“To Build a Fire” at Smokey House
With cold weather and thick snow, we’ve been experiencing literature in a direct way. While snowshoeing through the forest and building shelters and fires, we’ve shared Jack London’s story “To Build a Fire.”
Posts
Making a Quinzee at Smokey House
Piling up snow to make the quinzee
What do you do when the first substantial snowfall turns your world white? You go outside! Never mind that it’s 12 degrees outside with a wind chill factor around zero.
Prep for outdoor activities
Monday, as part of our study of winter ecology and wilderness survival, we built a “quinzee”, a snow shelter carved out of piled up snow. This kind of shelter can provide well-insulated protection from arctic temperatures. By mounding the snow and waiting for several hours, the snow has a change to sinter, or firm up, as the snow crystals bond.
Digging out the inside of the quinzee
We started digging out the interior Monday afternoon and finished it Wednesday, when the weather was a sultry 25 degrees.
Moving snow is hard work! Sometimes a break is needed (and a chance to work on your tan?)
– YouthWork and Learn – The Tutorial Center at Smokey House Center, Danby
