"Project Alaska"
Natural Science Log:
8 ordinary healthy 7th grade students and 1 ordinary, but bothersome, 5th grader from Menahga, Minnesota. Signed up during the end of the school year for an extreme Alaska wilderness challenge, to take place during their 2013 summer break from school. Their goal is to try and to survive using limited resources and all their accumulated skill. They go in knowing there is no material reward at the end of this grueling challenge, only the satisfaction of brilliantly and physically surviving this challenge. The Volunteers are:
Kegun Womble- 5th grader, 10 years old, 4' 10" tall and 110 lbs. Skills: Fishing and Fire Starter.
Toni Noland- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5' 2" tall and 121 lbs. Skills: Sewing and Cooking.
Anthony Wurdock- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5' tall and 120 lbs. Skills: Gardening.
Cade LaCoe- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5' 4" tall and 126 lbs. Skills: Construction.
Saige McJunken- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5 3' tall and 125 lbs. Skills: Knowledge of Animals.
Taylor Whemas- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5' 1" tall and 119 lbs. Skills: Trapping.
Makayla Cusey (aka Kayla)- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5' 5" tall and 120 lbs. Skills: Hunter.
Victoria Lau (aka Vicky)- 7th grader, 12 years old, 5' tall and 118 lbs. Skills: Tracker.
Madison Womble (aka Madi)- 7th grader, 13 years old, 5' 3" tall and 117 lbs. Skills: First Aid Journaling.
Day 1 (Madi's POV)
Today we got dropped off by Moose Creek, a large babbling brook, just big enough that you couldn't jump over it. Next to shore lay a huge pile of supplies that we could use on our long, rough, journey. I dig though the pile hoping to find something I could use to my abilities. Finally I had dug out something I could use with the one skill I thought would be useful in the wilderness. A first aid kit. Knowing I could use the medicine and tools in it to help my team out, I put it in my personal dry bag. In every ones Yukon packs we had a sleeping bag, a bed roll, 3 pairs of socks, a pair of shoes, gloves, hat, jacket, whistle, bear spray, compass, leather needle, Yukon pack rope, shoulder straps, personal item (most of us had a note from our families including a picture), and a GPS locator. Toni took all the cooking supplies and small amounts of food, Kegun took a fishing pole and a fire starting tool, Anthony took a shovel and an axe and basic survival manuals. Cade grabbed an axe head, some rope and a lantern. Saige grabbed a knife, binoculars, and the toilet paper. Taylor grabbed wire and string, fishing line, net and machete, Kayla picked up a rifle, ammo and the animal pelt (hoping it would help keep us warm), Lastly Vicky got the map, compass and some supplies no one was going to get. Vicky was the best tracker in the group so we were surely going to find our way around. After we got all of our stuff and Vicky tracked out what way we were supposed to be going, be headed out. We tracked up a huge mountain and through large thickets… We finally made it 3 miles to our first destination. Aka Shelter 1 to us all. We were all ready to just lay down and pass out, I kept thinking to myself. "This is only 3 miles and I'm SO tired… I don't know if I will make it." Cade and I started building over the shelter frame with the tarps that is used to build our Yukon bags. Kegun built up the fire and Anthony got the wood. After our first day was over I think we were all a little bit relieved.
Day 2-
Wow, I woke up freezing to death, I didn't realize how could it could really be. When I checked the thermometer that was hung on the shelter frame I realized it was only 20 degrees and our fire had been out most of the night. "Kegun!" Toni yelled. "You let our fire go out!?" "I'm sorry it was cold and I just wanted to go to sleep and when I was going to wake up every once in awail, I just couldn't." Kegun wined back at her. Anthony knew the drill, he got up put his favorite black and yellow striped hat on, grabbed the saw and Cade, then went to chop some wood. About an hour passed and I was thinking about going hunting with Taylor, when the boys ran in excitedly and Cade said, "Look what Anthony found!." Anthony held out the blueberries to everyone. We all got excited. "Get the pot, we can fill it with berries, we will be good on food for a bit." So we did everyone went out and picked berries. The pot got about half way filled before we got tired of picking and went back to the shelter. Taylor and I decided to go hunting. We walked all around the surrounding forest and all we saw was a chickadee. "Madi!" yelled Taylor. "Look. A mouse" She held up the mouse that she had killed. "Will this be enough?" We both laughed and headed back to camp. The sun was going down and I think we were all pretty tired out. Kegun started the fire and we all went back to bed.
Day 3-
Woke up and it was a sort of a warmer morning, the temp was 30 and the fire was still going, a tired little boy sitting next to it about to fall asleep. "Kegun, did you stay up all night to watch the fire?" I asked him. "Yeah, I didn't want to get yelled at by Toni again." I sighed heavily. "Go to sleep Kegun, we have a long hike and I don't want you sleepy" I told him and he didn't argue, he crawled into the sleeping bag without another word. Everyone was doing something. Kegun, well he was asleep. Toni was cooking with the little bits of food we had, she even tried cooking the mouse Taylor had caught. Anthony was looking for eatable plants. Cade and I were chopping wood and trying our hand at fishing. Saige was looking for wildlife with her binoculars. Taylor and Kayla went hunting and Vicky was planning out our next hike. Cade and I were friends, so it was easy to get along. "Madi, I think I got something!" we both got super excited. He reals it in realizing what he caught. "Really, I got this." Holding up his minnow of a fish. We both looked at it in silence for a minute and then broke out in laughter. Cade brought his minnow that he named "Guppy". He was very proud of it and everyone knew it. Toni took Guppy and put him in our small stew, consisting of rice chicken broth and guppy. It was a small amount but I was pretty good. Cade stared at Guppies remains and almost broke into tears. I giggled. Everyone was back at camp and hungry but full at the same time. Vicky and Saige started packing up all of our supplies for tomorrows hike. Everyone got up and fell asleep.
Day 4-
Everyone was up and working to get everything we could before the hike. Anthony got up and went to check for more plants and greens in the woods. Cade helped Toni get her bag packed up and get it on her back, everyone else did the same. All but Anthony. He said he would be back very soon but he wasn't. Everyone got pretty worried. I laid my pack down and said I would be back I would go look for him. Kayla jumped up and said, "I will go with you!" She put her Yukon pack down and we headed out. Searching for Anthony took about 10 minutes and then we found his GPS locator and his dry pack laying on the ground. "ANTHONY!" I yelled, hoping for a response but never did. About 100 ft. away was a raven, and Anthony. He must a fallen down it. "Anthony are you alright!" I yelled down to him. He responded to me, "I'm fine, but I think I might have broken my arm". I got up and told Kayla who went a different direction then me. She ran back to camp too tell the other and to get out paramedic who stays by us for just in case. They had me show them where he was and had the rest stay at camp. I went back as soon as I got told to. About 1 hour passed and Anthony and the crew had come up, his arm was in a sling but he said he wasn't going home, no matter what happened. The crew had allowed us to stay at the camp on more night because of the accident. We all took out of tiny left overs of the Guppy stew and eat it gone. Then we helped Anthony to bed and we all snuggled into our sleeping bags and with a fire started and a cozy shelter to stay in we were all fast asleep.
6 days and 2 shelters later-
Day 10-
2 people of our team came down with a bad virus, I have been giving them a medicine that came with the first aid and CPR kit. They have been staying in bed and everyone else was working. Saige and Vicky where the ones who go the virus. Cade had been cutting trees with me and we also when fishing Kayla and Taylor did a lot of hunting and Kegun would do what he wanted whether it was fishing or keeping the fire going. Anthony would sit down and read out survival manuals all he could. He wanted to know what we didn't already. Today was the last day at shelter 3 and we were heading to 4 tomorrow. Toni said she was sick and tired of Alaska but didn't want to give up.
Day 11-
The night was cold and it took sometime but I think we were really getting the hang of living out in Alaska. All day everyone was hungry and miserable, we hadn't had anything to eat for day, all they were blueberry that Anthony collected and some nuts. Cade noticed how down in the dump everyone was that night and decided that we needed a little cheering up. So he went into our hunters cabin and took Kayla's animal furs she had go from the big pile of stuff. He took his warm close off and dressed himself in the furs, he knew he look like an crazy person but he knew this would cheer up the team a little bit. He smirked and come out to the fire… Anthony was using the knife and was widdling a spear. "Oh My Goodness"! I nearly fell off of my log when Cade come into sight. He Laughed and everyone had jumped when I had yelled. When everyone saw Cade they started laughing and telling him to dance. Which he did, After Cade was chilled to the bone, we all went inside and Anthony was still covering his eyes. "I'm not opening my eyes until he is fully dressed again!" Anthony told everyone. Then we all went to bed.
4 days and 1 shelter later-
Day 15-
We all split into teams, Cade and I went hunting one way and Kayla and Taylor went another. Vicky and Anthony went berry hunting and Kegun, Toni, and Saige stay back at camp.
Cade and I didn't see much but we got us some good food. We got us a Squirrel and a ptarmigan. Now we would have food. We even decided we could see if our luck would work with a fishing pole. All we caught was a little Sun fish but I guess that is better than no food at all, am I right? We quickly made our way back to camp when a bear approached us. "Uh, Cade?" I said "Yes, Madi." "RUN" we both look off like lightning bolt across the field. The bear was after us and we didn't know what to do. Cade threw the food over his shoulder and we kept running. I think we both knew running was the wrong thing to do. But we finally made our way back to camp hoping we had lost the bear… Out of break we sat down and let everyone was in aw with the food that we caught. The night fell hard around us. We snuggled into our sleeping backs and fell asleep.
3 days and 1 shelter later-
Day 18-
We woke up all pretty tired but I decided just cause nobody else wanted to work I couldn't. I traveled about a mile away from camp to see if I couldn't find anything. When I saw smoke I was about to scream in excitement.
I ran back faster then I knew I could and told the group Cade, Anthony, and Vicky came with me so I could show them. They all saw the smoke and we went to see what it was. I was a house. We all go excited and wondered if they were nice people. I walked up the the house and knocked on the door. A older lady opened the door. "Why hello children, What are you guys doing outside, I is freezing out here. Come in, Come in". We all followed the lady into the house, it was warm and cozy. 2 children come in. "Grandma who are these people." She turned to us and I told her everyones names and the reason that we were out in the cold. She said she felt bad we had to come in such a cold time. I said we had our friends back at camp. She said to get them and bring them back because of the cold. I did and let the other stay where it was warm. I ran back bringing all my friends with me. When we arrived back at the old couples house, Cade jumped up and said. "Madi! There is a train station about a block from here, we can take it back to civilization!" We all cheered and said thank you to the lady and headed out for the railroad tracks. We got there and had to wait about 2 hours for the train, finally it came and we all docked on it. We came to a town called Little Springs. All of our family was there waiting on our arrive off of the train, and when we all got off and saw them we all cried tears of joy. We made it, no doubt about it and I wouldn't mind doing it again.