Weekender: North Cascades Institute

Families Leap into Outdoor Learning

Story and Photos by Nancy Keaton

Photo at right: The Big Canoe rests on the emerald green waters of Diablo Lake, Wash.

Tucked away in the North Cascades off Highway 20, you’ll find the North Cascades Institute (NCI). About 70 miles north of Seattle, Wash., this internationally-known environmental education center has been sitting on the shores of the unimaginably green Diablo Lake since 2005.

Programs offered include Mountain School, which is for 5th graders from area schools, and Wilderness Medicine, which attracts medical personnel from all around the world. Other classes include Wildflower Photography, Alpine Ecology and Geology of the North Cascades just to name a few.

This particular weekend we were there to attend the Family Getaways.

We checked in and were directed to our dorms. The facility is beautiful and low-profile, and blends in with the natural landscape. The campus is made up of several buildings, including a gift shop, library and dining hall. The dorm rooms have two sets of bunk beds, desks, chairs and cubbies for clothing and personal items. A large gathering room is available in each dorm. Restroom facilities are gender-specific and shared.

Our weekend adventure began with lunch and orientation then games to get participants acquainted with each other. The ages of the kids attending ranged from 3–15. Some families were there because their kids had attended the Mountain School. Others were there to learn about the area.

Ten-year-old Ethan Farmer and his parents, Amy and Dan, had recently moved to the Northwest from Texas. Dan learned about the program through Reddit.

“We like a little more structured things like this while we’re trying to learn the area,” explained Amy.

Next we were split into two groups and went on a scavenger hunt as a way to learn our way around the campus. Then there was some free “family time” to do whatever we wanted, followed by games, such as Zombie Tag, for the kids.

Then came the food. The amazing food. Everyone commented all weekend on how absolutely delicious it was. It was not typical camp food. NCI uses mostly organic and locally-sourced foods. Everything was labeled so we knew not only what it was but whether it was gluten-free or had nuts. All meals were fresh and flavorful.

Our first dinner was breaded Pollock, salad, roasted vegetables, Jamaican peas and rice. Pumpkin empanadas, peach crisp and ice cream were available for dessert.

After dinner we signed up for the weekend activities. We could choose to do things together as a family or separately, depending on the ages of the kids. Or we could choose to do nothing. That night we all took a night walk into the woods without flashlights. The kids as well as the adults were thrilled. After the wonderful dinner and walk it was easy to hit those bunk beds.

The next morning we had a hearty breakfast and headed out to our various activities, which included choices of an all-day hike, an excursion to ponds, an ancient forest hike and a waterfall hike. Before dinner the kids had time for more games. They had so much fun playing Friday night that they were really excited to do it again. After dinner it was time for a campfire, s’mores and skits.

The next morning we woke up to pouring rain so some activities had to change. The ride in the “big canoe” had to be cancelled, but we could go on the waterfall hike or to the river to see spawning salmon.

Finally, it was time to wrap up the adventure. We watched a slide show of pictures from the weekend and everyone talked about the experience.

When asked what his favorite part had been, Ethan thought for a minute then said, “It’s hard to decide.” You know it’s a good weekend when kids can’t narrow down what they liked best.

“The night hike and the long hike were equally great,” Diana Jacobs said. “The skits were hilarious and the food was great!” Her husband, Luke Van’t Hoog, and sons, Jacob and Adrian, agreed. They also couldn’t choose just one activity as their favorite.

“I was worried about the age groups, I thought it would be a bunch of little kids, but it was just fine.” Jacob was pleased because he turned 14 on the first day there.

NCI hosts a graduate program through Western Washington University and students help run all of the programs. Kim Hall was our leader for the weekend. She had spent a year at the Institute studying and leading the programs, and expertly ran our Family Weekend. It was a bittersweet time for her, though, as it was her final weekend there. When asked what she liked best about working at the institute, she smiled.

“Watching as a child truly begins to see the natural world for the very first time.”

After a final delicious lunch together it was time to head home. After just 48 hours, it was hard to leave such an amazing place and our new friends. It was nice to spend time with people who enjoy the same activities and have a reminder of how much we love being outdoors in the beautiful Northwest.

To find out about Family Getaways and other classes offered at the North Cascades Institute, go to www.ncascades.org/get_outside

Nancy Keaton lives in Chehalis, Wash., with her family. They look for every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors through camping, bicycling, hiking, kayaking, fishing, rockhounding and simply exploring.

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