WEST CANAAN — No one ventures into the wilderness expecting to become stranded without the essential gear to survive.
But even the simplest and shortest outing can quickly turn into a desperate situation when a trail is lost, darkness closes in and temperatures drop.
In Melissa Stark’s Science of Survival class at Mascoma Valley Regional High School, the 16 juniors and seniors learn some basic skills they can use if they find themselves in a survival situation. The elective course, introduced this year for the fall semester, offers students an alternative to earning their third science credit for graduation, Stark explained.
“It is all about getting kids outside and getting kids who may not be your typical science student,” said Stark, shortly before the start of class one morning in October. “I am not an expert on survival, but I love everything outdoors.”
Mascoma junior Samuel Joyce, of Grafton, said the course combines two of his interests.
“I want to major in science in college and survival in the wilderness is something I have always wanted to learn more about,” Joyce said after helping his team build a tinder nest, a fire-starting bundle often shaped like a bird’s nest that can be carried in a backpack and used to start a fire if necessary. “This combines two separate worlds of my interests.”
The course explores some basic elements of surviving in the elements, whether that is extreme cold or heat or when food and water are scarce. One assignment required each student to read a real-life survival story and present a report. Not all survival stories are the consequence of an outdoor adventure gone wrong: A car trip can turn into a fight to survive because of an accident or bad weather. One student reported on the members of a rugby team that survived following a crash in the Andes Mountains in 1972.
Building tinder nests from twigs and brush that the students collected outside was another exercise for the class. The current ban on outdoor burning due to the extreme drought conditions in the area restricted the tinder nest activity to indoors. Students split up into groups of four and each group had about 20 minutes to assemble the nest. The goal was to construct it in a way that it would stay together in a backpack or if dropped from a height of 30 centimeters.
Another activity was outdoor shelter building. Students had to select one tool at random – saw, hammer, tape, tinfoil and rope – then go out into the woods. They had to build a shelter that had to fit one person and was tested to see how waterproof it was.
Later in the course, when the weather gets colder, students will learn about hypothermia and how the body changes to fight the effects of cold. When the fire ban is lifted, Stark said they will build a fire pit and cook a meal.
“I like to keep everything very hands on,” she said.
At another table, Ryleigh Giguere, a junior from Enfield, said the course provided an opportunity to interact more with classmates and get outside.
“We do things that we wouldn’t normally do in science classes,” Giguere said. “These are good skills to learn.”
Building the nest was more than just putting the material, which included pine needles and fine shavings of cardboard, into a pile. The nest needed to be dense enough to hold heat — but not so packed together that it would prevent oxygen from getting to the flame. Using some rudimentary tools, including scissors and a small piece of sandpaper, the students went to work, discussing and collaborating on the process.
While students may never find themselves in a survival situation, Stark said, they are learning important skills that they could use in the
“They may never build a fire outdoors but it is the critical thinking and the problem solving skills,” Stark said. “They are exercising their brain.”
Stark has plans to expand the course with an outdoor classroom that would also be used by the Outing Club she has started.
“It wouldn’t be just seating but would have lean-tos, fire pits and a shed for tools and materials.
“It is all in its infancy but so far this has been a lot of fun,” Stark said.
Harmony Marrotte, 16, of Enfield, has found learning about the outdoors and basics of survival the course enlightening,
“The course is fun and is a good learning experience,” Marrotte said. “You never know when you might get stranded.”
Colin Burns, a senior from Grafton, said he likes the outdoors and though he has never been in a survival situation the course is giving him tools he can use.
“If I ever am stranded, I feel like I am better prepared for it,” he said.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
