Purple Mountain

We had a beautiful weekend a few weeks ago, so we jumped on the opportunity to go exploring around the island and go hiking.  I went with a few HS teachers up Purple Mountain.  We followed the pipe lines that transfers the town's water from a big lake.  The lake also feeds into a waterfall that you can see as you enter Metlakatla on the ferry.  With the pipe line on my right and the waterfall to the left of the trail, it was a beautiful hike and I'll show you some things I got to see.

Once we got to the top of the waterfall, one teacher and I decided to climb to the top of the mountain. Little did I know there would be some rock climbing involved, but the best way to learn is right on the top of a mountain and no other way to get down! This climb exceeded the ability of my tennis shoes, so I got a little scraped up, but the views were absolutely worth it!



My shadow at the top of Purple Mountain



Metlakatla from high above

More photos from this hike are in the photo gallery :)

Totem Pole Field Trip

Katie and I brought our first graders down to the art center to watch the final steps in finishing the totem pole, our friend David has been making. They were painting the totem pole, while David was teaching the students about the pole and their Tsimshian culture, traditions, and the language.  All the children were speaking the language as they were doing actions.  It is was a great experience for the students to be a part of their culture, that is trying to be revived by several members of the Metlakatla community, and a great moment for Katie and I to be a part of, witnessing the integration of this vital piece for the children.  Currently, there is only 110 people on the planet that speak the native Tsimshian language.  I will be uploading a video or giving a link where you can hear the language and more about their traditions and culture.  It was raining while we were walking our kiddos down there, but they were troopers, even those with running noses and all!