Wilderness Adventures in Waldorf Middle School

Each fall, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School middle schoolers all venture up into our glorious Cascade Mountains on backpacking trips. Our 6th Graders begin with a short hike to Excelsior Ridge via Damfino Lakes, where they spend one night feasting on wild blueberries, and enjoying magnificent views of Koma Kulshan from the North. The 7th Graders head to Cathedral Crag near Park Butte on the Southwestern flanks of Koma Kulshan for two nights, where they are up close and personal to Easton and Deming Glaciers. Our 8th Graders expand their backpack into a challenge week, when they backpack from Rainy Pass up to Cutthroat Pass, embark on a long day hike on the PCT out to Snowy Lakes, then descend to Mazama for a day of rock climbing and rappelling with North Cascades Mountain Guides.

We take our Waldorf students out on these adventures for many reasons. When a young person puts on a backpack containing EVERYTHING they need before heading out into the wilderness for an extended period, they truly learn to take care of themselves on a different level. They become more and more empowered by these new experiences of independence, and through them build resilience and confidence.

Wilderness adventures also allow for valuable extensions and experiences relating to our hands-on Waldorf curriculum. Up in the mountains, students can test their knowledge of geology, identify various rocks and see how the land has been shaped without man made structures in the way. Opportunities to view alpine plants, animals, and mushrooms abound. Meteorological understanding becomes paramount! 

But one of the most profound values of these trips is the social experience for each group. Students take on the challenge as a class, and support and encourage each other.  When one student struggles, another is always there to help them out. Students bond together in a special way during these wilderness field trips, and even our older Waldorf alumni still tell stories of their adventures on backpacks. For watching a meteor storm on a clear mountain night, sighting a mountain goat or black bear from afar, or rappelling down a rock face with classmates cheering you on, are experiences few will ever forget. 

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