A School Outing -Building Trust and Confidence
Students from
Turning Winds Academic Institute participated in a memorable experience at Whitefish Mountain where they were able to conquer challenging courses while being suspended from harnesses fifty feet above the ground in the Aerial Adventure Park. It was a playground in the trees for the kids to appreciate!
The aerial adventure park is an exciting experience that has five separate courses with over 60 elements designed to challenge every skill level. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this course is for you!
Each one of the students were equipped with state of the art harnesses which had a double carabineer locking system to ensure safety while engaged on the course. In addition to the safety equipment there was a presentation on how to utilize these locking devices on the course as well as the guide wheels. They then were able to practice using the locking mechanisms and tweezels as they approached the main platform where the courses originated.
Once we arrived on the main platform, students began to choose their routes. Each route had a rating system that was identified by certain colors which signified the difficulty level of each course. These colors included: Yellow, Green, Blue and Black, much like the ski runs are identified in degree of difficulty. In order to participate in a Blue Course, a participant would have to successfully complete a green course. The same routine was required for the Black Course where in order to advance a student must have been able to complete the Blue Course.
The aerial courses were riddled with amazing elements that made it exciting, interesting and challenging. Some of the elements included: zip lining; crossing suspended bridges and cable wires; climbing across nets and through barrels; swinging on trapezes and tube traverses; and repelling from a platform to complete the most difficult challenge. These courses are not for the faint hearted or those who are afraid of heights!
The girls seemed content to engage in elements on the Yellow and Green courses. On the other hand, the boys were determined to conquer both the Blue and Black course. Each one of the boys were successful in completing the Black Course which was the most difficult. It was fun to watch the students build up the courage to complete certain elements. One particular element which a young man struggled with was repelling from a platform that was about fifty feet off the ground. Imagine, wearing a harness and having just crossed a 90 foot obstacle and reaching a platform high into the trees. Only to be instructed to connect into a repelling mechanism and step backwards off of the platform which you were so comfortably standing on.
Well, this young man that struggled with this particular element repeatedly went through the motions of stepping backward on the platform. Each time one of his feet left the platform to begin the repelling activity he would shake his head in frustration, place his foot back onto the deck and walk toward the tree to regain his composure. This must have happened six different times!
With much coaching from several of the staff, he finally made that last step off of the platform and into the air. Once hanging in the air like a spider on a spool of thread, the young man began to laugh as he realized all would be well. He had a grin on his faced that went from ear to ear.
We are so proud of each of our students for successfully completing the courses that they started! What an amazing, life-changing experience this was for each one of those youth who participated in The
Aerial Adventure Park.
On a cool Fall October morning, a group of seven students from Turning Winds Academic Institute boarded the Seagull Charters in Hope, Idaho with Captain Ken. Lake Pend Oreille is home to the some of the largest fresh water fish ever caught. In 1947, the world record Rainbow Trout was caught in this lake weighing in at 37 lbs and in 1995 a lake trout weighing 43lbs. 6oz. was caught there as well.
The boys set out to conquer the waters of Lake Pend Oreille with the desire to catch the "big" one. As the fog began go give way to the beaming rays of sunshine, the lake seemed to sparkle. With the help of Captain Ken, the young men rigged their fishing poles and began to patiently wait for the catch. As time went on, one of the boy's yelled out, "I've got a fish, it's a big one." He began to reel in the line and all the other boys stood around him in excitement -waiting and wondering just how big the fish really was. As soon as the boys saw the fish come to the surface, laughter erupted as they realized it was not as big as the young man had first thought, only 13 inches in length. 
Although the first catch was much smaller than anticipated, the best was yet to come. Two other fish were caught in the next hour both of which were rather large, about five pounds each. Unfortunately, those fish had to be released as one was a Bull Trout and the other fish was a Cutthroat Trout - both protected in the waters of Lake Pend Oreille. The remainder of the day was spent enjoying the surrounding, mountainous views and relaxing in the warmth of the cabin on the Seagull Ship. 
