A recent study by the National Trust documents the results of how school trips change the lives of children. Here is a link to the press release. And also a link to the research findings. “Changing Minds: The Lasting Impact of School Trips” by Allan Peakcock of Exeter University.

Several years ago while visiting Yellowstone National park, I could not help but notice that the place was packed with families experiencing one of the crown jewels of the National Park system. In 2008 there were 3,066,579 visitors. There was even bumper to bumper traffic waiting on the herds of bison and hoping to spot a grazing elk or a grizzly bear from the distance. Though it was impressive to see so many families getting out, I wondered how many made it more than 5-10 minutes from the car and what was preventing them from getting into the wild. There are a variety of things that prevent families from getting out safely and frequently, such as safety, time, preparedness, ability and knowledge. I want to offer several tips that can help get your family into the wild.

1. Half the battle is getting out the front door. Plan ahead, get it in your day planner, and don’t make excuses! All you need is a trail a little bit of curiosity, and adventurous spirit.

2. Family First. Be willing to play hooky from school every once and a while, it’s just one day. You only have to do something four times for your children to think that “we always did this as a family.” If your child is hesitant, let them bring a friend.

3. It’s go time. Getting everything together for an afternoon adventure takes an hour alone. Plan ahead by always having an “adventure pack” in the car and ready to go. In the pack, always have a water bottle, rain gear, and fleece or wool hat for each. Also include a flash light or head lamp, a mini-med kit (see below in “safety first”) and an extra warm layer like an emergency space blanket. Whether it’s an impromptu adventure or your weekly outing, you are ready to go!

4. Dress appropriately. Even though Patagonia is an environmentally conscious company, you do not need to outfit your family with the latest outdoor apparel before you head outside. Most likely you have everything you need in the house already. If you don’t a quick trip to Goodwill or the local thrift store can get you most of what you need. A $5 emergency poncho and a fleece hat goes a long way. Stay away from cotton garments because cotton will absorb moisture and dry slowly. Think of nylon, polyester and other synthetic blends. Most athletic apparel is made of these synthetic blends. It’s OK to carry an umbrella, even if your children think it’s weird.

5. Know before you go. Check the weather, route plan and emergency phone numbers so you know what you are getting into before you get there. Keep a weather website as your home page so you always have quick access to your local weather and keep maps and brochures on hand of the local parks and hiking areas so you always have the right resources on hand. Photocopy the sections that to stick in your pocket or backpack.

6. Use a lifeline. Before you venture too far into the wild, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back. Even if it is a short venture, it does not hurt to have someone that knows your plan. It only takes a rolled ankle or wrong turn to turn a stroll in the woods to an epic in the wilderness. Just pick one person that you can zip a quick e-mail to with the pertinent details.

7. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Plan the appropriate activity around the ability of your family as a whole. The whole point in getting out is to develop a love and care for creation, adventure and being outside. This is typically not the time “push the limits” to the extreme. This often leads to a negative experience in the outdoors. Know that the most fun thing you can do in the woods is around water and the most dangerous thing you can do in the woods is around water.

8. Safety first. You do not need a hi-tech med kit and extensive training to be prepared medically. Bring a zip lock bag with a variety of band-aids, gauze, athletic tape, a couple candy bars (for emergency calories) and hand sanitizer and you are set. This is all you need for most day outings that are relatively accessible to the general public. Take your cell phone with you for emergency, but put it away in your pack.

9. You love what you can name. Bring a field guide for the local flora and fauna, binoculars, and a magnifying glass. Take time to identify plants, animals, rocks and other discoveries. Learn the local edible plants and even collect the wild plants that are edible. Make a game out of your time by seeing who can name the most species or make the most discoveries.

10. Team Extreme. If you want to go team extreme, and take your family adventure to the next level, hire a guide. Guide services are professionals and though they are expensive, they are well worth the price of admission. Look for a guide with nationally recognized accreditation and certifications, such as the PCIA, AMGA, ACA, WEA, and LNT to name a few. Ask for more than a guided adventure. Look for guides that will teach the skills necessary for your family to do this on your own. Don’t forget to tip your guide! (One of my favorites is Black Mountain Expeditions)

BME is hosting a spring break expedition in Joshua Tree National Park, CA. For more information, check out the link to the J-tree expedition page. The orange image above is a promo flier you can open and print. Click on the image labeled “j-tree flier general” and click again on the image that opens. Right click on this image and select “save image as.” This will download the flier to your computer.

About once a month, I submit a blog entry to an online publication called Creation Care, hosted by Sustain Lane. My most recent entry was a reflection from a significant lesson encountered while traveling on our most recent expedition , High Sierra’s and Beyond

Below is the article that I submitted:

The Lilies of the Field

The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys…. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104: 18, 27-30)

The pile of raw ingredients on the forest floor was met with wide eyes and pensive postures. The giant Sequoia’s looming above seemed small and irrelevant in comparison to the task at hand… Five high school aged participants ration planning, preparing and cooking meals for two weeks in the backcountry of Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park. The menu included bulk ingredients such as flour, rice, bulgur wheat, pasta, spices, cous cous, and quinoa. No freeze dried, instant, just add water, super-sized, fast food, instant gratification meals. The pile before us was the kind of food that mom, grandma, or that cable TV cooking show used…certainly not a high school student that lives on Chipotle, high fructose corn syrup energy drinks and any variety of gas station staples. The endless possibilities of creative menu masterpieces and gourmet meals did not seem to ease the anxieties of situation at hand.

“We are going to starve” was the consensus, which quickly led to an onslaught of questions and genuine concerns.

“How many calories will we burn a day?”

“Can’t we just bring power bars?”

“How many miles will we hike?”

“What can you make with this powder?”

“What if we don’t have enough food”

“What if I can’t make it?”

“How hard will it be?”

“Where’s the lunch food?”

“I can’t do it?”

“You mean we have to cook our own meals?”

In merely twenty-four hours after stepping off the plane at Los Angeles International Airport, five high school-aged students’ worlds turned upside down by simply stepping outside. The wilderness often has a way of revealing our comfort zones, quickly removing us from them. These students encountered the reality of feeling a lack of control, leading to anxiety and fear. These often blinded them from seeing the beauty of the mountains and the richness of relationships with group members. This worry created inner noise distracting from the valuable lessons about others, oneself and God.

Several days into the course we were in a high alpine meadow clothed in wildflowers only seen by the occasional hiker, marmot or mule deer. Here we responded to the group’s anxiety with this passage:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all His splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34

Worry is not only found in the wilderness. It is all too common in our every day lives. It is a major ingredient used to push and sell products, programs and ideologies. We are consumed with the stuff that we have, the way that we look, what we drive, where we live, what we eat, who we impress, and how successful we are. It is too easy to bow down to the idol of worry by turning to products and most of all lies that temporarily relieve us from our worries but fall short of what only the creator can fulfill. We are told to not worry about yesterday or tomorrow, because God is with us. This does not imply that all is pleasant nor does it imply we must stop working and cultivating creation. Even the Psalmist says “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” We are able to walk in obedience to Christ’s call, “”Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…” because we have a God that is with us. Imagine a life that is not consumed with worry, a life free to live as you were created to be, free from fear, free from anxiety and free from the lies “not enough.” It is in this freedom that we see clearly all that God has given us.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”