On A Bear Hunt

 We knew it would happen, we just got a little too comfortable in the beautiful weather that came our way in September.  In fact, our weather graph only showed two school days of rain in the entire month (there were cloudy days, but sun prevailed!).  Well the sun didn't prevail on the day we took to the woods with Mrs. Sharp for a bear hunt!  It had been drizzling in the morning, but seemed to have let up when we (I) made the decision to go for it!  The break in the weather lasted until we made the turn onto Rt. 104 and started towards Danbury!  Well hey, what is that saying, "There isn't bad weather, just bad gear."  Well my fleece coat probably fell into the category of bad gear!!

Mrs. Sharp has so many talents, hobbies, and interests.  One of her interest in retirement has been animal tracking.  She and her husband had walked these trails previously and found stands of beach trees, with lots of signs of bears.  Mrs. Sharp was able to point out to the kids where bears had climbed the trees for beach nuts and taught them how to identify fresh signs of bears vs. older markings.

 We hiked to the top of the path that brought us out to a cabin, with a roof!  We were able to sit our wet selves under the roof and have snack!  With a little nourishment in our bellies, everyone seemed rejuvenated and ready for the decent!  However, once soaked to the bone, hot chocolate seemed in order!

We returned to school and enjoyed dry clothes and hot chocolate.  Mrs. Sharp read to us the story, The Bear Who Heard Crying.  This true story, about a little girl in Warren, NH in the 1800's who was lost and believed to be kept warm through the nights by a bear, captivated the children.  

Mrs. Sharp was also able to share with the children a bear skull that she had on loan from a little boy (now all grown) who was quite interested in these sorts of things and had collected it as a child!  

A very special thank you to Mrs. Sharp, who is always game for whatever we throw her way and to Sarah H for helping transport us and hike with us on this VERY wet day!