We had a wonderful first afternoon getting to know each other while exploring the Natural Education Reserve. Former Homeschool program students led the way, showing new friends all their favorite places. To start, we explored Fox Den Trail, stopping at Jack’s Creek, the Bear Dens (just a name–no bears found here!), and the Rock Beach. At Jack’s Creek, we splashed, climbed across logs, found mushrooms, and even gave a dead shrew a proper burial…may Woody Frank rest in peace. Next, we set off toward the Bear Dens, one of our favorite places to build forts and climb a giant cedar tree. Next, we quickly stopped to identify deer tracks and skip rocks across the Boardman River at the Rock Beach before a quick snack break. Next, we stopped on the Sabin Trail overlook and talked about how the river used to be a giant pond due to the former Sabin Dam. Then, we went to another spot that we call the Mini Mac suspension overlook, which used to extend over Sabin Pond. We wanted to explore further, so we set off to the Frog Boardwalk, but did not find any frogs. Perhaps they are already buried in the mud awaiting the colder weather. We also hiked across the bottomlands where the pond used to be. We concluded that the frog’s habitat was created after the dam removal when the water drained downstream. Our last stop was in the Pine Forest, where we worked in teams to build forts and took turns climbing a giant white pine. Hiking both trails in one afternoon is a lot, but we did it and now we will have an idea of what to expect in the weeks to come!