and ahead—examining what works—
                                     many, particularly         on our last pages of exemplary offerings in
                                       folks supporting         outdoor education.
                                        an integrated
                                        curriculum.
                                         From Iceland,          Bob Henderson
                                         three educators        Guest Editor and Resource Editor for Pathways
                                          of different
                                          disciplines
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               Sketch Pad – Megan Nowick is a COEO member, artist and educator, who completed her
               undergraduate degree in visual arts and geography, with a focus on mural making. Currently
               working as a coordinator at the LivingRoom Community Art Studio in Oshawa, she works with
               people of all ages and abilities, encouraging creative expression while incorporating nature
               with the addition of a community garden. Megan’s art appears on the cover and pages 2–4, 8,
               11–17, 21–28 and 30–35.
  2
P resident’s View
Winter came quickly this year, ushering         everywhere are hearing our message and
in 2018 with an unusually long stretch of       discovering the valuable opportunities for
cold temperatures across the province.          learning and sharing that our organization
For some of us, this meant simply adding        provides to its members.
a few insulating layers so we could enjoy
getting outdoors and taking part in all the     A huge thank you to Karen O’Krafka, April
opportunities that a snowy winter offers        Nicolle and the entire committee of this
for activities like cross-country skiing,       year’s Make Peace with Winter (MPWW)
snowshoeing and skating across a frozen         Conference for all the hard work done
lake. For others, this meant taking some time   in preparation for this year’s successful
under a blanket to catch up on the latest       mid-January gathering. Hosted once again
issue of Pathways, planning this summer’s       by the awesome team at the Bark Lake
adventures, or entertaining friends and         Leadership and Conference Centre, it is
family around a campfire. Whichever way         exciting to continue to see expansion of
you prefer to spend your winter, I wish you     this highly popular event. The number of
the very best of the season and hope you        attendees at this conference has continued
enjoy this inspiring issue!                     to climb over recent years, even attracting
                                                presenters and student groups from Quebec
Over the last several months, COEO has          for the second year in a row! This year’s
been well represented at a number of            conference attendees were treated to Jim
different events, and there are plenty more     Cain’s wide breadth of knowledge, a
opportunities for outreach scheduled            diverse array of workshops, opportunities
for 2018! Past President Deb Diebel             for learning and connecting, and of course,
coordinated a successful fundraiser in          live music and square-dance calling from
early November that saw members of the          talented COEO members. Present to open
Owen Sound community come together              this year’s conference was Elder Peter
to support COEO while hearing tales of          Schuler, a member of the Mississaugas
Adam Shoalt’s summer adventure across           of the New Credit First Nation. His
the Arctic. I was joined by fellow COEO         longstanding support and guidance is
members Emma Brandy, Bill Schoenhardt,          continually appreciated as further steps are
Kyle Clarke, Bob Henderson and Ben Blakey       taken toward strengthening First Nations
in Montreal where we promoted COEO at           involvement across the organization.
the annual conference of the Association
of Experiential Education (AEE). I have         Wishing you an enjoyable winter season,
been happy to represent COEO within             whatever your preferred activities involve!
larger groups such as the Ontario Teachers’     Spring will be arriving shortly, bringing
Federation Curriculum Forum and Get Kids        with it the return of the Ontario Wilderness
Paddling (www.getkidspaddling.ca). More         Leadership Symposium (OWLS), taking
opportunities are upcoming this winter for      place April 27 to 29, 2018.
COEO members to make connections in
the community at university fairs, teacher
PD days and more! I’m glad to report that       Liz Kirk
so much outreach is underway, and people        President
                                                                                               PATHWAYS

                                                                                                 3
F   eature

                Family Nature Clubs: Exploring the Parent–Child–
                Nature Relationship
                By Alexandra O’Rourke
                This essay is a summary of a Master of         parents in the movement to reconnect
                Arts research project in the Environmental     children to the natural world.
                Education and Communication program
                at Royal Roads University, Victoria BC.        Because parents ultimately decide how
                The goal of this research project was to       their children spend much of their time,
                shed light on the parent–child–nature          parental engagement may be a key element
                relationship as it evolved during an eight-    in sustaining children’s relationships with
                week, spring 2016 case study of a family       the natural world. As an assumption in
                nature club in the city of Calgary, AB. A      the research shared here, I propose that to
                total of 11 families participated, including   successfully reconnect children to nature,
                mothers, fathers and 19 children 0–6           we should engage, support and reconnect
                years of age. The study summarized here        parents as key parts of the process, and
                employed a qualitative research approach       that family nature clubs (FNCs) can offer
                informed by hermeneutic phenomenology          a platform to aid in this task. Julie Dunlap
                and elements of ethnography. A total of        and Stephen Kellert (2012) caution: “Yet
                six qualitative methods were engaged           in facilitating regular nature contact for
                as part of this case study: entry phone        children, adults must take care not to
                interviews, a pre-program journal entry,       become barriers to connections themselves”
                family participation in eight family nature    (p.13). So with nature’s virtually limitless
                club events at local Calgary parks, the        possibilities, how can adults “maximize
                submission of weekly parental journal          the possibilities of outdoors, including
                reflections, observational field notes, and    emotional and sensory interactions, while
                a concluding focus group. A great deal         still keeping children safe?” (p.13). Can we
                of the information shared in this essay        resist our temptations to over- supervise
                stems from family participation in the         and shape the experience? The role of the
                eight case-study events resulting in 70        adult caregiver in following the child’s
                submitted journal reflections from parents.    lead during nature-based experiences may
                The observations and insights shared in        foster children’s freedom to experience the
                this essay speak to the value of engaging      natural world while keeping them safe.

                                                               Research over the last few decades
                                                               investigating the effects of nature contact
                                                               in childhood has contributed significantly
                                                               to the growing academic and social
                                                               understanding of the value of nature-
                                                               based experiences for the health of the
                                                               whole child—alerting our attention to
                                                               safeguarding a childhood where there
                                                               is freedom to experience play in nature.
                                                               However, the culture of outdoor play in
                                                               childhood is increasingly more organized
                                                               and supervised by adults, which may
PATHWAYS

                                                               affect the freedom to experience outdoor
                                                               play for children (Chawla, 2015). For the
                                                               purpose of the research outlined here, one
                                                               factor identified, which results in greater
                                                               restrictions on children’s independent
  4                                                            activities, especially outdoors, is parental
Feature

fears for their children’s safety (Chawla,     part of my own learning in this process,
2015; Clements, 2004; Little Wyver, 2008;      I began to sense an important dynamic
Louv, 2005; Rivkin, 1998; Sobel, 2008).        evolving between myself, my son and
                                               nature. Eventually, as part of my thesis
Developing parental capacity and               development, I began to reflect on these
confidence to provide more unstructured        early experiences as “exploring the parent-
time in nature can provide children more       child-nature relationship.”
freedom to experience the natural world—
which has been identified as a missing         I developed the Parent–Child–Nature
aspect of childhood today, along with          (PCN) Study Triad (Figure 1) as a visual
its associated benefits. Embedding the         tool to represent the phenomenon of
parent-child-nature experience within a        exploring the natural world with my child
community of families, as experienced in       where nature was identified as an intimate
a family nature club, is shown to support      partner in the parent-child experience—the
this goal as a result of this case study.      inspiration for the triangular shape. It is
                                               important to note that this triad recognizes
Interestingly, an area of research that        three relationships along the edges:
remains to be investigated, identified
by Louise Chawla (2015) after extensive           •   Parent–Child Relationship
review of the literature, is “the influence       •   Child–Nature Relationship
of nature contact on family systems” (p.          •   Parent–Nature Relationship
446). Specifically, Chawla states, “Future
research should address how nature affects
children and their caretakers together,
and how each side may mediate the
nature experience for eachother” (p. 446).
Although not the purpose of the research
shared here, this study sheds light on how
adults and children can mediate a nature
experience for each other—resulting in
parents’ increased desire to provide more
nature-based experiences for their families.

The Parent–Child–Nature Relationship

I became curious about the parent-child-
                                               Figure 1: The Parent–Child–Nature
nature relationship (PCNR) as a result of
                                               Relationship Study Triad
my aspiration to provide more intentional
nature-based experiences in urban
environments for my two-year-old son as        Further understanding and appreciation
part of his early development. To support      of this interesting and complex proposed
our nearby nature experiences, I founded       relationship is briefly summarized in
Urban Wild Family Nature Club in the fall      the sections that follow. Summaries are
of 2014. As founder of this club, I designed   supported by parental quotes from journal
and hosted no-cost monthly programming         reflections and focus-group comments
for families. The goal of the club was         during the case study and are organized
to encourage and support families to           into the three edges of the PCNR Study
                                                                                                  PATHWAYS

explore urban parks together, throughout       Triad: the child-nature relationship, the
the seasons, in the city of Calgary, AB,       parent-nature relationship and the parent-
Canada. The basic recipe for Urban Wild        child relationship. In addition to what
is a sprinkle of nature-inspired activities,   parents observed during the case study,
a dollop of family-led nature walks and a      new parental insights were developed
healthy scoop of child-led explorations. As    regarding the value of nature-based                  5
Feature

            experiences for their families. Parental          The Parent–Nature Relationship
            observations and insights all contributed,
            to various degrees, to the three key              Often parents commented on a freedom
            principles of the PCNR: nature is a safe          from day-to-day distractions or the “adult
            partner in our children’s experiences, the        world” (as unique to outdoor experiences)
            freedom to experience that parents can            resulting in a grounding effect and a
            provide children is unique to nature-based        heightened sense of observation. The
            experiences, and caregivers should follow         effects of the parent-nature relationship for
            the child’s lead. The development of these        parents is identified to be a key element
            three key principles of the PCNR suggests         to the PCNR experience as it provided
            that parental engagement in family                parents the opportunity to be more present
            nature-based experiences can ultimately           in the experience with their child.
            lead to building parental capacity and
            confidence to provide their children with           “I am rooted like the trees.”
            more unstructured play in nature. It is
            also important to note that the community           “We arrive. I breathe better already.”
            aspect of a family-nature-club program was
            observed to contribute positively to the          The Parent–Child Relationship
            results of this case study and will be briefly
            summarized in this essay.                         Observations around the parent-child
                                                              relationship demonstrated how nature
            Parental Observations                             as a partner can support the parent-
                                                              child dynamic by providing an authentic
            The Child–Nature Relationship                     experience, a sense of accomplishment and
                                                              a connection between parent and child.
            What was significant about parental
            observations around the child-nature                “We were being ourselves again, together.”
            relationship was in what it revealed to
            parents about their children’s level of             “Finding our way…” and “Experimenting
            competencies and engagement during                  with what we can do.”
            nature-based experiences. An element
            of surprise was often associated with               “I feel so lucky to be part of this group
            parental observations around this edge              and to have the opportunity to explore my
            of the relationship. Ultimately, parental           connection with the kids and see it in them,
            observations revealed that the young child          too.”
            is a competent explorer of the natural
            world, requiring minimal adult guidance.          New Parental Insights
            As a result of the frequency in which all
            parents shared observations around the            As a result of what parents observed
            child-nature relationship, this relationship      around the three edges of the PCNR,
            is indicated to be at the heart of the PCNR       parents developed new insights regarding
            experience.                                       how nature is a valuable partner in their
                                                              family experience. Below, I will briefly
               “I find I am growing with them, becoming       describe the value of nature as a partner, as
               more confident about their abilities because   identified by parents during the case study,
               I see their strengths in new ways. Such a      including supporting parental quotes.
               gift.”
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                                                              1.	 Nature as facilitator
               “Amazing how the openness and fluidity             Nature as facilitator of a family
               of JUST WALKING [parent’s emphasis]                experience was expressed as a relief
               through nature kept the kids engaged, and          for some parents as they didn’t have
               they found things to keep them interested          to think about a hundred ways to
  6            and entertained—with very little guidance.”        “entertain” their children. This resulted
Feature

       in meaningful family interactions,                3.	 Nature is a valuable partner in our
       connections and freedom from                          children’s experiences
       boredom for their children.
                                                            “Interaction with nature is a beautiful way
       “Nature is a playground. Running,                    for children to release their natural energy.”
       chasing, jumping. Who needs a park?”
                                                            “When given the opportunity, it seems we
       “Nature supplies the ingredients and we              are perfectly capable of finding happiness in
       make the recipe!”                                    nature.”

       “When I see [my three-year-old] at home           A Community of Families
       or other places, they are often bored. Here       The effects of a community of families
       [nature-based experiences] they will never        sharing in nature-based experiences had
       get bored.”                                       a positive influence on what parents
                                                         observed and in their developing insights.
2.	 Nature-based experiences can build                   Below I will highlight a few key effects of
    connections to self and to others                    exploring nature-based experiences as a
                                                         community of families:
      “I realize now how very important our
      connection to nature is. After nature club,        The Pack Effect: This effect was observed
      we return home content and relaxed because         early in the case study and lasted until the
      it strengthens our connection to our self and      end of the program, where the three- to
      to others.”                                        six-year-olds in the group formed a pack

 Principles of the PCNR                               Parental Quote

 1.     Nature is a safe partner in our               “A lot of people would say, ‘I don’t want my
        children’s experiences.                       kids going out in the forest because it is not safe.’
                                                      Whereas some of us now, after experiencing some
                                                      of this, are saying the exact opposite…so I find that
                                                      kind of interesting.”

 2.     The “freedom to experience” that              “I really got to realize all nature is a safe place for
        parents can provide children is unique        us, so I can let my kids be free…they can be free
        to nature-based experiences.                  and go and explore and experience what, whatever
                                                      it is that they want to do really. Which I don’t find
                                                      anywhere else than in nature…so it was really the
                                                      freedom I could provide for them. Yes, nature is
                                                      really that safe place for us.”

 3.     Follow the child’s lead.                      “To let our kids lead, decide, or to help navigate that
                                                      relationship [referring to the PCNR]…letting them
                                                      lead would be my biggest takeaway.”
                                                                                                                     PATHWAYS

Table 1: The Three Key Principles of the Parent-Child-Nature Relationship
Identified by Case Study Parents

                                                                                                                       7
Feature

            as part of their nearby nature explorations.      “We have a new way of spending time
            The pack resulted in increased enthusiasm         together…what else is out there?”
            to explore and group confidence, and it
            demonstrated a desire to take the lead.           “We are so much more intentional about
                                                              nature time—not just for the kids, but us
            Mixed Ages: This element was recognized           too—since the program start.”
            by parents as an important aspect of
            the family-nature-club experience.                “Just take them outside.”
            Parents observed their younger children
            participating in play, initiated by older
            children, that parents felt the younger
            children would not have thought of (or
            felt comfortable demonstrating), such as
            rolling down a hill.

            The Pack Effect + Mixed Ages: This was
            observed to increase group confidence,
            boundary testing and exploration of nearby
            nature, such as wildlife habitats.

            All Eyes: A sense of “all eyes,” in which
            a community of parents were involved in
            supervision, was identified as an important
            element in increasing parental comfort
            with the rapidly unfolding nature play
            occurring during the case study, especially
            near water.                                     The PCNR Study Triad Evolves

            The Three Key Principles of the Parent–         As a result of observations and insights
            Child–Nature Relationship                       shared by parents during this case study,
            Parental observations and insights and          we have learned a little more about the
            the effects of a community of families all      complexity and shape of the parent-
            contributed to the three key principles of      child-nature relationship than what the
            the PCNR identified by parents during this      PCNR study triad initially revealed. First,
            case study. These three principles indicate     the equilateral shape of the PCNR triad
            a sense of increased capacity and a desire      suggests that all three relationships (child-
            for parents to provide more unstructured        nature, parent-nature and parent-child)
            experiences for their children during           would have equal influence on the PCNR
            nature play. In Table 1, I will summarize       experience. However the child-nature
            the three key principles identified by case     relationship was observed to be at the
            study parents, supported by parental            heart of the PCNR experience due to the
            quotes.                                         high frequency that all parents reflected on
                                                            this relationship. Second, it was observed
            The results of this study suggest parents       that the development of new parental
            may dedicate more time to nature-based          insights regarding the value of nature-
            experiences for their families as a result of   based experiences for their families was
            recognizing the various values of nature        not exclusive to one edge or relationship
PATHWAYS

            as a partner in their family experiences,       of the study triad. Instead, results indicate
            in addition to building their capacity to       that what parents observed regarding all
            provide nature play as shown by the three       three relationships informed and shaped
            principles of the PCNR. To demonstrate          the development of new parental insights.
            this, I am reminded of the following            This suggests that all three relationships
                                                            are continually interacting, informing and
  8         parental quotes:
                                                            shaping the PCNR experience. Third, the
Feature

PCNR study triad appears in isolation of             a nature-based experience for their
external influences. One external influence          children—significantly, by following
that was observed to have a positive effect          the lead of the child. This new found
on the PCNR experience during this case              appreciation is also reflected in the
study was a community of families. Other             following parental quote:
examples of external influences at play
during this case study are the following:              “I feel it is my role as a parent to let them
activity (structured or unstructured), time            discover why nature is important.”
(1.5-hour family-nature-club program in
the morning), season (spring) and place
(urban parks).                                       One surprise was what the research
                                                     revealed about how children can mediate
Although our understanding of the PCNR               an experience for adults in the natural
phenomenon has revealed a more complex               world, as reflected by parents in this
shape of three evolving and interacting              case study. Many parents reflected on the
relationships, the PCNR study triad is an            benefits of observing their child’s joy and
important conceptual starting point where            wonderment as part of nature play, such as
the value continues to be in the recognition         enhancing their state of presence, curiosity
that nature is an additional partner to the          and fondness for the natural world.
parent-child relationship. Other shapes
that shed light on the PCNR experience                 “Going out into a natural setting with
during the case study were revealed as part            a child as my companion demanded me
of a focus group activity where parents                to slow down, follow another’s lead and
were asked to select from a basket of                  experience the curiosities of the natural
provided nature objects to represent their             world through a child.”
PCNR experience. Below I have provided a
few examples.                                          “With open eyes and minds, nature is
                                                       everywhere—you just need to slow down
Feather: “I really got to realize that all nature      and look.”
is a safe place for us so I can let my kids be
free.”                                                 “I am grateful for taking the time.”

Rock: “With rock, I was thinking that ‘nature        Conclusion
as a partner’ is a solid foundation for a family.”
                                                     Parents in this case study expressed
Water: “It’s interesting to me because if you        a developing understanding and
look at it [nature as a partner], it is water,       appreciation for what the PCNR offered
but then, if you go deeper, you find something       their families—dedicated time to explore
else.”                                               their connection to their children, to
                                                     themselves and to the natural world. Most
Antler: “It is an old relationship, a cycle of       significantly, our commitment to explore
growing and shedding.”                               and reflect on nature-based experiences as
                                                     families affirmed that the young child is
Leaf: “It represents a learning experience.”         a competent explorer requiring minimal
                                                     adult guidance to engage in nature-based
Nest: “To me, that is the symbolism right            experiences. As a result, the following
there. It is a home.”                                three principles of the PCNR became
                                                                                                            PATHWAYS

                                                     apparent to the parents: first, nature is
Parents and Children Mediating a                     a safe partner in our child’s experience;
Nature Experience                                    second, the freedom to experience is
                                                     unique and important to nature-based
Overall, parents demonstrated a new                  experiences; and third, following the
appreciation for their role in mediating             child’s lead is an important element of the              9
Feature

            PCNR. These three principles helped to         Rivkin, M. (1995). The great outdoors:
            build parents’ capacities and willingness              Restoring children’s right to play
            to provide more unstructured child-led                 outside. Washington, DC: National
            experiences in the outdoors, which is                  Association for the Education of
            identified as an increasingly missing aspect           Young Children.
            of childhood today. The development of
            these parental capacities, supported by a      Sobel, D. (2008). Childhood and nature:
            family-nature-club program and parental                Design principles for educators.
            reflection process, speaks to the importance           Portland, ME: Stenhouse
            of engaging and supporting parents as                  Publishers.
            part of the process to reconnect children to
            nature.
                                                           Alex O’Rourke is currently raising her family
            References                                     in the urban wilds of Calgary, AB. She shares
                                                           her musings of exploring the natural world
            Chawla, L. (2015). Benefits of                 with her young family on her blog: Urban Wild
                  nature contact for children.             Parent. She is an Environmental Educator
                  Journal of Planning Literature,          with a Master in Environmental Education
                  30(4), 433–452. https://doi.             and Communication degree. She has ten
                  org/10.1177/0885412215595441             years’ experience developing and delivering
                                                           programming for students, and more recently
            Clements, R., (2004). An investigation         families, in western Canada. She is enjoying
                  of the status of outdoor play.           her new role as a director on the board of the
                  Contemporary Issues in Early             Alberta Council for Environmental Education.
                  Childhood, 5(1),68–80.

            Dunlap,J. & Kellert, R. S. (Eds.). (2012).
                  Companions in wonder: Children
                  and adults exploring nature together.
                  Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

            Little, H., & Wyver, S. (2008). Outdoor
                     play: Does avoiding the risks
                     reduce the benefits? Australian
                     Journal of Early Childhood, 33(2),
                     33–40. https://doi.org/10.1017/
                     CBO9781107415324.004

            Louv, R. (2005). Last child in the woods:
                   Saving our children from nature-
                   deficit disorder. Algonquin Books.

            O’Rourke, A. (2017). Family nature
                  clubs: Exploring the parent–child–
                  nature relationship. (Master of
                  Environmental Education and
                  Communication), Royal Roads
PATHWAYS

                  University, Victoria, B.C. Canada
                  (10605170)

10
F      eature

Kroka Expeditions: Where Consciousness Meets
Wilderness
The Story of Kroka                            and guides for Mahoosuc Guide Service in
                                              Maine. Misha was raised and educated in
“We named our school after Kroka, our         the “Russian outdoor tradition,” traveling
six-year-old Alaskan husky. Kroka loves       and teaching in the wilderness.
all people. She never starts dogfights and
always wiggles her tail, giving slobbery      Kroka started as a summer camp
kisses to everyone. She loves to be out in    program at Hilltop Montessori School
the wild and sleep on the snow, as much as    in Brattleboro, VT. Its conception and
she does eating out of the compost pile and   curriculum were the themes of Misha’s
sneaking onto the couch at night. She is an   thesis at Antioch University New England
independent explorer and expedition-route     graduate school. After that first summer,
finder. A kind of ideal trip companion, she   Misha and Lynne continued to work with
also serves as a pot washer and gives us      students in afterschool and school vacation
no trouble, as long as she chooses to stick   programs.
around the group.” –Taken from the first
published Kroka programs guide, in 1997.      Misha and Lynne saw a strong need to
                                              change traditional outdoor education:
The Beginning (1995–1998)                     to make it less contrived and more real,
                                              and to bring a stronger and lasting
In 1996, Misha Golfman and Lynne              connection to nature and community. They
Boudreau founded Kroka Expeditions            also saw the need to make traditional
as a year-round adventure school. They        environmental education more engaging,
were both public school teachers as well      inviting, dynamic and meaningful for
as instructors for Outward Bound Schools      children.

                                                                                            PATHWAYS

                                                                                            11
Feature

            Education Principles                           School Programs

            Kroka’s founding principle is to bring         In 1999, after being approached by
            children into nature using the dynamic         several schools with varying educational
            modern pursuits of whitewater paddling,        philosophies, we began our School
            climbing, caving and mountaineering. Our       Programs. Today, we work with over 500
            curriculum of natural sciences, traditional    students in grades K–12 from more than 30
            and indigenous craft skills, arts and music,   schools around the country, supplementing
            and the philosophy of simplicity are           and supporting the class curriculum
            brought into the experience in measured        with expeditions and wilderness skills
            doses as participants become ready for         programs. Serving local youth has always
            them. The teaching focus is always on          been an integral part of Kroka’s mission.
            positive change in the world, special          From the beginning, we offered afterschool
            human contributions to society and the         programs to local youth, and we continue
            wonders of nature.                             to offer school vacation programs and
                                                           work with our local elementary schools.

                                                           Semester Program

                                                           In 2004, we launched the Vermont
                                                           Semester. This began from a desire to offer
                                                           long-term involvement with the same
                                                           group of young people, just as Misha had
                                                           experienced with his outdoor club students
                                                           in Russia. Our first high school semester
                                                           served seven students. It was born from
                                                           our year-long Club Horizon program, a
                                                           group of youth that met regularly and
                                                           planned, prepared and trained for a
            Through our experiences working with           month-long summer expedition. We now
            Waldorf schools, we made the decision          offer two high school semester programs
            to become a Waldorf-inspired school.           every year. The second semester program,
            Waldorf pedagogy is now an integral            Ecuador Semester, began in 2007 and came
            part of our staff training, along with the     from the shared dream of our Ecuadorian
            study of singing, eurhythmy and other          friends who joined us in 2003. That
            Waldorf-inspired art and movement forms.       partnership has grown into an exchange of
            Experienced Waldorf educators join Kroka       teachers, students and apprentices between
            programs each summer to share their            Kroka and the Ecuadorian organization,
            teaching experience and to learn how we        Nahual.
            work with children in the outdoors. We
            also work with Montessori, cooperative,        Summer Programs
            charter and other progressive schools. We
            observe exceptional educators applying         In 2018, we are offering 30 summer
            various experiential methods in their work     programs divided into five schools:
            with students. From our observations,          Whitewater Paddling, Rock Climbing and
            we are able to take the best practices and     Caving, Open Water and Ocean Paddling
            incorporate them into our methods and          and Sailing, Bikepacking, and Rites of
PATHWAYS

            curriculum. Through cooperation with           Passage and Wilderness Skills. Our one-
            many educational streams, our teaching         to four-week-long programs are offered
            philosophy is constantly evolving. Twenty-     in sequential progression, designed to
            three years later, Kroka remains a dynamic     take a student from childhood through
            experiment in transformational education.      adolescence. Students come to Kroka
12                                                         year after year forming lasting bonds and
Feature

developing a sense of belonging. Programs    animals, gear, and people. This took place
for younger students are focused around      with the incredible help and support of our
cultivating a sense of wonder and intimate   Kroka families, neighbours and supporters.
connection to the natural world, while       It was an amazing feat!
older students are able to travel to the
remote wilderness and practice technical     We now have a strong team of committed
adventure sports. The pinnacle of the        staff and trustees, we serve 1000 students
Kroka summer experience, the CAPSTONE        each year and our operating budget is over
programs, allow students to paddle some      $1,000,000. We are so grateful!
of the most difficult rivers
in eastern Canada and climb
glaciated volcanoes in South                                 Our Growing Farm
America.                                                     Program

Apprenticeships                                                In 2017, our farm
                                                               grew over 35 percent
We take pride in the fact that                                 of the food used for
many of our staff were once                                   our programs and staff
our students. Our apprenticeship                             community. Two full-time
program began when our semester                             farmers are aided by every
students wanted to continue to                             staff member and student
be part of Kroka. We now offer                            who comes to Kroka. In our
an apprenticeship program that                            dairy, we milk two cows
has a dozen seasonal apprentices.                         and make cheese, butter
Apprenticeship is typically a two-                        and yogurt. Several gardens
summer commitment that combines                           produce root vegetables and
training, working alongside                               salad greens, and 130 chickens
experienced instructors, mentorship,                     lay eggs. We also have a small
helping on the farm and living in a                      apple orchard, and grow
close-knit community.                                     blueberries, raspberries and
                                                            strawberries. Our bees work
Seven Oaks Farm (2007–                                       hard in pollination. Much
present)                                                      of the work on the farm
                                                                is done during morning
Our move to Marlow, NH                                            chore period, where
from Vermont, took place                                           over 100 people work
in 2007. We were growing                                            together caring for
beyond the land at Trollhaugen Farm and      the land. Morning chores are a sight to see
began developing a vision for a permanent    at Kroka!
Kroka campus. In 2006, we met with all
of our staff, and under the guidance of      Kroka West
grandfather Ray Reitze, we envisioned
what was important to have on the new        The newest initiative, “Kroka West,”
Kroka campus in order to best serve          is starting this year with our long-
youth and our mission. The list was long!    term program director, Leah Lamdin,
Lynne presented the list at the top of the   developing programming in Northern
mountain and set it aside for the upcoming   California, based out of Frey Ranch, the
                                                                                                PATHWAYS

busy summer. In the fall, the first place    home of a long-term Kroka family. In 2017,
we looked at was a farmhouse in Marlow.      we are offering hiking trips on the Lost
There, we found many of our wishes           Coast and paddling programs on Eel River.
from the list. We signed the mortgage in
the spring of 2007, and in four weeks, we
moved our whole organization: structures,                                                       13
Feature

            Welcome to the Kroka Semester                 The call to leave the ordinary world and
            Programs!                                     venture into the unknown is an ancient
                                                          one for peoples of all cultures. Kroka
            A Kroka semester is a uniquely                semester programs are an answer to
            transformative experience: we embrace         that call. During the semester, we spend
            risk, we welcome discomfort, and we           long periods of time on self-sufficient
            experience the vulnerability that arises      expedition, discovering the world and
            with challenge and interdependency. In        ourselves in ways that we may not have
            doing so, we have the opportunity to          experienced until now. We learn to be at
            shed the layers between ourselves and the     home with our own inner landscape as we
            world, and to wake up to what it is to be     come home to the wild one. We begin to
            fully human.                                  know ourselves as belonging to nature, as
                                                          nature belongs to us.

                                                          We experience the beauty of what the
                                                          Norwegians call friluftsliv, roughly
                                                          translated as “free life in nature,” moving
                                                          with sureness and ease over the land,
                                                          learning the old skills, not to survive, but
                                                          to celebrate our ability to find “home”
                                                          outdoors. A sense of intimacy with a
                                                          friendly wilderness becomes natural. One
                                                          semester student said, “When the pressure
                                                          drops, I can taste it in my mouth, and I
                                                          know it will rain.”

                                                          Many of the layers we carry, built up by
                                                          the pace of modern life, fall away. Our
                                                          true selves are given a chance to emerge.
                                                          If we can meet this opportunity with the
                                                          courage it calls out in us, we step more
                                                          fully into the light of who we are and who
                                                          we can become. Worlds open to us.

                                                          We work with our hands to make many
                                                          of the things we need. This is what we
                                                          were made to do, tapping into the ancient
                                                          knowing of how to make, do, and care for
                                                          ourselves. We sing, at meals, at work, and
                                                          on the trail. Singing is health, celebration,
                                                          giving thanks, and literally harmonizing
            We offer two semester programs for high       with one another and all that is around us.
            school and gap-year students: Ecuador in
            the fall, and northern New England and        We take our responsibility for the group
            Canada in the winter. Students may enroll     seriously. The extent of our commitment is
            in one or both semesters. Both journeys       made immediately clear: if firewood isn’t
            are based on extended wilderness travel,      gathered, the dinner goes uncooked. If
PATHWAYS

            participation in vibrant community life       the navigator is sloppy with her map, the
            and an accredited academic curriculum.        destination will be unreached. Our ideas
            Students will receive full high school or     about personal contribution begin to shift.
            college credit for participation in a Kroka
            semester. Federal loans and grants are        These experiences are an essential aspect of
14          available.                                    the ability to serve not only ourselves, but
Feature

the common good and a just and peaceful       •   Applications are accepted on a rolling
world. This is something that we can’t            basis. The program is limited to 14
unlearn, and it can be taken forward into         students per semester.
whatever kind of adult life a young person    •   Ecuador Semester takes place late
may choose.                                       August through mid-December; Winter
                                                  Semester, mid-January through mid-
•   Kroka Expeditions is an accredited            June.
    semester program for high school and
    gap-year students ages 17–19.             •   Students are encouraged to enroll in both
                                                  semesters but are welcome to enroll in
•   We encourage participation by everyone,       just one.
    regardless of income, through sliding
    scale and scholarship.                    •   Sixteen college credits are offered
                                                  through partnership with Sterling and
                                                  Wheelock Colleges.

                                              •   The Winter Semester is a five-month-
                                                  long rigorous expedition, academic and
                                                  community high school and gap-year
                                                  program. This new and exciting route
                                                  will allow participants to experience
                                                  the magic of the artic winter in northern
                                                  Canada, combined with a spring
                                                  expedition, traveling the length of
                                                  Vermont by whitewater canoe, wooden
                                                  rowboat, and mountain bike. While
                                                  developing one’s full human potential
                                                  on a 700-mile expedition, students
                                                  engage in a challenging academic
                                                  program encompassing humanities,
                                                  social studies and natural science.
                                                  While everyone is expected to give 100
                                                  percent to disciplined study, training
                                                  and work, Kroka respects individual
                                                  learning differences and is committed
                                                  to supporting all striving, hard-working
                                                  students, regardless of their learning
                                                  needs.

                                              •   Note: After twelve winters on the Catamount
                                                  Trail, we have decided that in order to
                                                  sustainably travel on the land in the winter
                                                  months, we need to alternate between several
                                                  routes to allow for the regeneration of natural
                                                  resources in the areas we journey through.

                                              Compiled from the Kroka website: www.kroka.org,
                                                                                                         PATHWAYS

                                              with permission from Misha Geolfman (founding
                                              director and senior leader).

                                              Kroka Expeditions
                                              767 Forest Road
                                              Marlow, NH 03456                                           15
F   eature

                 Walking in Wilderness: Reflections for Personal and
                 Professional Growth
                 By Hervör Alma Árnadóttir, Jakob Frímann Þorsteinsson and Karen Rut Gísladóttir
                 Taking students into nature for the          when unexpected circumstances arise.
                 purpose of creating opportunities for        Their experience and ability to stay in
                 professional and personal development        the moment and to handle new and
                 is not traditionally accepted in Icelandic   challenging situations in a creative way is
                 universities. However, for the last few      essential in order to hold on to the learning
                 years, there has been a growing demand       process, despite changes in the program.
                 for teachers to apply a wide range of        The authors believe it is important to train
                 teaching approaches, taking into account     students to experience nature in a variety
                 teacher and student co-learning. This        of ways, through education and work.
                 requirement has opened possibilities for
                 unconventional ways of teaching at the       When the Classroom Is Outdoors
                 university level. Research indicates that
                 being in the wilderness provides both        It could be said that the university
                 personal and professional affordances        environment does not support radical
                 unavailable in other settings (Árnadóttir,   ideas in teaching. As noted above, a
                 Þorsteinsson & Gísladóttir, 2017; Jakube,    recent growing demand on teachers to
                 Jasiene, Taylor and Vandenbussche, 2016).    apply a wide range of approaches has
                 The aim here is to point out what kind       opened the possibility for unconventional
                 of knowledge, reflective practice and        teaching methods at a university level and
                 emotional competence educators who work      crossing the traditional limits regarding
                 in natural surroundings need, so that they   what is considered appropriate in higher
                 can support students when unpredictable      education. The emphasis on a wide range
                 circumstances arise during the program.      of approaches in teaching provided an
                 This paper is based on one journey that      opportunity for an innovative initiative—
                 took place during an outdoors course         to use the Icelandic summer for an
                 (which has been systematically developing    outdoor education course, which started
                 at the University of Iceland for the past    in 2011. This course was also a reaction
                 number of years).

                 We describe four days of
                 a journey and refer to
                 reflective journals from
                 educators and students.
                 Participants were three
                 educators and 25 students
                 from the fields of Leisure
                 Studies, Social Studies, Tourism
                 Studies, and Geography. The
                 data was encoded and themed.
                 Results indicate that being
                 outside in nature for some time
                 has a strong impact on students,
PATHWAYS

                 personally and professionally,
                 regardless of the discipline they
                 come from. Also, the results
                 indicate that knowledge and
                 experience of the teachers who
16               work within nature is crucial
Feature

to the economic crises Iceland was going      had to leave the project to make space for
through at that time, which led to higher     new professionals.
unemployment and more people going
to school. As a result, the University of     Successful outcomes for students in
Iceland provided more summer courses.         outdoor education, which would lead to
This was well received by students.           personal and professional development,
The course aim at that time was to give       depend on how qualified the educators are.
students knowledge and skills to travel       The quality of the course depends on the
safely in the wilderness of Iceland, teach    interplay between education, experience
them how to use a map and a compass to        and personal factors of the professionals,
find their way, and make students able        including their competences in supporting
to lead an outdoor trip. The focus of the     students to better understand who
journey was on “hard skills”—living in        they are and who they want to become
tents, experiencing and sharing simple        in their personal and professional
life together and linking that fruitful       lives (Korthagen, 2013). The theory of
experience to the discipline the students     experiential learning emphasizes reflection,
were studying.                                which is fundamental to create meaning
                                              in a shared experience. At the same time,
                                              it is important to motivate students to
                                              participate in creative processes and to
                                              encourage them to be open to interactive
                                              learning, being present, working in silence
                                              and being resilient (Corey, Corey and
                                              Corey, 2010; Dewey, 1938; Daft, 2015; Kolb,
                                              1984).

                                              A team of three educators with a cross-
                                              disciplinary background was finally
                                              created. On the team were Jakob, Alma
                                              and Karen. Jakob and Alma had a lot of
                                              experience and knowledge working in an
                                              experiential manner in the wilderness.
                                              Karen had less experience in outdoor
                                              experiential education but brought her
                                              expertise in reflective practice from action
                                              research, and she was willing to take a
To begin with, the students were a rather
                                              different path and adopt new knowledge.
homogenous group, coming from two or
                                              The team combination was a welcome
three disciplines, and the three educators,
                                              challenge for us in the preparatory phase,
all males, came from the Faculty of
                                              while we were focusing intensively on our
Education. Having run the course for
                                              working style, while building trust. The
two years, the supervisory teacher
                                              preparation is important because in the
thought it of great value and in line with
                                              journey we need to depend on each other ’s
contemporary policy to open the course
                                              strengths and expertise.
to every student in the university because
he believed it could lead to a broader
                                              To Welcome Uncertainty
learning opportunity. This decision
                                                                                                       PATHWAYS

affected the dynamic between students
                                              During the summer of 2017, the team was
in a positive way. At the same time, this
                                              running the course for the second time. As
created new challenges for the educators,
                                              usual, we had been monitoring the weather
which had to be met in some way.
                                              forecasts. In Iceland, it is difficult to rely on
The group of students seemed to need
                                              the forecasts because the weather tends to
educators with a varied background. This
meant that some from the educators’ team
                                              change rapidly and we have to adapt. The                 17
Feature

            forecasts looked all right and we expected           “I want to leave all my problems behind and
            light rain on day three. On August 24, the           enjoy the nature while I am here. I want to
            physical journey began. We met on campus             experience calmness and enjoy the small
            at four o’clock in the afternoon. On the way         things.” (Student’s final assignment, 2017.)
            to campus, students began to experience a
            variety of feelings and thoughts.                  The first part of the walk was up a steep
                                                               hill. In planning for this trip, Jakob knew
               “On the ride to campus I experienced both       the landscape. He knew the challenge of
               doubt and anxiety. Why had I signed up for      the first steep hill. He had decided on a
               this course…I had to share my feelings with     path that led into the mountains, knowing
               one of the teachers, otherwise I would drop     the effect such a landscape can have on
               out of the journey…As I told him, the tears     individuals. Alma and Karen had not
               flowed down…I felt ashamed for crying, but      walked this path before. First, their senses
               at the same time, grateful for being able to    were focused on getting familiar with the
               loosen the tension that had accumulated for     landscape as they wondered how they
               the past days.” (Student’s final assignment,    could work with natural phenomenon
               2017.)                                          to create a learning space for students to
                                                               engage with their experiences. The group
            We took a bus to the place where the               walked slowly, frequently stopping to
            hike started. Once there, we gathered in           rest. Then the wilderness began to test
            a circle, welcoming everybody. Then we             how students’ physical abilities affected
            asked everybody to turn around, facing             their emotional reactions to that current
            outwards. When people were ready to let            moment.
            go of the multiple roles of everyday lives
            and start the journey, we asked them to              “The first hill tested my patience. It was
            turn into the circle. Following this activity,       hard walking so slowly up the hill. And I
            we invited students to find a spot of their          did not like stopping in the middle of the
            own choice and write or draw in the                  hill with the heavy backpack that I was
            reflective journals about their feelings and         still getting used to.” (Student’s final
            expectations for the days ahead of us. In            assignment, 2017.)
            the final assignment, students illustrated
            their feelings about this moment:                    “The first hill was the most difficult walk
                                                                 I have experienced…I had never had to
               “I feel excited but still anxious in my body.     carry such a heavy backpack during my
               Is this going to be too challenging for me?       hikes…I worried if this walk was going
               Is the backpack too heavy? What if I do not       to be too challenging for me. My feet felt
               have enough food? What if I start to smell?”      tired. I wanted to go home.” (Student’s final
               (Student’s final assignment, 2017.)               assignment, 2017.)

                                                               At the top of the hill, the journey continued
                                                               through a grassy valley surrounded by
                                                               mountains. A stream flowed through the
                                                               valley. The weather was dead calm. Silent.
                                                               At this moment students experienced
                                                               victory. They had made it up the steep hill.
PATHWAYS

                                                                 “You cannot believe the pride that went
                                                                 through my body at this moment…I felt like
                                                                 I had won the world and the thought in my
                                                                 mind was that I could do everything that
                                                                 I wanted.” (Student’s final assignment,
                                                                 2017.)
18
Feature

  “At the top of the hill my feelings changed.     “I realized that all my clothes were wet…I
  I saw the field in front of me and it was        put on my wool sweater. At this moment,
  easy to walk. I began to talk with people.       I just wanted to go home, and I began
  I started to enjoy the journey.” (Student’s      to regret that I had decided to go in this
  final assignment, 2017.)                         journey.” (Student’s final assignment,
                                                   2017.)
At the end of the day, we came to the first
place we would camp. When we woke up             When we found a place in the
the next day, it was overcast. The top of the    mountainside where we could hide from
mountains were covered with clouds. The          the wind, we stopped for lunch. At that
weather was mild. The walk continued. We         moment, we began to notice the physical
divided students into small groups with          and emotional condition of the group—
different responsibilities: one group led        empty eyes, shivering, tears and hearing
the walk, another found spots to rest, and       statements like “I am not hungry,” “I do
a third came up with things to energize us       not want to eat,” and “I am okay,” when
during the walk. The first part of the day       we knew otherwise (Analytical discussion,
was easy. We crossed a few streams and           October 1st, 2017).
walked over mossy land.

After two hours of walking, the weather
changed rapidly. The wind grew stronger
and it started to rain. The rains seemed
light, but at the same time, dense. In a
short period of time, we all became very
wet without even realizing it.

                                                 After lunch, there was nothing to do except
                                                 to keep walking. We started to check in
                                                 on people. All kinds of thoughts and
                                                 emotions were emerging. These feelings
                                                 and thoughts ranged from irritation to
                                                 hopelessness to having the will to fight.

                                                   “I cannot describe how cold I was and the
                                                   path seemed endless. The tears started to
                                                   flow down my cheeks. I was so ashamed for
                                                   crying and I just wanted to walk alone. I
                                                   could not believe that I was actually crying
                                                   over the circumstances. It was so not in
                                                   line with my character.” (Student’s final
                                                   assignment, 2017.)
                                                                                                       PATHWAYS

                                                 Many students went through a wide
                                                 variety of feelings in a very short time, and
                                                 they had to make a decision regarding how
                                                 to handle these emotions in order to move
                                                 forward.                                              19
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