Are you curious about the natural world around you? Maybe a little jealous of the classes that the Mountain SOL student in your life gets to participate in? Well, Aurora Lights Herbal Medics has a summer packed full of workshops for adults and older children focusing on plants and mushrooms.  We will cover identification, cultivation, […]

Who needs a camp stove? Or a grill? Not us! This week we learned how to cook with nothing but wood and our fire kits! In this class, Jen taught us how to cook on a fire, using lightweight ingredients that we could easily fit into a backpack. We learned how to make oatmeal, survival […]

Yesterday was Mountain SOL Tuesday for the MLA campers! Every Tuesday, everyone gets to go on an outside adventure with Mountain SOL. This week, our theme was “Rock Around the Clock,” so we made a sundial! The 5-6s went with Katie and Liz to Birch Crossing, where we collected rocks. We hiked behind the Mountain […]

This past week was our Self Defense workshop! John Mouser taught us how to defend ourselves effectively and safely in different situations.   So far, we have learned tricks for escaping from wrist grabs, body grabs, and choke holds. We also learned how to distract the attacker with a well-placed hit before using the tricks to […]

Last week was our Cheat Mountain trip. The scouts, skills students, Jen, and Oso the dog piled into cars and drove past Elkins and up Cheat Mountain. As we leaned out the windows with Oso and smelled the lovely fresh scent of true wilderness, we knew something amazing was coming. First, we had a quick […]

Everyone is getting excited for the upcoming Cheat Mountain trip! This is the most advanced Mountain SOL class we offer, and it is where Mountain SOL scouts go with Jen to live on Cheat Mountain for the week with Maureen, Ivan, and their dogs and their cat. There is no internet on Cheat Mountain, no phone […]

Last week, we adventured outside with Maya to learn what types of things we should pack in our backpacks when we go into the woods! This class was aimed at teaching kids who are new to Mountain SOL how to pack a “survival pack,” a backpack that is full of things that are useful in the […]

Welcome back to another SurThrival Thursday from Cheat Mountain!  I realize my posts lately have been heavy on foraging, but there is a reason behind this.  Thriving in the wilderness is all about living in season, and spring is the season for eating in the forest.  It’s the time when every animal finds reprieve from […]

Hi and welcome back to SurThrival Thrusday! This week I’m going to take y’all foraging with me and my family. Unfortunately my computer crashed mid-edit, so you’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the video! We are going to hike to one of our favorite places in the Monongehela National Forest, and show […]