Washington Coast Hike - October 13 - 17, 2007

In mid-October, Adventure Education students spent five successful days on the rugged Washington coast. Students experienced sun, clouds, rain and wind over the course of the trip. Highlights included a moonlight/headlight hike, an oyster feed (courtesy of Mr. Sage), an epic downpour and the comfort of an open beach-fire. Students’ comments follow:

I learned that taking the patience to make a fire and dry all my stuff, like my shoes and socks, could help me stay comfortable.
- Sam D

I learned about myself, that I won’t let my body give out when I’m halfway there and won’t stop until everyone else does. Something else I learned about was my fears and how to face them, like my fear of heights.
- Quintin

The Washington coast hike has given me long lasting memories. I hope that someday, I can experience another trip as fun, difficult, informative and fulfilling as the Washington coast.
- Tommy

I didn’t learn one main thing, I learned many things and they were all about people on the trip. I got to know people better. I know what their afraid of and how they respond to being scared. I got to see what people like Jessica look like without make up. Without their hair always being perfectly straightened or curly or just having it up in a pony and having it still look good. To see what the guys looked like without their fancy shoes and nice t-shirts and Quicksilver jackets. But in rain gear, gloves, boots, beanies, sweatpants, and seeing them wear socks that are something we are never going to wear to school because of the length. Just learning about all of these different people made a difference. That people do survive without their precious material things.
- Brittany

This whole trip has really changed my perspective on hiking and some parts of history.
- Grace

I was in awe to wake up to the beautiful beach and the sound of the waves...
- John

The godly Pacific made me feel small in its presence.
- Sam L



I miss being out there already and I hope to visit the same spots throughout the rest of my life. The sights I saw are hard to describe in words which is why I recommend that you take a trip out to the Washington coast.
- Riley

The most important thing I learned on this trip was how to never give up.
- Will

It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I will remember it for the rest of my life.
- Jesse

“One man travels alone in the dark with a lantern, and stumbles upon the rocks. Two men travel together without lights and find a trail.” In Adventure Ed. everybody works together. We help each other out and help guide the way. Teamwork is key...
- Jessica

I learned that you always need to be prepared for the worst, and have enough warm dray clothes to last. You also need fire materials, to make a fire if it’s cold and windy.
- Daniel

The most important thing I learned over this five day trip would have to be doing things by myself. There was two adults in each group but we had to do basically everything by ourselves. Another thing that I learned and probably everyone else did too was how to live without electronics. We learned that we don’t have to have iPod or cellphones to live. Even thoug we missed having them we knew we could live without. Since we didn’t have any music we sang a lot.
- Brianna

I learned a lot of things on this trip. I learned how to make a good fire in the rain. I also learned how to work as a group with people I don’t know very well.
- Jimmy P

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Many thanks to Charlie Snelling, Tom Sage and Sarah Diers. Your leadership made this hike another success.

Sincerely,

Nels Bergquist