Nature Trek

WithVenise Baxter

& Stephanie Frenchik

Dear Mrs. Bywaters & the APES,So we decided to go on what we’d call a little “nature trek” to some of the country’s most beautiful spots. We had a lot of fun and took a few pictures along the way, hope you enjoy our presentation as much as we enjoyed our trip!- Venise & StephanieVenise & Stephanie

PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST

First Stop

Information

• Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina

• The Pisgah National Forest covers 510,119 acres of mountainous terrain in the southern Appalachian Mountains, including parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Balsam Mountains

• The Pisgah National Forest was established in 1916, one of the first national forests in the eastern United States

Day One

8 am 8 am – Wake Up!

9 am 9 am – Head out to Mount Michell (the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River)

10 am 10 am – Begin the hike up Mount Michell with climbing instructor Charles

6 pm 6 pm – Settle in at a cabin at the base of Mount Michell

9 pm 9 pm – Off to bed early!

Day Two

10 am 10 am – A later wake up due to the previous long hiking trip

11 am 11 am – On the road to meet up with instructor Jill Banks for a bird watching trip

1 pm 1 pm – Lunch break, Then back to checking out those birds

5 pm 5 pm – Return to the cabin for dinner and smores

9 pm 9 pm – Bed Time!

Day Three

8 am 8 am – Rise and shine!

10 am 10 am – Head out to Lake Powhatan for water skiing and wake boarding

12 am 12 am – Meet up with Drake, our motor boat driver

5 pm 5 pm – Head back to the cabin for dinner and some relaxation time

9 pm 9 pm – Bed time!

Day Four

7 am 7 am – Early wake up in order to beat the crowds at Slippery Rock!

9 am 9 am – Arrive at slippery rock, a natural waterslide

11 am 11 am – Spend the day at the waterfalls of Pisgah National Forest

2 pm 2 pm – Picnic with all former instructors from throughout the week

6 pm 6 pm – Head back to the cabin

9 pm 9 pm – Bed time!

BIRCH CREEK NATIONAL WILD RIVER

Second Stop

Information• Birch Creek National Wild River flows from the Steese National

Conservation Area into the Yukon Flats in central Alaska.• The river offers one-week float trips. Floaters can access both

ends of the Wild River segment from BLM recreation sites along the Steese Highway.

• The Bureau of Land Management manages 110 miles of upper Birch Creek as a wild river under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The river continues through state, private and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge land for a total of 344 miles before flowing into the Yukon River about halfway between Fort Yukon and Beaver.

Day One

8am8am – Wake up!9 am 9 am – Take the Steese

Highway from Fairbanks to milepost 94

0.2-mile gravel road leads down to the Upper Birch Creek Wayside

11 am 11 am – Go canoeing down the river with our instructor, Jack

5 pm 5 pm – Stop for dinner at welcome cabin

7pm7pm – Head back to camp

10pm10pm – Lights Out!

Day Two

8 am 8 am – Wake up!

9 am 9 am – On the road again…

11 am 11 am – Rafting with Jack

5 pm 5 pm – Dinner and social hour at the welcome cabin

8 pm 8 pm – Head back to camp

10 pm 10 pm – Bed time!

Day Three

8 am 8 am – Wake up!

9 am 9 am – Head out

11 am 11 am – Go float boating with Bubba

6 pm 6 pm – Dinner at the Welcome Lodge

8 pm 8 pm – Depart from Birch Creek

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

Third Stop

Information

• Newly established, 1997• Presently there is about 6,000 acres that has been

purchased; plans call for the total refuge to be about 50,000 acres

• It is being founded to preserve valuable undeveloped coastal wetland and adjacent uplands that provide habitats for many species of wildlife

• The Red-cockaded woodpecker calls this refuge home, it is endangered

• The refuge acts as a nesting ground for bald eagles as well as Swallow-tailed Kites

Day One

9 am 9 am – Wake up!

10 am 10 am –Visit the educational nature center and learn about endangered species and other animals that reside in the refuge

2 pm 2 pm – Go for a Jog on the nature trails

4 pm 4 pm – Attended a bird tagging seminar and learn about the process

6 pm 6 pm – Return to the cabin for dinner and a camp fire

10 pm 10 pm – Lights out!

Day Two

9 am 9 am - Wake up!

11 am 11 am – Get geared up for the day long fishing/canoe trip

4 pm 4 pm – Attend an Environmental education seminar on the importance of biodiversity

6 pm 6 pm – Movie under the stars, followed by a camp fire

10 pm 10 pm – Bed time!

Day Three

9 am 9 am – Wake up!

10 am 10 am – Morning Run

12 pm 12 pm – Volunteer with planting trees, and improving the refuge

3 pm 3 pm – Paddle boating trip

5 pm 5 pm – Lakeside dinner

8 pm 8 pm – Bed Time!

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK

Fourth Stop

Information

• Mount Rainier National Park was established on March 2, 1899, and encompasses 235,625 acres, ranging in elevation from 1,610' to 14,410' above sea level

• The "mountain" is an active volcano enclosed in over 35 square miles of snow and ice, surrounded by old growth forest and stunning wildflower meadows

• President McKinley signed the park into existence, and it became the nation’s fifth national park

• There are over a 1000 species that thrive in this park, due to its preservation

Day One

7 am 7 am – Good morning America!

8 am 8 am – Go for a run on the 6 mile long, Crystal Lakes trail

11 am 11 am – Go boating on Tipsoo Lake

4 pm 4 pm – Went on a “Junior Ranger” trip

7 pm 7 pm – Retired to White River campgrounds for fun and games …

9 pm 9 pm – and eventually sleep

Day Two

8 am 8 am – Wake up!9 am 9 am – Have breakfast at

the Sunrise Lodge11 am 11 am – Go biking with

our instructor, Jayme3 pm 3 pm – Go walking

around the Ohanapecosh Area with a group of visitors

6 pm 6 pm – Retire at the Paradise Inn for food, game night…

10 pm 10 pm – And sleep of course

Day Three9 am 9 am – Sunrise!

10 am 10 am – Breakfast in the lobby

12 pm 12 pm – Out to go mountain climbing with Jake and Shawn

4 pm 4 pm – Head to get a photography permit (since we were accidentally illegally taking pictures)

5 pm 5 pm – Go frolic in Paradise Area

6 pm 6 pm – Switching lodging again, heading to the National Park Inn

7 pm 7 pm – Spend tons of money at the gift shop

8 pm 8 pm – Enjoy dinner by the enormous fireplace in the corner

9 pm – Sleep time!

Day Four

9 am 9 am – Wake up and check out of the Inn

10 am 10 am – Enjoy the continental breakfast in the lobby

11 am 11 am – Buy more trinkets and take more pictures (this time of the hotel staff)

12 pm 12 pm – Visit the Longmire Museum

4 pm 4 pm – Head out of the Mount Rainier National Park, for good

We enjoyed our trip,We hope you learned as much as we did about these protected lands. We’re back home in Virginia Beach though! Thanks again for coming with us… well figuratively at least.-Venise & Stephanie ☺