No Family Left Inside

Last weekend I decided to challenge my kids’ (probably accurate) notion that we are the world’s most boring family.  The prompt came from a newspaper blurb advertising geocaching lessons at a local nature sanctuary billed as “no family left inside.”  I figured that had our names written all over it.

 The lessons began with some classroom training, then they set us lose on the world.   My 12 year old immediately grabbed the geocaching device from me muttering something about “digital immigrant.”   This was fine, since my main goal was to get outside for a little natural beauty. 

And natural beauty we did find.  The event took place at the Ridges Sanctuary in Door County, Wisconsin.   The terrain consists of “ridges” of sand interspersed with low wetlands.  It backs on to Lake Michigan and has grown up with tall pines and vegetation inland.  That day, the snow softly graced the pine branches and laid deep enough on the ground to create a wonderful winter panorama.

At the end of the event, they asked us what we had learned.  First I learned that 12 year olds walk really fast.  We’re going to need have a conversation about this before the next outing, or I’m going to have to go into training.  I learned that geocaching is fun and creates a great bridge with a preteen who would consider a vanilla nature hike stodgy.  I also decided that we will need to look for more events like this–after all part of a “nautral living” is investing in the sanity that communing with your family outdoors provides.