After taking last year off, I am back as a volunteer for Winter Trek, a 5th Grade Environmental Education Program. After greeting the students at Explore Tahoe: An Urban Trail head, we hopped on the Gondola to travel to the top of Heavenly (I can't think of a better name for it).

This incredible outdoor school lesson takes place at 9,000 ft elevation at the Heavenly Mountain Resort via a free Gondola ride.

I love it for many reason but one is the fact that I get to become U.S. Forest Service Ranger Denise sharing, with students from California and Nevada, all there is to know about the Lake Tahoe Basin.


The programs lasts a few hours and includes leading the class through the wilderness to learn snowshoe skills and discover evidence of winter adapting animals. Students fulfill science, language, social science and physical education requirements for their 5th grade curriculum. Unbelievable!

A couple of years ago, Bob, Jenny and I were asked to help with the pre-visit video that students watch before embarking on Winter Trek. If you have 14 minutes and want to know more about what we do, it's worth watching. It is truly fun elevated!