Mountain Classroom: Shifting Into “Main Phase”

With “training phase” behind them, Mountain Classroom shifts into “main phase,” and with it, a longer task list, more student leadership and student-led decisions, and a more efficient, high-functioning group. Read more below from Christina ’26!

Hello again from the MTCLRM bus (Bennie), as we look to begin our first long stretch of driving! This week’s blog begins where Freya’s left off in the Big Sur Campground following our incredible backpacking trip. 

Thursday, April 9: As we prepare to leave Big Sur we mark the first of many long days of driving and the culmination of our time by the coast. From here we will head inland. We packed up around 5:30 am while Freya and Cortland cheffed up some breakfast, and began our journey, starting with a few miles up Highway 1. Along the way, we witnessed our last foggy views of the ocean before the scenery changed drastically, as we passed miles of farmland in every direction that soon transitioned into views of rolling hills. Around noon, we pulled into the Albertsons parking lot where we ate lunch, prepared meals, and began our shopping for the week. We packed up the trailer and hit the road again for another few hours of driving before pulling into camp for the night. To our delight, the campsite we had been hoping would have space for us all day did, which concluded our eight hour day of driving. Now in Tuttle Creek, surrounded by the snowy Eastern Sierra Mountains, salt mines and desert views reminiscent of our time in Joshua Tree, we unpacked and settled in for the night. We were challenged with unpacking, setting up camp, eating, and preparing for our evening meeting all in just two hours. We planned our approach and were off completing the challenge in just an hour and a half. If you’ve read some of the previous blogs, you know we like to cut these challenges close, normally finishing with about thirty seconds to spare, so finishing with a half hour remaining was a nice change of pace. This success marks an important transition in our time here on Mountain. 

We’ve officially completed all of our tasks associated with the “Training Phase,” allowing for our groups’ transition into the “Main Phase.” Along with the new title, this phase comes with an increase in independence, more of a leadership role surrounding what we do, along with a new much longer list of tasks to complete as we look forward to Final phase in the future.
~ Christina ’26

Friday, April 10: We were up early again, all gathering to watch the sunrise over the mountains as a group. Post sunrise, our chefs, Hailey and Lila, made us breakfast while we packed up camp. We gathered as a group to eat and quickly transitioned into class before hitting the road again. Excitement struck just minutes into the drive as our first tumbleweed spotting took place! Wow! The bus erupted with enthusiasm as this was a first sighting for many of us. From there we continued on to the Manzanar Internment Camp, where we gathered to spend some time learning about the conditions in which Japanese people were forced to live during World War II. We were able to read about the history of these camps and tour the buildings they were living in. 

From there we ate lunch and headed out to get some gas. We completed our gas stop in just six and a half minutes which fell within our eight minute goal, officially marking our first completed task in Main Phase! Let’s go! From there, we headed out in search of laundry. We rolled up to the laundry mat and all hung out for a few hours while we waited for our soiled clothes to come out clean. Afterwards, we drove about twenty minutes to our campsite where we unpacked and played some pre dinner football. We ate quickly and rushed through dishes to beat the incoming rain before ending the night with an evening meeting aboard the bus in an effort to avoid the weather.

Saturday, April 11: As a result of our transition into Main Phase, we were awarded a sleep in, so today began slower than most. Many of us began our day with a run as breakfast was being prepared by Georgie and Reagan. We gathered together to eat and clean up before preparing for class. This morning’s classes included a science class with Ted and a meeting to discuss our student led trip. We were presented with a few options of places we could go to finish our time here on Mountain off with. As of now, it seems like Wyoming and New Mexico are front runners for our final backpacking trip location. From there, we had a quick lunch and headed into Bishop, CA, for some town time, where we all broke into smaller groups to go explore and shop. Some headed to craft stores, others went for frozen yogurt, and many went to outdoor gear stores to pick up some essentials before our upcoming trips. We gathered late in the afternoon to head back to camp for the inaugural Mountain Classroom six man football game. Elliot has been planning and dreaming of this game since the literal moment he arrived, and we finally had a campsite with a field, so today was the day. We took the field even though roughly nine of the twelve of us either didn’t understand the rules of football or had never seen the game. Let’s just say there was a bit of a learning curve. Nonetheless, we had fun, and most importantly, the highlighting team consisting of Ted, Reagan, Cortland, Will, Annie, and Christina took home a 20 - 6 win. We concluded our game, headed back for dinner, and finished the night off with a frigid evening meeting. 

Sunday, April 12: We awoke to the smell of bacon as Will and Elliot were hard at work in the kitchen preparing breakfast before class for the day. We had a social studies class with Emi where we discussed Tribal Sovereignty, in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Diné and Hopi Nations. From there, we packed up and hit the road again for another long drive day. About an hour in, surrounded by Joshua Trees and freshly snowed on mountains in the distance, we crossed our first state line into Nevada! As we kept driving, we left the snow behind and began to see more traditional desert views. We continued on, stopping along the way to make our weekly grocery stop in just fifty-seven minutes, and headed straight to In-N-Out for a special dinner. Reagan and Hailey were over the moon excited for their first trips to In-N-Out, and Annie’s day was made when they passed out the paper hats. We ate and headed out to camp for the night. 

Monday, April 13: Today marks the last day of our first long stretch of driving. We arose this morning to some delicious breakfast sandwiches prepared by Cortland and Annie before packing up and beginning our five or so hours of driving towards Cameron, AZ. Just minutes in, we passed another state line and are officially in Arizona! We continued on, stopping in the town of Flagstaff, AZ, for another town day. Once again, we broke off into smaller groups to head off and explore the town. We all spent a few hours wandering before coming back together to start our last hour of driving. We took off again down Historic Route 66 on our way to the Navajo Nation. We arrived and settled into the Hogan for the night while dinner was prepared. 

Overall, the last few days were full of lots of hours of driving, including some absolutely incredible views and lots of fun in town. Coming up, we will embark on an exciting week ahead full of meeting new people, learning about Native culture, and exploring new places.

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