Mt Seymour Snowshoeing Adventure Reflection
Hello hello pals,
It has been a while since we last did a reflection for a learning journey, but thank you all who could make it to our snowshoeing adventure (finally without power outages). It was great getting to see you all again and we had a blast learning about the importance of watersheds with you all. You all know the drill by now. As with all reflections, I have several questions/prompts to get you thinking about your experience. Remember, the only two requirement are to write in full sentences and write a minimum of one paragraph (minimum 4 sentences).
- What was the most memorable thing that you learned about during our excursion?
- Have you ever been snowshoeing? describe the feelings you felt while walking through the snowy trail in the dark.
- Do you think you can survive in the back country for a few days with only the 10 essentials of outdoor backpacking?
- What did the various pine needles taste like to you?
- What was the most thought provoking thing you learned about on this learning journey.
- Does forestry interest you as a topic you'd want to learn more about in post secondary?
- Free prompt.
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Snowshoeing with Youth to Sea was a memorable experience. The most thought provoking moment in the excursion was when one of our guides was talking about the extinction of one of the tree species on Mt. Seymour. She went on to add that another species was on the brink of extinction and would die alongside the wildlife that depends on it, stating "enjoy it while it's still here". This moment was a chilling reminder of the adverse effects of climate change and seeing it occurring so visibly and so close to home created a sense of urgency. Beyond this, snowshoeing in the dark was an exhilarating experience. The weather was amazing and a nice breeze added to the experience. A memorable moment was when a few of us at the back were left far behind the rest of the group, making us believe that we had gotten lost. Another funny moment was when one of the participants took a step back, accidentally stepping on the snowshoe of the person behind them, resulting in three of us behind them falling. Overall, the experience was wonderful and I intend to go snowshoeing again in the future.
Previously, I had never gone snowshoeing before, and I'm glad I got to experience it through Yts! Having never gone snowshoeing before, I thought we were gonna be wearing the snowshoes I remember seeing on TV; big, gray ones the size of tennis rackets. However, upon seeing the snowshoes we were to wear, I was pleasantly surprised at the modernness and sleekness of the snowshoes we would be equipped with. Although the trip was somewhat tiring, I was compelled by the freshness of the air, and the coolness of the snow. I also enjoyed this opportunity to escape from life, away from the troubles of school and embrace the wilderness. Walking with snowshoes also felt more comfortable, and I had surprisingly good control over my feet, which I did not expect. The experience also taught me some new facts about trees, and how they can migrate over time, which I never knew before. I would love to be able to re-experience snowshoeing sometime in the future!
Snowshoeing was another really fun experience with Youth to Sea! I had never snowshoed in my life, let alone snowshoed on a mountain in the dark, but it was amazing. It was a good workout for my legs and I could feel the adrenaline, which made me want to snowshoe in the dark again sometime in my life (safely with the snowshoeing precautions we learned about of course). I also had the chance to see how various different pine needles tasted and I had no idea they would taste like bitter oranges. I was really happy to have been able to identify how many different tree species there were myself and it was really cool to be learning from post secondary students about the trees and how they’re being affected by climate change, I hope to be one of them someday! Overall, being able to go with the Youth to Sea cohort was lots of fun and we had a good time throwing snowballs at each other and enjoying hot chocolate together :D
Ethan
Feb 22, 2022 at 4:09 PM