Chapter 5: Going Out and Going Within

Boot prints left in the mud behind us tell of our rain-soaked passing. As we trek through the forest, the harmony of our voices gives definition to a community of people joined through experience. Our basecamp comes into view as we climb the hill. It is time to set up our tents and begin preparing food. Who are we? We are part of the John Muir School in Ashland, Oregon. We are a public school, but with a focus on the whole child, outdoor education and the arts; we just do things a little bit differently. My students and I are outside at least one full day a week, averaging 130 miles of hiking each year.