In October, we had the amazing opportunity to take some wonderful students from Eisenhower Jr. High School up Big Cottonwood Canyon through our Save Our Canyons Kids (SOCK) program. This program here at SOC gives us the chance to take students from the Salt Lake area out into the backcountry and teach them all about ecology and protecting the Wasatch. Our day was filled with learning all about how and why environments change so much during fall, how important our watershed is, why snowpack is essential, and ultimately, that anyone, at any age, can be a public land steward.
For some, this was their first time ever hiking in the Wasatch and hearing their perspective was incredible. Here are some of the best quotes from the day:
“Look how epic these leaves are! These colors are crazy!”
“Holy wow. How are the rocks so shiny?”
“Wait, you mean, the water I drink at home comes from this canyon?”
“This is ours!!!”
“So like, I can come back here anytime?”
Hiking alongside students is always such a treat because it allows one to look at nature in such a genuine way. If you would like to partner with us anytime in the future to get more students out on the trail, learn more here!
