Week 3 Reflection

This week was probably my favorite week of all. Other than the planning in the beginning of the week, once Dani and I were hiking around and camping in the woods we had a ton of fun. When we were planning for the first couple of days, I found it difficult to plan exactly what we would need for the three days and what we would need to eat. I was glad I had Dani around to help with the planning because she just got off of mountain classroom and had learned how to plan like that. This week was very efficient and also a lot of fun camping around. If I had the choice I would have extended the trip but that is the only thing that I would change about the trip. Also, I wish we did the camping trip during the first week of senior project because the weather was nicer. Despite the bugs we had a blast and I am so glad that we had the opportunity to go camping.

Day 15

Today was our last day hiking. Again when we woke up we made a quick breakfast and then set off to hiking. The bugs seemed to be even worse today but we powered through and eventually got to the car at around 2 PM. We were extremely dirty but we were glad to be out of the bugs and heat when we reached the car. Despite our happiness we do wish we camped for a couple of more days. The drive home was beautiful and it gave us time to recharge our phones for a couple pictures along the drive home.

Day 14

Today was the second day in the woods. When we woke up in the morning we immediately felt the temperature difference. It was definitely a lot hotter and there were bugs swarming the tent around us. After making a quick breakfast we packed up and went on our way. Today we hiked about 9 miles. After exploring around and a long day of hiking. We found a great place to set up camp and we made pesto pasta before going to bed. It was a great day in the woods again.

Day 13

Today was our first day of camping. We woke up at 8:30 in the morning and while it was a bit hectic in the morning, we eventually drove down to our campsite which was about an hour away. When we arrived we saw a fellow hiker and asked them if they could take a picture of us.

The first day hiking was probably the easiest day hiking. It was on the cooler side and when we set up camp and went to bed it was about 50 degrees out. Even though it was chilly it kept the bugs away which was really nice. We hiked about 6 miles until we set up camp. It was a great day in the woods. 

Day 12

Today was another day of planning. We went over to Mel and Lindsay's and borrowed a tent from them. We went to the grocery store so the grocery list we made yesterday came in handy. Also, we packed everything we needed in an efficient way. Luckily Dani knew how to do this all because if I had to do this alone I don't think I would have done a good job. Regardless, today was a great and productive day.

Day 11

Today was a big planning day for our upcoming camping trip. We went and had a small chat with Dave Pilla this morning and he suggested that we hike to Ethan Pond and then to Zealand. Also, we discussed what food we will be needing for the trip, how many miles we will hike each day, where we will sleep, and where to get our resources (our tent, sleeping bags, stove, etc.). Today was a successful day of planning and now I feel more prepared for our overnight trip.

Reflection 2

This week was a very busy week. Dani and I were raising money for the organization Big City Mountaineers and on our down time going on day hikes. This week we raised $1000 by reaching out to our friends and families and we had eighteen different donators that were kind enough to donate to our cause.
In addition to the donations, Dani and I went on different hikes everyday. We hiked Kearsarge Mountain (which was a lot harder than we thought), the Bulkhead (which was really cloudy at the top), and a few other hikes. We also were a bit busy with sport obligations but it paused no issues.

Day 10

Today was an interesting day because we didn't have a set plan on where we were hiking. We ended up going for an extremely long hike on an unknown trail and after hours in the woods we came back onto the road, about a mile away from where we started. Despite the spontaneity of our hiking route, it was still a great hike with a good view at the top.

Day 9

Today we hiked Mount Kearsarge. I hiked it earlier last year but I forgot how steep the terrain was. It wasn't a very long hike but we definitely felt it in our legs walking up the mountain.

When we made it to the top it was a bit chillier than expected and only stayed up there for a little bit. It was a beautiful view though. After, we went to Elbow Pond to take a dip. We also emailed some of our friends today to see if they could donate. It was a Great day!

Day 8

Today, we fundraised by reaching out to friends and family again and made about $285 from about 5 other donators. Now we only have to raise $90 to reach our goal. We are thinking about continuing our fundraising after we make $1,000 and donating to Cassie Cote's charity. Today was a big planning day. We did have a short day because of sports so we didn't have that much time do hike.

Day 7

Today was a big fundraising day. We reached out to friends and family and got around $200 in donations. Also, we are organizing a game of Splash next week and we are trying to get people to sign up for $5 each. Hopefully this game is a successful one. Scott Allenby said he would post the link to our funding page on the parent blog which I think will be very helpful. In total, we have raised around $730 and we only have $270 more to go. We will probably make more than expected! Woohoo

Day 6

Today we hiked to the Bulk head. Despite the cloudy weather, Dani and I saw it as a great opportunity to go on a hike to the Bulk Head because I had never been and I have been wanting to go. 

On the hike we trekked over rocks and rivers and we came across many, many newts. We even made up a poem as we hiked about the newts. 

When we arrived at the top, it was very misty and cloudy and you couldn't see a thing. Since I had never been to the top I was not disappointed because it felt like we were at the top of a mountain in the sky. However, I do want to go up again in the future so I can see the view without the clouds. 

Overall, it was a great day and look forward to doing this hike again in the future. 

Week 1 Reflection

This week was a great week to start of senior project. It was a beautiful week and Dani and I were kept busy all week. Starting off the week we were a bit stressed about the fact that we had to make $1000 so we took initiative to do a bake sale. At first we advertised the bake sale, bought the materials at the grocery store, and then freshly baked everything. At first when we went to retrieve our keys at the grocery store, we didn't have any idea what we would buy. However, after talking to Patty Durkin, she helped us form a list of things that we should buy for the bake sale (sugar, flour, eggs, milk, etc.) After she helped us make the list we were very thankful that she helped us because we realized how hard it would have been if we went to the grocery store without any idea what we were going to buy. The bake sale was successful and we made $170

The first morning we went to go meet with the principal of the elementary school, she told us we could work with the seventh graders. Originally, going into this project, Dani and I thought that we would be working with young children. However, after talking to the science teacher we learned we would be working to clean the AMS nature loop behind the school with the 7th grade class whom (as he put it) were “very difficult to deal with”. When the day came to bring the kids onto the nature loop and clean the trail, Dani and I were a bit nervous about whether or not our goals were realistic for this group of rowdy older children. Despite our doubts, the kids weren’t too difficult to work with and we successfully cleaned the AMS nature loop. In the end, while we didn’t make crafts with the kids, we feel that with the age of children we were working with, the activities that we did with them were appropriate and productive.

Day 5

Today was easily our busiest day of the week. We started off the morning waking up early to finish up our frosting our cupcakes, making more rice crispy treats, and many many cookies. After we finished we went to the meeting house and prepared for the crowd of teachers and students to come out after assembly. 

We were very successful with raising money after assembly and then Dani had the great idea to go around door to door with the rest of our treats and selling to people that didn't make it to assembly. We ended up selling all of our baked goods and made $170. People were very generous and that was so great for our cause (we were raising money for Big City Mountaineers).

Later that day, we met the 7th grade class at the Elementary school to take them to the AMS nature loop to clean it up and make it look nice. The 7th grade class definitely had a lot of energy but they were great kids to be working with.

It was a very busy day but a very successful one as well. 

Day 4

Today our day consisted of hours of hiking… and hours of cooking. Our first bake sale is tomorrow after assembly and we are hoping to make a lot of money. We spent the entire day hiking in the woods and then afterwords, we spent hours in the kitchen making rice crispy treats, cupcakes, and many many cookies. We hope that many people come out to support us tomorrow.

Day 3

Today, we walked out onto the trail that we are working to fix up for the elementary school to see the signs that we need to fix as well as move a bridge back into place. We brought Miles Denny to help move the bridge back into place because Dani couldn't have done it by ourselves. 

Day 2

Today, we focused our efforts on the fundraising that we need to do over the next three weeks for the organization Big City Mountaineers. This morning Dani and I went to the supermarket to buy food that we are going to make for a bake sale this week. We decided we are going to make rice crispy treats, cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches, and pumpkin cookies. Also, we brainstormed other ways we are going to make money to reach our goal of 1,000 dollars. We decided that we are going to reach out to the parents of Proctor to see if we can reach our goal. Also, we are going to organize a game of Splash for the school to participate in as well as set up a slip 'n slide for after the 5k in a couple of weeks. Also, we walked over to Jakes to see if we could hold one of our bake sales in their parking lot and they said that it would be fine if we did that. Day well spent. 

Day 1

Today marked the first day of my project period with Dani. Our plan for this week is to fix up a trail that the elementary school uses on the rail trail and then at the end of the week (on Friday) we will take a class from the elementary school on the trail to do an activity with them. This morning we walked on the trail to see what we need to fix up for the rest of the week. We noticed that a bridge was out of place and the letters on the trees that marked the trail were smashed up.

 We took the liberty to go to the elementary school today and visit both the principle and the science teacher to see when we should take the children out on the trail. We decided that Friday at 1:50 we will meet at the school to bring the class of kids out on their school trail. After we walked along the trail clearing sticks and rocks off of the trail, we took a dip in the river to celebrate our first day of senior project. 

Additionally, we hiked to Mud Pond with Frances in the afternoon and it was a great way to end the day.