OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — “Everyone take one last gander,” Olympic Park Institute educator Emily Carraux told a group of nine Seattle fifth-grade students Tuesday.
“Say goodbye to the view.”
The group was standing near a rocky ledge some 2,500 feet above sea level on Mount Storm King in Olympic National Park on the southern border of Lake Crescent.
They had hiked up the 1.9 miles of steep trail to reach the remote spot and eat lunch.
Now it was time to head back down.
“Bye, Canada,” the Epiphany School students said in chorus, looking at the clear skies that afforded them a view of the northern nation from their high-elevation perch.
Carraux collected a length of yellow rope she had earlier laid a few feet back from the edge of the cliff to mark the “off-limits” area to the children. It was a safety rule the students had obliged.
Before leaving, one student playfully suggested that they try spitting off the vantage point, which overlooked Lake Crescent, and did just that.
“All right, now spit on the other side, the other watershed,” Carraux, in good humor, said, referring to the other side of the mountain that led down to Barnes Creek.
“You have now made an impact on two watersheds in one day.”
Learning about the watersheds was one of the key lessons for the students that day.
They were with their science teacher, Davis Bell, who was teaching the students about watersheds, water quality, pollutants and how to study invertebrates with a microscope to gauge the health of a body of water, during the four-day, three-night trip to the North Olympic Peninsula.
Bell said the trip also was a bonding experience for the students.
Earlier in the day, Carraux had pointed out deciduous and coniferous trees to the students.
She also showed them how to persuade wild gray jays to eat out of their hands by holding a small snack for the birds in their hand.
The last look was taken, a student commented on how chilly the air felt, and the young hikers started down the mountain single-file, singing as they went.
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Photojournalist Chris Tucker can be reached at 360-417-3524 or at chris.tucker@peninsula dailynews.com.
