ADK Summer 2014 Experience

Sorry for not posting sooner! After coming home to a sick child and now dealing with a very sick dog because of the heat! I am now finally able to take a few minutes to sit down and type while Aiden takes his nap. 

I had an awesome time at Raquette Lake and learned so much about the Adirondacks that I did not know before.  I met some really great people along the way, Master Teachers, my peers, my professors, and even local tourists that had some kind of local connection to where I was from. The hardest part for me throughout this experience was being away from my family and my son.  Not having cell phone service made it very difficult for me, and I became very excited when we drove into town one day and I had full service!

I learned a lot from the Adirondack Museums and I hope to one day take my son and family there. I also really enjoyed hiking up Black Bear Mountain.  At first I did not think I was going to make it, but I really pushed myself to finish.  The view was amazing!

The Adirondacks offer so much to an educator and can provide an educator with many opportunties for their students to learn.  For one example, the environment and incorporating how to take care of our environment is one way the Adirondacks can be incorporated into the classroom.  It is very important for students to learn about these wonderful natural resources that have been given to us. 

I had an amazing time and I really enjoyed the experience of coming to the Adirondacks.

Day 3

Today we spent our day at the Wildlife Center and Adirondack Museum. When we arrived I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw.  It was not what I expected; it was much more. The buildings were amazing and there was so much to do and see.

At the Wildlife Center I was able to see otters, turtles, and tons of fish. We also walked along the nature trail and took in the nice views.  They are currently building an outdoor walkway that rises into the trees for next summer. This is definitely a place I would love to take my family to see.

At the Adirondack Museum we were able to see the history of the Adirondacks. My favorite exhibit was seeing how the transportation changed over the years. I loved walking around the passenger train and seeing all the detail in the woodwork.  This is an amazing museum filled with lots of history.

Tomorrow we will be going to Black Bear Mountain to hike and we will also be walking to the bog. Hopefully we will have fun and be able to see some amazing sights.

Day 2

Today during breakfast I met the master teachers and had some great conversationsn with them. After breakfast we went on a two mile kayakingkn trip on around part of Raquette Lake. This was my first time camping since I was 16yrs old. I was really nervous to go out on the water  because of the wind. The girls and I had a lot of fun kayaking,  but were exhausted at the end. I was very thankful I did not tip my kayak.

We had a huge thunderstorm and were not able to go outside to look at the stars. One of the master teachers that is here was going to talk about astronomy.  But we had a fun small group discussion and activity instead.

Tomorrow we are going to the Adirondack Museum and I am really looking forward to going.

Well, I am exhausted and going to bed now!!

Day One

Today was our first day at Raquette Lake. The last time I was here was in late January 2008. My journey last time was a long cold walk over the frozen lake. However,  today's journey was in a pontoon feeling every movement of the water as we slowly crossed the lake. Once we unpacked we enjoyed a nice nature walk and saw some amazing architecture at our camp. I am currently enjoying the nice breeze on our balcony over looking the lake.