Some said it couldn’t be done: A field trip to Eastern Washington with stops at three different sites in just under 13 hours? Two Wolfle Elementary classes proved that it could last month. Under the guidance of Beth Schnielder and Tamara Stone, 48 fourth-grade students embarked on a trip that they will remember forever.

The idea for the trip was mentioned to the student’s in September, with both teachers warning kids not to get to excited because things might not come together. Students understood that lots of fund raising had to be done first. With a goal firmly in sight they got right to work. They raffled a quilt, helped with Santa’s breakfast, and held a McTakeover. All their hard work paid off. With the help of a generous donation and the money they earned, the trip became reality.

The group left Wolfle bright and early June 8. Students and chaperones had to be at the school by 7:30 a.m. so that everyone could load up onto the touring bus that would serve as a classroom for the next 13 hours. After arriving in Seattle via the Bainbridge ferry the group headed for Blewett Pass. After a quick lunch on the bus, student explored the site of the gold mining town, Blewett. With the help of Jeff Miller, students learned about the history of the town site and studied types of rock formation in the area. Then it was back on the bus and onto the next stop.

The second stop for the group was exploring the Pioneer Village and Museum in Cashmere. There were many interesting Native American artifacts, everything from hand-woven baskets to stone hunting and cooking utensils that were thousands of years old. Students (and chaperones) learned the difference between petroglyphs (pictures carved into the rock) and pictographs (pictures painted onto the rock).

Students then ventured outside where they explored the pioneer village. Museum volunteer Nancy Valeson taught students about life in a frontier town. The kids checked out the one-room school, learned about school in the “olden days” and discovered all that a general store had to offer. Students visited an original homesteader’s cabin and were amazed when they learned that a frontier family of 13 once called it home.

The third and final stop on the whirlwind trip was the Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia River. Students toured the dam and learned how salmon navigate the fish ladder and how a “first of its kind” juvenile fish bypass system works. Kids watched from the observation deck as workers assembled a one million pound magnet used in the power plant’s turbines.

From the Rocky Reach Dam it was back on the bus and onward to home. The group made a quick dinner stop in Leavenworth and made it safely back to Kingston by 9 p.m. At school the next morning, students were full of stories to tell and memories to share!