Home Sweet Home

Hope you've all had a smooth re-entry back home. We've burned DVD's for everyone and will mail them this week. We are also including a sign in sheet which we forgot to get from you. Please sign it and return it to us. At this point we are working on ideas for our program next year... and looking fwd to hosting our neighbors from Montana here next summer!

Thanks,
See ya out there!

Glacier and Blackfeet Res Tour

The group hiking in Glacier and our Res tour with Jim Higgins... Powerful!

Dancers

Back in Missoula

Today is Friday and I cannot believe that our trip is almost ending. We have been in East Glacier for the past 2 nights. On Wednesday we did some re-vegetation work in the park. We planted over 70 trees and plants! That evening we were visited by some Talent Search folks from the Blackfeet tribe who brought dancers and singers. These pictures cannot even describe how beautiful it was. Yesterday we hiked for about 8 miles in the St. Mary's section of Glacier. We saw several waterfalls and NO bears.....we even met a man from Hiwassee Dam. Our guide was also a tribal member and shared so much of his culture with us. Today we traveled back to Missoula and as I write this, the group is touring the University of Montana. One of their biggest football rivals happens to be App State. We will spend our last night at the KAO in Missoula. The group is doing GREAT and it has been a wonderful trip. The students have learned so much and become very close. I guess this will be our last posting so we will see you tomorrow!

Some of the raft pics

Here are some pics of the raft trip down the Flathead. Today were are off to the hot springs owned by the tribe. We'll post again asap.

All is well.

Traditional Indigenous Games

Playing indigenous games with some of our Koontenai friends. It is a bit of a risk management issue... Parents, all vision survived intact.

Hide Tanning with Oshanee Kennmille

This morning we met Oshanee Kennmille who showed us how to stretch hides. She told us lots of hide tanning secrets. We'll post more when we get time. These are some of our new friends: Mayuk Caye, Shelaine Andy, Phyllissa Mathias, Veda Mathias, Jalyn Burke, and Nathasha Lafferty.

Our New Friends on the Flathead

After a whirlwind of packing, bus and plane rides, loading in the vans, unloading in Missoula, re-packing in Missoula, a BIG food buy at Wal-Mart, we finally made it to the Flathead Reservation--near Polson, MT. We have been welcomed by our new friends, fellow Talent Searchers, and tribal members. It's been AWESOME! We rafted the Flathead River (pictures coming) and then had a campfire and talk with Patrick Chief Stick. We spent the night in tipis, which were set up for us by the local Talent Search program, directed by Renee Dubay.

4 Days and Counting!

Only 4 more days until we meet here on campus. If you have any questions about wheather or not to bring something, bring it. We will do a gear (clothing) inspection and go over all your things before you pack into our issued bags. Go by the items on the list. If in doubt bring it. If you have too much we'll leave it here in the office. See you at 11:00am Saturday.

Heads Up

Just a heads up on things you can carry on to the flight. The way this works: You'll come to the office with all your stuff. We'll issue you a bag to put most of your things in. That bag goes under the plane and you won't see it again until we get to Missoula. You can carry on some other things in your book bag. I've made a link here to view the rules FYI. There are some new rules http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/311/index.shtm

You can bring a book or magazine to read while on the flight. Its a long one.

BOLO

"BOLO" is police talk for be on the lookout. So, bolo for a press release about our trip in your local paper. It should run next week. Also, if you have any donations that you need to get to us please make arrangements to get it here by the 31st. We shipped some things ahead yesterday so at least some of our things will not need to be checked or carried on the plane. The excitement in our office is building. I hope it is for you too!

The Peeps

Meet the student participants:

Fund Raising!

The trip has started and the first bag isn't even packed! Students are raising money for their plane tickets with bake sales, car washes, dances, raffels, and donations.

This is the true story, of twenty strangers, chosen to travel together, to experience a new place and a rich culture, to live among strangers soon to be friends, to work alongside one another, to experience the authentic learning enviorment that comes when people stop being comfortable, and start living “on the road.”