On March 6, 2019, 60 students from Mount Elden Middle School 6th grade met with SOS educator at the Picketpost trailhead to view and experience a passage of the Arizona Trail very different from the ones they are used to in Flagstaff. Students had the opportunity to take a 1 mile hike to explore the desert ecology and experience […]
Read moreOn October 15th, 2018, 8 students from Empire High School Embarked on an adventure into Cienega Creek. Using the Arizona Trail and starting from Gabe Zimmerman Trail Head, our journey took us through a wild and changing landscape. This was the first expedition of the semester for these students, and what trip it was. Our mission was to explore the exotic […]
Read moreOn October 4th, 2018, 8 students from City High School hiked into Cienega Creek using the Arizona Trail. This was the second expedition of the semester. Our goal was to explore perennial waterways that connect the Sky Islands, and understand just how impactful these creeks can be to the surrounding deserts. As well, this is a literacy class and our partnership […]
Read moreOn January 30, 2019, forty students from Flagstaff Junior Academy made a visit to the Arizona Nordic Village to experience the joy of learning outdoors in the winter. If you think getting 40 5th graders dressed in snow clothes, boots, and snowshoes is easy, you’ve definitely never done it. Figuring out the straps, getting them tightened down, and then […]
Read moreOn January 24, 2019, twenty students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy made a visit to the Flagstaff Nordic Village to make the most out of the remaining snow. Out of 20 students only 5 had ever nordic skied before. Just learning to lace boots tightly, and attach them to the ski was a difficult skill that took focus, […]
Read moreOn November 9th, 2018, 19 students from Mountain Vista Elementary School embarked on a trip to Oracle State Park. This incredible place is right in the backyard for these students, yet too many had never visited. We hoped to learn about this unique environment by hiking on the Arizona Trail and searching for the plants and animals that characterize it. […]
Read moreOn October 10th, 2018, 19 students from Mountain Vista Elementary School took the long journey up Catalina Highway to explore Mt. Lemmon’s gorgeous landscapes. The top of this mountain has remained unexplored for most of these students, and with the changing season comes the gems of colors and fragrance. The youth were incredibly excited to learn and adventure in these unique […]
Read moreOn September 27th, 2018, 18 students from Mt. Vista Elementary School set out to explore Catalina State Park. This adventure was designed to let the students explore beautiful lowland Sonoran Desert landscapes, and teach them how to identify the different places the flora and fauna call home. Using arroyos, mesquite forests, and open rugged trails, we searched high and […]
Read moreOn March 20, 2018, 13 students from Miami High School embarked on an adventure into White Canyon, west of Kearny, Arizona. This was the third expedition of their semester, meaning these students were more than prepared for the hot hike they were about to begin. This area is a landscape of mountains and canyons shaped by massive volumes of seasonal […]
Read moreIt was the kind of outing we aspire for every time we take our students out. Magic was happening December 6th, 2018 when 19 students from the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff bundled up in their winter best and made a trip to the Flagstaff Nordic Center. Our first and most important goals was to teach the students […]
Read moreOn September 21st, 2018, 10 students from Mansfeld Middle School embarked on an amazing adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. With summers heat still swollen and boiling in the low desert valleys, we were all eager to escape to the high mixed coniferous forest. This was the first expedition of the semester for these students, and they were as excited […]
Read moreOn October 26th, 2018, 14 students from Mountain Vista Elementary School embarked on an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. Using Marshall Gulch Trailhead on the Arizona Trail, these youth were excited and ready to explore the pine fresh mountain tops. On this day, we all had the special pleasure of hiking with Ray Peale and Elisabeth Wheeler, and meeting […]
Read moreOn November 27th, 2018, 18 students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy had an introduction to map and compass navigation. In a world of cell phones and GPS devices, it can be easy to dismiss maps and compasses as irrelevant, but without this foundational knowledge it is difficult to impossible to know what one is looking at on a GPS […]
Read moreOn November 15, 2018, 120 students from Mount Elden Middle School APEX program went to the Arizona Trail on Forest Road 303 near Walnut Canyon for a day of trail work and exploration. With a group this large we need to break them up into much smaller groups to rotate through a variety of activities. Lessons with teachers, trail […]
Read moreOn November 14th, 2018 48 Students from Northland Preparatory Academy traveled to Gooseberry Springs Trail Head on the Arizona Trail Mormon Lake Passage to participate in some trailwork. Having learned from the day before, we changed the plans altogether. Though the day was slightly warmer and a lot less windy, the temperatures were still on the low side and […]
Read moreOn November 13, 2018, 50 Students from Northland Preparatory Academy went to Gooseberry Springs on the Arizona Trail Mormon Lake Passage to attempt some trail work and trail design lessons. It turned out, that though we studied trail design and cross slope a little, our biggest lesson was how to prepare for and manage very cold temperatures, frozen ground […]
Read moreOn November 8, 2018, 17 students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy went to Campbell Mesa to learn about trail design and do maintenance on the 2 mile Campbell Mesa loop. With plenty of help from our partners at the US Forest Service and Arizona Conservation Corps, the group was able to hike and repair drainage on the entire […]
Read moreOn November 6, 2018, 40 students from Mount Elden Middle School Alpine Academy joined us for a day of trail work and design. With large groups we tend to divide the group in half. One group learning about trail design and hydrology, the other group repairing trail. After a hearty lunch and, of course, cookies we trade. Students first […]
Read moreOn November 1, 2018, 48 students from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School visited Aspen Corner and the Arizona Trail to build trail and learn about trail design and construction. Students dug drains, discussed hydrology, and practiced designing their own trails. Though the day was chilly, they kept warm moving dirt and exploring. Experts from the US Forest Service were […]
Read moreOn October 30, 2018, 38 students from Mount Elden Middle School Alpine Academy joined us for a day of trail work and design. With large groups we tend to divide the group in half. One group learning about trail design and hydrology, the other group repairing trail. After a hearty lunch and, of course, cookies we trade. Students first […]
Read moreOn October 25th, 2018, 19 students From Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff Middle School gave their all to some trail work on Deer Hill Trail from Little Elden Horse Camp. This group is always keen, enthusiastic and ready to work! Students first had a lesson in trail design, hydrology and the process for getting a new trail approved. Next […]
Read moreOn October 23, 2018, 19 students from the Peaks School in Flagstaff had an outing to the Elden family homestead site and Elden Spring on Little Elden Trail. Students had a big day of learning! We learned the history of the Elden family and other homesteaders like them. Why they came to Flagstaff and why, in this case, they […]
Read moreOne of the most important skills educators, especially outdoor educators, need to have is flexibility and a willingness to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. On October 18th, 2018 we had to put this skill into action. Both 5th grade classes from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School were scheduled for outings to the Arizona Trail on the San Francisco Peaks this […]
Read moreOn September 6th, 2018, Seeds of Stewardships first expedition of the fall semester began. 5 students from City High School embarked on an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. Unlike other SOS groups, our partnership works to specifically build greater literacy skills through reading and being read to. Our partnership is designed to bring the students into beautiful Sonoran Desert […]
Read moreOn October 4th, 2018, 19 students from Ms. Lemke’s class at Peaks School visited the Arizona Trail on the San Francisco Peaks to view the changing leaves. Students started their hike at the Aspen Loop trailhead. We walked through tunnels of beautiful peaking fall leaves to a warm and sunny spot in a meadow. Here we learned some Arizona […]
Read moreOn September 27, 2018, 17 students from the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff’s Middle School made a visit to Little Spring and Bismark Lake near the San Francisco Peaks Passage of the Arizona Trail. We had a full day of learning and outdoor experiences. Using the Jr. Explorer Handbooks students learned about C. Hart Merriam’s Life Zone theory that […]
Read moreOn September 26, 2018, 38 students from Flagstaff Junior Academy’s 5th grade visited Picture Canyon along the Elden Mountain passage of the Arizona Trail. Students hiked a 3.5 mile round trip removing invasive weeds and learning about the local area as we went. A few days earlier during a classroom visit, the students had been introduced to the idea […]
Read moreOn September 25th, 2018, 7 students from Flagstaff High School’s Outdoor Discovery class went for a hike on the Arizona Trail San Francisco Peaks passage. The goal of the day was simple. Students wanted to hike 5 miles total and experience the beauty of the mixed conifer forests at a higher elevation than town. Prior to setting out on […]
Read moreOn September 9th, 2018, 19 students from Mountain Vista Elementary School gathered for a rugged adventure into Catalina State Park. This was the first expedition of the semester, and the students were more than excited. Some of the kids were nervous to go on a hike, worried about snakes, ants, bees, and all of the other wild animals in the […]
Read moreOn September 21st, 2018, 16 members of the Flagstaff Junior Academy Mountain Biking Club gave back to the Flagstaff community by doing trail maintenance on the Arizona Trail Elden Mountain Passage. As mountain bikers, and some of them as returning trail builders, they have developed a great sense of how to sculpt a drain for good water flow and […]
Read more
