Day 1: Into the Woods
In the second week of September, sophomores traded textbooks for the impressive fire-licked trees, crisp air, and untroubled cows of Sequoia National Park. Students piled into buses with hefty backpacks and duffel bags under the first rays of daybreak. Following a five-hour drive and the loss of just one bus, the sophomore class and accompanying faculty stepped out into the dust of Montecito Sequoia Lodge.
Transported into a new world of towering sequoia trees, earthy scents, and a refreshing lake breeze, students made their way to a campfire where their adventures would begin. After the mandatory safety protocols and instructions, students received both their room and trail groups assignments–the people they would be spending the next four days and three nights with. Just as the onset of hunger was impending, it was dinner time. This first meal consisted of a variety of pasta and sauce options, fruits and vegetables, and other snacks, pastries, and drinks. Impressed by the hearty meals, snug lodge, and pure glimmer of the lake, the 10th graders looked forward to the days to come.
As the sky dimmed, students lay on hard rocks and watched the moon rise, illuminating the night sky. Watching the sky glow with soft silver light, the world suddenly seemed more infinite than it ever was before and just maybe, wishes on a shooting star might actually come true.
Day 2: Meeting the Generals
The fatigue from the drive up to Sequoia still lingered on the Class of 2028 as they made their way down for breakfast. However, the spread of breakfast options and warm drinks woke them up as they prepared for a long day packed full of activities. Sienna Rho reflects, “The breakfast was my favorite part, I especially enjoyed the cereal and all the different options for tea.”
Over the next few days, students would bond over games such as camouflage (a variation of hide-n-seek), booyah (get a specific person to say a specific word), bat-and-moth, animal adaptations, and find-a-tree (blindfolded people get led to a tree and try to identify which tree they touched). During free time, students enjoyed playing tennis, occupying themselves with the numerous board games piled in the cafeteria, or even taking a warm shower in their lodges.
On this day, activity blocks rotated through kayaking, canoeing, hiking, archery, capture the flag, arts & crafts, and yoga. The low, familiar calls of the cows echoed from across the lake, serving as a gentle reminder of the timeless, unforgettable simplicities of life.
During the evening program, naturalists led their groups on a trail around the lake; students walked one by one in the darkness, where they reconnected with nature and reflected on their role in nature. As each student avoided piles of cow waste and scanned the path for pieces of paper with reflective questions, their thoughts brought them 500 years into the future, 500 years into the past, and then back around the lake to 2025.
DAY 3: Marshmallows and Memories
The third day was filled with exploration of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park. Students learned about the “Leave No Trace Principles” and acted them out in skits, scoured the visitor center for a scavenger hunt, and explored the gift shop. After hiking around the parks and playing games, students and faculty finally saw the General Grant Tree, a 1,700-year-old and over 260-foot-tall symbol of unity and resilience. The day’s meals and free time flew by, and suddenly, it was evening.
The iconic s’morebots mechanically chattered away as marshmallows burned and the heavy scent of smoke filled the air. Digital cameras snapped away, the 10th-grade dean, Ms. McHargue made her final remarks, and students huddled close together in the cold. The last game of the night was Song Wars, where teams thought of as many songs as they could, including the word “love” and cycled until each team was eliminated, very enthusiastically, by the naturalists. From “Sofia” by Clairo to Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”, it was clear that this trip had cemented in these students a love for nature, love for singing, and love within the class of 2028.
Day 4: With Love, From Sequoia
The final day of the trip, still drowsy from the early morning call, students packed and dragged their bags downstairs and into buses. When asked what they wanted to take away from this trip, there was an overwhelming majority of three answers: the lake, the Sequoia trees, and, well, the cows. After meeting with their trail groups one last time and reminiscing about the past few days and newly formed friendships, sophomores prepared to return to their bustling school life, with only the photos in their digital cameras as proof of the four unforgettable days.
As the buses pulled back around the school, chatter slowed, and students prepared to leave this journey behind, digital cameras secure in their daypacks, one thought lingered: we keep this love in a photograph, holding onto every laugh and memory until the next adventure begins.
