Camp Hanes

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The 6th grade of Durham Academy got to travel to Camp Hanes for an overnight trip. We had so much fun. On a Thursday morning, we loaded our luggage onto a bus. The night before, I had packed a duffel bag full of the things we needed for Camp Hanes. I also needed to bring a sleeping bag and a small backpack. I handed my duffel to Mr. Wilson, the Dean of Students. This trip was almost canceled because of Hurricane Ian, we didn’t want a hundred people stuck in the mountains. I stepped onto the bus with my friends and took seats in the back. The bus was full of kids from different advisories and it was very loud and stuffy. Luckily, a teacher put on a movie and the bus quieted down.

Once we got there, we were assigned cabins. I was in Cabin 8 with my friends. We unloaded our stuff into our cabins and set up our bunk beds. After that, we had a lunch of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. The food was super good! Then, we did activities such as hiking, archery, and rock climbing. Those were the only things my group did. We were supposed to go canoeing the next day, but it was raining so we didn’t. The hike up the mountain was super fun, but tiring. The view at the top was worth it though! We got to sit on a rock ledge and enjoy the view. Archery was fun, my personal favorite! I wasn’t really good at it though. I only got three arrows on the target out of the ten that I got to shoot. Rock climbing was really scary when I got to the top, but it was still super fun! After that, we had dinner and had the campfire. The campfire was where the counselors did skits and we sang songs. Next, we went to our cabins for bed. What a tiring day!

I had so much fun at Camp Hanes and I was super proud of myself for not freaking out when doing rock climbing. I am also proud of myself for completing the hard hike. I would also like to show thanks to all the wonderful counselors who organized activities. Even though we did not do some of the things we were supposed to do, we still had a great time!

My Finding Someplace Backpack

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This summer, I read a book called Finding Someplace. Reesie, the main character, has to pack a backpack because there is a hurricane. She packed her parents’ important papers. She had to be very careful of what she brought since she could only bring what could fit in her backpack.

If I ever was in this scenario, here is what I would bring and why. I would bring a flashlight where I can crank the handle to power it up because if it’s very dark, a flashlight will light up my surroundings. I would bring a map, so I can find my way. I would also bring water because water is an essential tool of life. Then I’d probably bring food because you need food to survive. I would also bring a whistle, so that I could call for help.  I will bring a change of clothes so I don’t have to wear the same clothes but only one so that it doesn’t take up much space. I would bring a journal for writing my experience down and a book. In conclusion, everything I pack will be things I need to survive.

Endangered Animals #1: Red Wolf

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This is my first post about endangered animals (second including my very first post). Today we will be talking about the fascinating, wonderful, and critically endangered Red Wolf! The Red Wolf is not the most endangered it’s one of the endangered. These posts are not in order from most endangered to least endangered.

Red wolves (Canis Rufus) are a subspecies of the Gray Wolf. There are about only 20 Red wolves left in the wild in 2022! They are native to North Carolina, where I live! That’s cool.

Description: Red wolves are mostly brown. There is sometimes a reddish tint to their fur. They may look like a German Shepherd at first glance!  The Red wolf’s size is between the Gray wolf and the coyote.

Fun Facts!

  1. Red wolves are nocturnal!
  2. The Red Wolf’s howl sounds like a coyote’s but is more lower pitched and lasts longer.

 

Save the Wolves!

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Hello! today, I will be talking about my favorite animal: the wolf!

Now, let me get a few things straight. First, the moment you hear ‘wolf’, you might be reminded of fairytales like The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood. You might think that wolves are creepy and dangerous and will attack you on sight. But! In reality, wolves are shy creatures and are totally NOT evil. Wolves are NOT bloodthirsty. They will most likely avoid you because they are scared. They will not attack unless provoked.

In the United States, wolves are seen as vicious predators that attack livestock. They are also considered as vermin! But this is unfair to them! Because the only reason they kill livestock is because humans, US!, kill the older wolves who tell the younger not to kill livestock. This is the first reason why wolves are being killed. The second, is that humans think that wolves kill deer and other big game that we, humans want to hunt for ourselves. Humans think wolves kill TOO MUCH deer and elk! But wolves, they only kill as much as needed which is only one or two deer and if they have enough food, then they could go on for days, even weeks without hunting.

Idaho used to have a wolf law that allowed hunters to kill as many wolves as they wanted. Leaving about five packs in Idaho. The ways they kill and torture the wolves are harsh and brutal. Idaho allows aerial shooting, trapping with snares, and even running them over with snowmobiles! The wolf law does not exist anymore in Idaho but it did for about two years!

Let’s move on from the sad stuff and focus on the bright side of wolves!

Fun Facts:

1. Wolves are admired for their advanced social skills!

2. Wolves like in packs from as few and two, to as many as fifteen!

3. Lower ranked wolves show respect to higher ranked ones!

THANK YOU!!