ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Students from Community High School's (CHS) Ecology Club gathered near the school doors on Thursday, March 1, at 8:30 a.m. to travel to Pellston, Mich. for the weekend. Cars were filled with sleeping bags, suitcases, backpacks, and food. 30 minutes later, the club had divided into four groups and departed from the school; CHS teachers and chaperones Courtney Kiley, Ed Kulka, Marcy McCormick, and Liz Stern drove.
It was the fifth trip taken by the Ecology Club to the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) – nicknamed "the biostation." Kiley came across the destination after visiting the biostation in high school and later spending a semester studying there her junior year of college at the University of Michigan.
Before reaching the biostation, the Ecology Club made a stop in Grayling, Mich. for lunch at Bear Den's Pizzeria. They then went on a hike at Hartwick Pines State Park. The trail was completely covered with thick sheets of ice, and many students fell while walking.
"The best part about the trip is being with a bunch of teenagers," Kiley said. "I just laugh the whole time."
Once the Ecology Club reached Pellston, Mich., the group unloaded all of their belongings. The chaperones went on a hike, and the group made tacos for dinner. That night, students played a variety of card games and board games; the evening ended with students and chaperones playing "Never Have I Ever" and watching Jurassic World.
The next morning, the Ecology Club took their first "official" hike, which was optional, at 10:30 a.m. around part of Douglas Lake – the lake that the biostation surrounds – and through the wooded area nearby by following the Grapevine Nature Trail. The second hike was in the afternoon after the group had a moment to re-energize and eat lunch; the afternoon hike was around a different portion of the lake and woods and was also optional to students.
Cellular service at the biostation was weak, and many students spent the evenings playing games found inside the lodge, watching movies, or stargazing at night. On the second night, students made pasta and salad for dinner; in the evening, some members of the club watched the movie "Baby Driver," but paused it in the middle to go stargazing on the frozen lake. Underneath them, they were able to hear the water running below the thick sheets of ice that supported them.
The next morning, Kulka made pancakes and Stern cooked bacon for breakfast before the group took their largest hike around the gorge. The group left around 10 a.m., and walked across the lake before heading off to hike half an hour later. The hike lasted approximately two hours.
"It was so beautiful that it felt unreal," Chrysanthe Patselas, senior at CHS, said. "The snow was sparkling from the sun, the air was super crisp, and the trees were really pretty."
In the afternoon after the group ate lunch, some went on another hike, while others stayed behind. The group started hiking through the Grapvine Nature Trail, hoping to take different directions than previously. But when the ground became too slick and steep to walk on, the group resorted to gliding across the perimeter of the frozen lake to get back to the dorms.
"At one point, we even laid down on the ice," Patselas said. "The landscape was incredible and the sun coming through the trees onto the lake made it look like the ice that we were walking on was actually water."
The day concluded as students ate chili and salad for dinner after returning from the second hike. Some students watched "Madagascar 3," while others played cards and board games; later that night, some watched "National Treasure." A few stayed up all night and watched the sunrise on the frozen lake the next morning. When Sunday arrived, beds were stripped, and bags were packed as the students and chaperones prepared for departure. The group left at 9 a.m. on Sunday to head back to Ann Arbor.
"This trip really made me see what we can sometimes get so caught up in the present and that we just need to take a step back and appreciate what the world has to offer us in its beauty," Patselas said.