Riverstone International School has been going to the Intermountain Bird Observatory ran by Boise State for around a decade. This camping field trip is a favorite of the children.
The kids spend Thursday night banding owls and having a great time, but on Friday morning they woke up to a surprise as the Valley Fire sparked at 4:00 a.m.
At 5:45 Derek Wright, the Outdoor and Service Learning Coordinator got a call. He hiked up to the top of the ridge and that’s where he saw the fire.
“I couldn’t see anything from where we were camped because we were on the backside of Lucky Peak,” said Wright. “I hiked up to the top of Lucky Peak and I got a good view of just this orange bright glow.”
Derek came back to camp to wake up 19 5th graders, four parents and two other chaperones that were with the school. Everybody worked together to pack up all their gear.
“I was really transparent with the kids and told them a fire was on the side of the mountain,” said Wright. “I was really proud to see them work together and come together to pack up the tents, they started helping each other.”