DAY 1: Classes, yurts, and introductions

My day started at 12:01am. Since we’re missing a few “yurt-mates” we all had to take a fire stoking shift in the middle of the night. Basically, for the next few weeks, we’ll have to take turns waking up at midnight and three am to put more logs on the fire and keep the yurt warm.

Once I actually woke up at 7:00am, it was still dark out. Sunrise in winter Idaho isn’t until 8am or so. We all gathered for breakfast in the main building (called the Confluence Building). After a quick few minutes of getting ready in my yurt, I headed off to my first class. There are eight class blocks, and I have seven classes total (five or six per day). Today I had Math, Bio, Spanish, History, Leadership, and PE (aka Outdoor Adventure). Tomorrow I won’t have Math or PE but I will have English.

From Thursday to Sunday of this week, we’ll have some orientation expeditions. In three big groups, we’ll rotate through two days of skiing, school systems orientation, and kayaking practice in the pool in town. One thing that they have emphasized here is that there is never a ‘normal’ week, we always have fun and interesting things going on around school.

I have found lots of Cross Country runners, all of whom are excited for running together in the morning and once per week during PE. I’m glad that there are so many people who are ready to run.

Right now it’s Afternoon Activity Period, when usually we’d go for a paddle on the river, play group games, go for a snowshoe or maybe a run. Today, they gave us some time to unpack, learn how to make fires in a wood stove, and get outside for some run around time.

After this we’ll have dinner, study hall and then head off to bed!

Our wood stove in the yurt!