HIKING 101

At some time during your field trip at Hidden Villa you will take a hike. It is so much fun because you get to learn all sorts of things about the environment with your classroom friends. It is also good exercise for your bodies.

You shouldn’t be afraid of getting hurt on the hike because your guide is there to protect you while hiking. When you hike up a hill, you will notice a lot of switchbacks. A switchback is when the trail suddenly turns a sharp corner. It is there to help prevent erosion and save you energy as you hike uphill. Since they are there for a good reason you shouldn’t step over them because you could cause erosion or fall down.

On the trail it is crucial to wear long pants and socks to protect you from poison oak and ticks. When your group takes a break to drink water, take notes or talk about something interesting, your group will sit on the forest floor. Therefore, you should bring clothes that you can get a bit dirty. Also, be sure to have good walking shoes so you don’t stumble along the trail.

RECOGNIZING POISON OAK

Poison oak is a plant with three leaves that will give you a rash if you touch it. It looks kind of like the leaves of the blackberry bushes, except that the blackberry plant has little thorns and poison oak is smooth and shiny. The leaves can be big or tiny, green or red. In the winter it looses its leaves and looks like just sticks. The chant: “Leaves of three, let them be: if it’s hairy, it’s a berry” might help you remember how to identify poison oak. But you might just want to stay on the trail and out of the bushes so that you don’t have to worry about poison oak at all.