Last week, the eighth grade class drove two hours to a cabin by Pigeon river. We went there to see elks bugle. Before we bugled, we went on a long hike through the woods. When we got back, we had some free time. After free time we ate tacos for dinner. When dinner was over and everything was cleaned up, we drove on a lot of dirt roads to get to the bugle area. I was surprised that we didn’t get lost. When we got to the place, we didn’t hear any bugles at first. After twenty or so minutes we started to hear a lot of them. We even heard a crazy amount of coyote howls. Once we got back to the cabin, we made a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and popcorn. The cabin was in the middle of the woods, so at night we could hear coyotes howling. At night, it was really cold, and the beds were very hard. In the morning, we had to wake up at seven to make it back to school in time for pizza lunch. On the way to school, we stopped by a breakfast place called Roast and Toast. We then drove back to school.
During elk bugling, I learned that humans are the most dangerous animals on the planet. I also learned that without scavengers like crows and ravens, the world would be disgusting. Another thing I learned was that if you poop in the wild and don’t bury it deep or take it with you, you are contaminating the environment. I was surprised by how high the elk bugles were, I thought that they would be a lot deeper sounding. I can use what I learned in real life by knowing that cities are a lot more dangerous than the woods at night. I also now know not to poop in the woods. One thing that satisfied me at elk bugling was hearing so many of them. Another thing that satisfied me was beating Duncan at chess, even though he told me all of the moves. One thing that I would have done differently is I would have moved around less and made less noise when we were bugling. How different would the world be if there were no scavengers? Why is a elk bugle so high? Which animals would be affected if someone did poop in the woods there?
Another great blog Savannah. I hope you had fun Elk bugling it seems like you learned a lot. It is a shrill high noise elk make to bugle. I am not sure why it evolved that way. I am glad you got to see one do it in captivity. Pooping in the woods occationally and not burying it or taking it with you is probably okay but the main idea is to “leave no trace” so everyone can enjoy being outside. I would hate to be around the cabin and step in someone’s poop! With how many people are backpacking and traveling it makes sense to dispose of your waste thoughtfully. Our poop could also carry disease that is not found in the wilderness. Glad you came on this trip!