Out of all of the Outdoor Adventure Club's excursions, sleeping in the snow in the middle of February is senior Leann Porter's favorite.
“We go winter camping and sleep in quincies, or snow caves,” said Leann.
“We go out onto the school property and we pile snow up and pack it all down. Then, we let it sit for probably about an hour and a half. Then, we hollow it out. We lay some straw down and pack all our stuff in there. It's actually quite warm in there!”
“Last year, we made burritos and had that for dinner and breakfast. It was so good!”
Leann has been part of ODAC for her entire high school career, and has enjoyed activities like river cleanups, hikes, and sledding.
“It's just so much fun. ODAC builds teamwork because you help people and then they come and help you,” said Leann. “You’re always in a controlled environment and there’s always an adult around to help you.”
Leann loves exploring Northern Michigan, and sometimes, her adventures take her to some pretty cool places.
Gotta Cache ‘Em All
One of her favorite hobbies is geocaching.
Geocaching is a world-wide scavenger hunt.
The sophisticated take on hide-and-seek tasks geo-cachers with using GPS coordinates to locate caches of hidden treasures. If seekers locate the bounty, they’re required to leave something behind in its place.
“You could hide something in a fallen decaying tree, or something. But sometimes it leads you to some pretty random places, like a cemetery!”
Leann says she found her greatest treasure in California.
“One time, I was with one of my friends, and we found a pair of aviator glasses from a pilot, like an actual naval Naval Airman,” she said. “The note said ‘if you find these, return to such-and-such cache’ back in Minnesota. We started that journey for him back to Minnesota. It was so cool!”
Learning Life Skills
Through all of her adventures and explorations, Leann says she uses skills she learned in ODAC.
“You learn very important skills, like how to be safe out on the trails. If something was to happen, say you're on a short walk and suddenly there’s rainstorm and you don't know what to do, then these skills will help you survive.”
"The best part about ODAC is the people. The environment is just amazing."
---
To learn more about the Outdoor Adventure Club, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/School/Kingsley-Outdoor-Adventure-Club-336604732844/
Comments