Theoretically, we thought Grant and I would go with Gregg on all his trips but suddenly he had a few large commitments and then another thrown in between so that flying was a necessity and ticket prices x3 gets pretty pricey. So while Gregg traveled to Kingsville, TX to participate in the King Ranch Institute meetings, then to Denver to the Sustainable Beef conference sponsored by an unlikely duo--World Wildlife Fund & McDonalds, then to Portland to the Oregon Ecotrust meetings Grant and I stayed at home and did some 'school' work.
This might be a good time to backtrack a bit. As we began talking about the idea of taking Grant out of school for a year I recalled the great experiences I had in school (well, mostly OUT). Teton Science School played a Major (thanks to Ted&Joan) role in my education by getting out of the classroom and into the environment. I applied for anything they offered: Art in Nature, Nature in Literature, 5th-grade science counselor. I was also fortunate to go through Jackson Hole High School at a time when there were two incredibly progressive teachers: Charlie Satterfield and Gene Gade. They wanted to do something radically different. I don't know how they came up with it and I'm sure I have no idea how many hours of planning and angst went into it but by my Junior year they had instituted a program called Project Aware. Each student in our entire class (~100) was to go on an adventure. We chose from either desert back-packing, canoeing, mountaineering or river-rafting (and there may have been another--I can't remember). I chose mountaineering. All students were required to participate in training sessions for their chosen activity and then all adventures were lead by professionals. When I think back about it I am in complete awe of what Charlie and Gene pulled off! How did they even get it past the school board to begin with.
The mountaineering group headed to the Windrivers where my smaller group climbed 5 peaks in a week (or so). Bill Briggs guided us--5 or so years earlier he was the first to ski from the top of the Grand Teton, with a not-too-normal hip he'd dealt with since birth! He was amazing...traveled light, using a tump line across his forehead to distribute the weight of his backpack, he carried the bottom 1/2 of a sleeping bag which he'd pull over his legs at bedtime, put on his down parka, hat and mittens, lean up against a tree and fall asleep; the quintessential 'rugged individualist'. Project Aware was the 'prerequisite' to Project Walkabout, a program named for the rite of passage taken by Australian Aborigines during their adolescence. Throughout the first semester of Senior year about 20 of us attended classes to finish up our credits and met weekly to plan our Walkabouts. We had 5 criteria to design and plan, then complete in the second semester: Creativity, Community Service, Practical Experience, Technical Paper and Adventure. This has served as a loose framework for what we're doing with Grant and as a positive reminder that there is SO MUCH learning to be done outside the classroom.
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| Grant's vocabulary words are taped up all over the house |
With that framework in mind and some agony over what "curriculum" we should use we decided to make up our own curriculum. Our basic 'book-learning' includes Reading, Grammar, Vocabulary, Algebra and keeping a journal. I get up early enough to write a 'lesson plan' in Grant's planner and he spends a couple of hours getting his work done. Being on the go is the easy part of this plan, when we're home there is a lot of day to fill after the bookwork is done! As a threesome, Gregg, Grant and I have been reading through the Betty Edwards, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" book and doing the lessons. We think that one of the best things we can give Grant on this Walkabout is the ability, freedom and courage to use both sides of his brain.
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| Kate and Grant at the Park City Museum |
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| Grant and buds at the Warren Miller movie |
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Old Echo Church
We've included some short hikes (Grant's right foot was still bothering him), mountain bike rides, physical therapy appointments, and local attractions. We hadn't been to the newly remodeled Park City Museum yet--it's FANTASTIC and I'd highly recommend it. We were lucky enough to run into Hal Compton who gave us some additional insights into Park City history and encouraged us to join him on his organized hikes next summer; there's a guy who is passionate about life! One afternoon I took Grant to Coalville to see our County seat and the fun little museum down in the basement then along the backside of Echo reservoir to Echo and the old Echo church--very cute and secluded. |
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| Gregg, Grant & Julie |
October ends as it always does: with Halloween. It's a big deal for young and old in Park City, if you let it :) And, sometime in there was the Warren Miller Ski movie followed soon after with the annual Park City Ski Swap in early November.
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