News from the North

Our 52 students and 23 adults were loaded up and on the road by 6:20 AM—it was early and still dark, but everyone was ready for the adventure! After a quick halfway stop near Pine City, we finished the final leg of our drive and arrived at Wolf Ridge just in time for lunch.

The weather has been perfect for exploring: 36°F with a light breeze and overcast skies. This afternoon, the students jumped right into their first sessions, enjoying:

• Snowshoeing through the trails.

• Animal Signs & Mammals tracking.

• Survival Skills courses.

We are fully settled into our routine here at Wolf Ridge! We woke up to a beautiful fresh blanket of snow and 26°F temperatures—perfect conditions for our Animal Signs track-hunting adventure.

Today’s Highlights:

• Conquering Fears: Students and chaperones soared through the trees on the Ropes Course and challenged themselves on the Rock Climbing wall. We also had some students have Chickadees land on their caps and have a snack!

• The "Summit Goat": We even had several brave students reach the very top of the climbing wall to give the famous goat statue a hug!

• Evening Wind-down: We are capping off this high-energy day with a cozy campfire and songs before heading in for a well-earned night’s sleep.

The fresh air and excitement have definitely worn everyone out in the best way possible! Excited for one more day and we can't wait to tell you all the details tomorrow night!

There is a mix of emotions this morning—while we are sad to leave the beauty of Wolf Ridge, we are so excited to head home and see our families!

We woke up to a crisp morning and another light dusting of snow. After a final group breakfast and our official trip photo, we packed up our gear and headed off to our very last class session.

Return Timeline & Logistics

• Departure: We plan to be on the road by 11:30 AM.

• Estimated Arrival: We expect to be back at Jefferson around 6:00 PM.

• Live Updates: I will send exact arrival times via Infinite Campus once we get closer to town.

• Parking Note: If you are parking in the upper lot to wait for us, please remember to leave the bus lanes open in front of the school so we can unload safely.

We can't wait to share all our stories with you tonight!

Jefferson received the conservation award for being great stewards at Wolf Ridge. We were energy conscious and cleaning up trash, recycling and caring for the natural environment as we used it for our learning spaces. Well done Jaguars!!