• Expedition: Oct 8-11, 2004
  • Reedley HS Generation Green
  • Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP: Twin Lakes
group at trailhead

Reedley High School's Generation Green Program joined John of the Sequoia Field Institute and Stephanie of Creative Outdoor Recreation Edventures for a fantastic eye-opening four-day adventure into Sequoia National Park's wilderness. 10 students and 2 chaperones made deep connections with their environment.

"I see the mountains everyday but I could not touch or breathe its air." -Elena, Expedition II

They just got in and out before October's storms hit and enjoyed cool but clear weather. They spent their first day at the Beetle Rock Education Center, studying sequoia ecology, wilderness, and being shown the Air Quality Monitoring Station by NPS Air Quality Technician Heather Dumais. Standing among the sequoias of the Giant Forest is always a highlight for the students and chaperones. A crystal clear evening of star watching ended the day. This very strong group covered the 5 miles to Clover Creek with ease as they learned to understand and identify the diversity of life around them. This group took to Leave-No-Trace ethics with enthusiasm. The much appreciated help of a few returning student chaperones who led by example and helped to translate for the instructors made for an exceptionally quick learning group. On the third day they hiked to Twin Lake (4-miles round trip) to make water quality and environmental observations. They carried out a water invertebrate survey and made maps of the area. A highlight for the instructors was the exceptional quality of the observations made while drawing and making journal notes of a struggling lodgepole pine. This was an excellent group. Through this experience participants advanced from expressing a great fear and unawareness all the way up to a love and appreciation of the Park Service, Wilderness, ecology, hiking/wilderness skills, and safety. What was once a distant foreign place became a part of their community.

group at Twin Lakes group on trail cooking dinner a quiet moment

WildLink is a proud partner of the National Park Service, National Forest Service, and Nature Bridge.