Seven intrepid middle-school students and staff from Cherokee Creek Boys School in Westminster, SC recently hiked the Foothills and Chattooga River Trails, canoed section 2 of the Chattooga River and completed a service project by cleaning 3 popular camping sites along the way. The trip, conceived and planned by two 12-year old students, was an initiative to earn their Boy Scouts of America 50-Miler award.
Even a downpour at the outset did not dampen their spirits. Not only did they hike and donate 10 hours of service, they also completed class work and held trailside group sessions to share and process the interpersonal challenges and lessons learned during the Trek. Eight days later, the weather was considerably brighter as they arrived at Oconee State Park for a celebratory cook out with staff and family.
Their service work was greatly appreciated by the local Forest Service staff members, who arrived to do end of season cleaning only to find trash bagged in bear proof cans and debris neatly piled for pick up by the CCBS students!
When asked what was best about the trip, most students talked about the day of canoeing and how fun it was to be on the river. When asked what had the most "heart and meaning," students responded with an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, especially in regard to the service work and the immediate positive effect they were able to have on those places. Trip co-planner, Sam continues to exclaim, "I can't believe our proposal was approved. I can't believe we got to do this!"
The trip was coordinated by the Cherokee Creek Treks staff with additional counselors and therapists joining the trip to work with the Treks team.
About Cherokee Creek Treks: Cherokee Creek Treks are weekend adventures at Cherokee Creek Boys School, a therapeutic boarding school for middle-school boys in Upstate South Carolina. Treks are a wonderful opportunity for students to experience the power of nature, build outdoor skills such as whitewater canoeing and backpacking and to, "discover what is real and true about themselves and the world around them."