By Karen Treiger, Special to JTNews
As we wound our way up through the mountains in the desert landscape, we could almost imagine that we were ascending the hills of Jerusalem. But that was not the case. We were in the Cascade Mountains on our way to Sun River, Ore.
Alas, the traditional 8th grade Israel experience was cancelled due to the violence in the Middle East. The 8th-graders of the Seattle Hebrew Academy chose a fantastic alternative trip that was full of excitement, friendship and learning. Although it was not Israel, seeing and experiencing some of God’s most magnificent creations was an awesome experience.
During our six-day trip to Sun River, the eleven 8th-graders and four parent-chaperones kayaked down the Deschutes River, rode horses, had a star gazing party to study the night sky and see far away planets, stars and a galaxy, and learned about the animals and desert landscape of the area. We studied the volcanic history of the Cascade Range and walked through a lava field, on a lava butte and through a pitch-black, mile-and-a-quarter-long lava tube. At one point in the tunnel, we had to crawl on our stomachs. It was great, if a bit messy.
Uriel Azose says, “The most beautiful amazing thing about our 8th grade trip to Sun River, Ore., was when our whole 8th grade class was at Lava Butte and we had to crawl on all fours through a lava tube in the dark. Once we got to the end we said Tehillim [tsalms] in the dark for Ari Grashin.”
At the beautiful High Desert Museum, we learned about otters, porcupines, birds of prey, the Native Americans in the Sun River area and the settling of the West.
The highlight of the trip came on our last full day in Sun River, when we took a four-hour white-water river-rafting trip down the Deschutes. It was nature’s ultimate ride. As we paddled our way through class three rapids, we screamed and yelled. Some kids jumped in the freezing cold water a few times (Uriel jumped in five times). But the highlight of the highlight was when almost all of the kids swam through one of the rapids (our guides assured us it was safe). They looked like a family of ducks bobbing down the river. They all made it safely to shore.
Natalie Golan says about the rafting trip, “We had to work as a team and encourage each other for four hours. Another memorable moment was saying Tehillim at Lava Butte and learning Pirkei Avot daily for Ari Grashin.”
Each day of our trip brought exciting things to learn about and do. However, the best part of the trip was the friendships among the kids. These kids have gone to school together for many years (some for 10 years). Their encouragement of each other to reach beyond what they thought they could do was remarkable. The respect that they showed each other and the chaperones (most of the time) should make us all proud. It was a privilege (and a blast!) to be a part of SHA’s 2002 graduating class trip to Sun River.
(Karen Treiger is a parent volunteer.)