6th Grade Adventures

6th Grade Adventures

Reading about the Oregon Trail made it seem like the greatest adventure of a lifetime. But what was it really like? Monday and Tuesday of trip week, the 6th grade classes met at West Union Garden Farms and got a hands-on experience of pioneer life. They skinned a pig, dissected it under the direction of our resident veterinarian Vanessa Warren, and then deboned it. They hiked through knee-deep grasses, fed goats, admired the regal llama standing guard (while steering clear of his spitting lips), and washed tables in preparation for feast day. The second day at the farm was all about cooking up a feast using Dutch ovens over a roaring bonfire and then sharing it together. Our third day of trip week we jumped forward a few decades in history and headed to Timberline Lodge for a tour. You can read two student accounts of these experiences below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shoveling Coals
by Charlotte F., 6th Grade

I walked up to the fires with ashes blowing to and fro and blazing heat racing up at me, and then I was handed a… shovel. My experience shoveling coals felt like I was being roasted by the fire. The worst part was when I walked up to the fire, and I felt my face get burned by the fierce flame. I had to walk extremely close to the fire, scoop up a shovel full of coals, which was hard to do with the heat, and then dump them around the Dutch oven. It was a good thing there were gloves for us to use, even though they were sweaty, because if I didn’t have them then my hands would have been scalded. It was still a good experience though. It taught me that when we go camping if we use Dutch ovens, to make sure not to get the job scooping coals.

My Day at Mt. Hood
by Maria D., 6th Grade

It was the Wednesday of trip week. So far we had dissected a huge pig and cooked it the next day. I came home with a sausage patty and the smell of rotting leaves, compost, and manure. After a shower and a good night’s sleep. I was looking forward to a calm, easy going day at Mt. Hood.
I stepped out of the car at North Campus and my mom drove away. I was put in a car with Allison, Marianis and Marika. We watched a movie while we drove up. I kept wondering what Mt. Hood looked like and if there would be snow. After a while, we started to see faraway mountains and tall trees. We drove past a batch of dirty snow. After the ride, we arrived at Timberline Lodge. Snow surrounded the parking lot, and the sun shone down on the wet pavement. The altitude was making me feel weird, and it was colder than I thought it would be. We went inside the lodge and sat down in a room with wooden chairs. A lady came in introducing herself, and told us amazing facts about the lodge. She told us how the lodge was built during the Great Depression, other history, and showed us around. There were a lot of recycled things, such as mosaics and a water fountain made from an ashtray. There were huge wooden beams and oil paintings. Then we ate lunch, had a snowball fight, and went home. As we drove down, I was sorry to leave but also glad to be home after such an eventful week.