Amazing Race, The Big Sweep, and LIFT Discovery Course

Amazing Race 9/11/14

On September 11, 2014, 29 students left Watauga High School prepared for an Amazing Race! One of the students on the trip shared his experience: "We split up into three teams of 7 and one team of 8. Each team was given a list of people, objects, and actions to get pictures of for different amounts of points. We had to take pictures with statues, play leap frog, meet students and professors from ASU, read books, and sniff flowers. I met some new people on the trip and had a great time talking to people downtown and taking pictures. It was one kicking trip."

The Big Sweep 9/13/14

The Big Sweep trip left with 19 students excited for cleaning up the river. "It was a fun day that started with rain. By the time we got there it had stopped raining and it was sunny," said Paul Wellborn (senior) of the trip. It was a beautiful day on the water and, though the river was a bit brown and murky from the heavy rains earlier in the week, the group made the best of it by finding some trash floating on the water and along the banks. "I found a water bottle and part of a bucket," said Paul. "We found a lot of different things!" The group even managed to pull several tires out of the river!

Post with help from student member Paul Wellborn.

LIFT Discovery Course 9/14/14

Sunday, September 14 was chilly and foggy, but 18 girls didn't let the weather keep them from going on the LIFT Discovery Course trip at the Blowing Rock Conference Center. The course was 3 levels high and finished with a zip line. The girls learned how to work together and keep themselves safe. When asked about the trip, junior Brynne Wood said, "It challenged you to get out of your comfort zone." In addition to providing the girls with a positive challenge, this all girls trip was just plain fun!

Post with help from student member Brynne Wood.

Our first trips of the school year!

Hike and Swim 9/2/14

Our first trip of the year went swimmingly! We took 22 students on either a hike or a hike and swim. The group split and some students went on a hike through the woods on the Boone Fork Trail to find a beautiful view of Price Lake, beautiful trails, and they even saw a deer! The other group went in the other direction on the trail in search of a swimming hole. Once they got there, everyone got into the water to splashed around on the sunny afternoon. Overall, it was a great first trip and the group had a lot of fun hiking, swimming, and meeting new people!

Alpine Tower 9/4/14

20 students showed up for the Alpine Tower trip on September 4th. "We learned a lot about trust... and it was also a good chance to learn the names of new people to Mountain Alliance," says sophomore Zach Holtkamp. People were able to learn to belay as well as participate in team building and trust initiatives. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse and the second half of the trip had to be postponed. Despite the rainy weather, students worked well together and enjoyed singing songs on the bus while waiting for the storm to pass.

Backpacking 9/5-7/14

On Friday, September 5, 10 students embarked on a 3-day, 2-night journey into Linville Gorge despite weather forecasts of rain. According to junior Hattie Cox, the group got to jump into some water and swim at the base of a waterfall at their campsite. When asked about the trip, freshman Eden "Ink" Byrd said, "I had fun! We did TONS of hiking, which was difficult, but think of the calves of steel I have. I'm serious. The camping was fantastic. I had a lot of fun - even when our tent was soaked!" Eden also said she got more exercise in those 3 days than she normally would in a month, learned all about ecosystems and Leave No Trace, and met a lot of cool people on the trip. What a great way to spend the weekend!

Hospitality House 09/8/14

"There are Mountain Alliance trips and there are MOUNTAIN ALLIANCE trips," said junior Emma Gummerson when asked to share her experience about the Hospitality House trip on Monday, September 8. "The difference between the two lies within the people on the trip." Apparently, the group of 14 had an amazing time together and meshed really well. "We had a great time at the Hospitality House battling dead plants and picking gorgeous/ vibrant flowers in the Garden. I wasn’t with the group serving dinner, but I’m sure they had a blast." Between all of the students, they completed 42 hours of service in the kitchen and garden.

Contra Dance 3/22/14

The contra dance on March 22nd turned out to be lots of fun. One of us danced with this wonderfully kind elderly man who appeared to be wearing pajamas. The food was reported to be delicious and Adrian gave a delightful, short speech and there was even a “joke-off” where Rachel was able to entertain us with her trademark “What do you call a nosy pepper? Jalapeno your business” joke. Israel learned dancing with a same-sex partner can be VERY confusing and that you meet a lot of cool people contra dancing. 

This Contra Dance also served as a partial fundraiser for Mountain Alliance. Seniors Corin Brown and Adrian Sethi were very instrumental in making the fundraiser happen!

Post by: Mandy Eagle-Farrar with help from Israel Rosenfeld

LIFT Overnight Climbing 3/21-3/22

On March 21st-22nd, seven Mountain Alliance females went hiking, slept under the stars and then went climbing again. They went climbing at Little Lost Cove and had a blast. Brianna Seeley (12) and Emma Gummerson (10) were student leaders on this trip. Brianna said as a leader “it was a little chaotic getting attention and planning and following a schedule. But, as a group, the trip went wonderfully. We all worked as a team and helped encourage each other to push comfort zones.” S'mores in ice cream cones were involved and quite memorable. Most of the girls on the trip had been climbing before, so not very many learned something new, but many accomplished personal goals! It was a very successful trip. 
 

Post by: Mandy Eagle-Farrar with help from Brianna Seeley

Humane Society 3/20/14

On March 20th Mountain Alliance did a great job in helping the Humane Society - providing a large group of 15! Dividing into groups the students cleaned windows and kennels and enjoyed the time with cats. While being productive and helpful, they enjoyed each other’s company the whole time as students rapped “Ask Me Anything,” while cleaning mirrors. The workers at the Humane Society - passionate people who truly care about animals - I am sure were very grateful for such a large group of enthusiastic kids!

Day Hike 3/16/14

A group of seven students enjoyed the falling of snow on March 16th as they took a day hike up to Three Top. The course was a challenging uphill climb, but it was worth the effort and a lot of fun. They reached their goal of reaching the top and, along the way, staff member James Lautzenheiser taught the group about special rocks that made up Three Top and staff member Flare Ammerman taught them about Norse Myths. Students enjoyed each others’ company and got to know one another better. Jupiter, one of the students, felt this was a great benefit of the trip. 

Hospitality House 3/10/14

On March 10th, three students got closer to the community by volunteering at the Hospitality House. This was our second unofficial "RAD" (Radically Awesome Dudes) trip of the school year. They felt it was a great experience as it allowed them to interact with the community as some of the people present even began to talk about their hobbies. Skills on how to speed wash were also obtained. What was best about the whole experience was how the students felt accomplished by being able to serve.