Thursday, January 27, 2011

Two accounts of yesterday's night hike

The night hike is usually my favorite part of the week. Countless teachers have come on my night hikes, but in almost five years no administrator has ever observed one of mine.

Night hikes are transformative, but don't take my word for it....

Dark yet light is what I saw on the night hike.

The moon and stars guide my way,
but the trees hide the sky.

I learned about courage, responsibility,
and trust towards nature
on the hike I had at night.

Soon after the sun went down, my life changed.
I experienced the fun and peacefulness of the dark
and the right way to touch the bark
on the hike I had at night.

I wish that the walk would never end,
for the peaceful silence was beautiful. A word
or a short talk never occurred.

This is why I loved
the hike I had at night.

- Arielle Smith a.k.a. "Blue Jay the Big Fat Bird," (Yavneh School)




As you begin to walk,
You try, but you can't talk
For it feels great to see the stars
During the night when there's no cars

I learned a story,
a tactic for hiking, and there's
glowing moss around Walden West.

During the night hike,
I experienced a major activity
that changed my fear into
fun. The night hike felt scary at first,
but after we learned to trust each other,
it felt exhilarating and great.

- Jadon Bienz a.k.a. "Helium," (Meyerholz School)