Category: St. Clair Outdoors

Bear Claw Treehouse

Off the grid in a childhood dream

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka

Whether it’s the spirit of adventure we remember from Swiss Family Robinson or the memories of reading the Magic Treehouse children’s books, thoughts of treehouses often elicit smiles and fond memories.

That sense of wonder and freedom, of resilience and self-reliance often makes us remember times long gone. A treehouse is pure childhood magic.

Now imagine that treehouse on the edge of a creek saturated in history, a place steeped in the natural beauty of woods and wildlife. Sitting on a small rustic overlook, you watch the water for movement. It could be fish, turtles, beaver or otter. Beyond the creek, you hear a noise and barely catch a glimpse of a doe and her fawn slipping back into the woods. It is transformative, experiencing the wonders of nature all around.

There is such a treehouse, and as a guest here, you’ll be immersed in nature throughout your stay. Even though it’s called Bear Claw Treehouse, you most likely won’t see a bear. You will see plenty of other wildlife, if you’re quiet enough, including turkey, beaver and eagles.

The last sign of a bear, though, was over 10 years ago. They say he did leave a distinct bear paw print in the mud at the edge of the creek. And, so, Bear Claw Treehouse began.

Situated in Springville between Barker Mountain and Washington Valley, this unique rental property is owned by Jim and Melany Harrelson. Featuring a translucent roof for stargazing and firefly viewing, this one-bedroom treehouse is simple, but outfitted with all the absolute necessities.

There’s a queen-sized bed and a kitchenette with an air fryer, microwave and coffee press. Guests can catch a hot shower in the 40-gallon oval tank from Tractor Supply with water provided by a Zodi shower pump.

The toilet facilities are two-fold. More delicate matters are dispersed by a pit latrine style leach system. There’s a freshly serviced port-a-potty for the more serious matters.

While they currently use a generator to power the lights and air conditioning for up to 10 hours a day, Jim Harrelson says things are about to be upgraded. “We have gotten clearance to get electricity hooked up at the treehouse,” says Harrelson. “I put in the order last week, so it’s coming soon.” Since there is no refrigerator and no running water, Harrelson keeps visitors stocked with both water and ice in coolers on the porch.

Dining alfresco is the order of the day here. Just 50 yards away, there is a grilling and eating platform near the creek. A sign nearby reminds visitors of the history that was made on the ground beneath their feet nearly five centuries before. One could almost imagine encampments of explorers and, later, soldiers eating their rations on these very banks.

Hernando DeSoto’s team of explorers is believed to have entered Alabama near Piedmont and traveled down the Coosa River on their quest for gold. DeSoto and his band of nearly 700 followed the Coosa through the state for several months before heading west to Mississippi. Bear Claw Treehouse sits on the edge of Big Canoe Creek, a tributary to the Coosa.

Because of its abundance of available natural resources, including food and water, historians believe those conquistadors would have fished and camped nearby.

Less than three centuries later, General Andrew Jackson’s forces likely fished and camped in the same area as they headed to the nearby Creek village of Littafatchee to battle the Red Sticks in the Creek War of 1813-1814.

“There is really a great spirit on this land. There’s just so much history here,” says Harrelson. It’s something he wishes he had known more about in 2013 when he tried to get the Animal Planet series, Treehouse Masters, to design and build it. The premise of the former reality TV show was that people who wanted to have treehouses built would submit applications and if the situations were interesting enough, they might be chosen to be one featured as an on-air build.

In 2012, the Harrelsons purchased seven acres and divided it into two plots. They built their own home on five acres and saved the adjacent two acres to build an income property later. As they contemplated what type of structure to build on the two-acre plot, they received the unwelcome news that they wouldn’t be able to have a septic system. Still believing the property was perfect to support the activities of outdoor enthusiasts, the idea for a treehouse was born.

Being a fan of Pete Nelson and his Treehouse Masters show already, Harrelson submitted his application with pictures of the land. The producer interviewed them on Zoom and got back to them later with the news that they did not make the cut, ending up 26^th on the list that only needed 18 for the show’s broadcast season. “Had I known the full history of the land, I believe I would have done a better job of pitching it to them,” says Harrelson.

In 2019, with his own vision in mind, Harrelson framed and built the treehouse on weekends as he had time and money. Subcontractors came in to help with specialties he couldn’t do. In October of 2021, the Harrelsons hosted their first guests, a couple from Illinois who were coming to visit relatives.

Since then, the Harrelsons have listed the property on Airbnb, VRBO and Hipcamp and have had a steady stream of guests. Guests are encouraged to bring fishing gear and fish in the creek or take the available canoe for a long explore in the water.

Apparently, guests are taking that advice to heart, as evidenced by a recent guestbook entry that reads, “We enjoyed sunset on the nightfall porch, swimming and fishing in the creek and lazing in the hammock chair while the boys fished. We loved watching daybreak through the ceiling each morning!”

Sitting on that nightfall porch, Harrelson fights back tears as he recounts the difficult journey that brought him to this peaceful place. It was another story of lives changed by the string of tornadoes that tore through the state on April 27, 2011.

The same system that brought tornadoes to Cullman and Hackleburg and devastated parts of Tuscaloosa obliterated most of the Harrelson’s neighborhood in Pleasant Grove.

Thankful to be alive and eager to leave that chapter behind, the couple found a property off Highway 23 in Springville. That’s where they are today, on a beautiful little property in the same valley that, at first sight, took away the breath of one 17-year-old Jim Harrelson, as he made his way on Highway 59 on his senior trip from Long Beach, Mississippi, to Niagara Falls, Canada.

“I was so moved when I saw the beauty of this valley, I said I’d live here one day,” says Harrelson. And he does. He offers you the chance to do the same, two nights at a time, in the magical whimsy of a treehouse.

Features

Lyrics for Life

Horse Pens’ Songwriter Festival inspiring music on the mountain

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Richard Rybka

There is no doubt that music is a powerful tool, touching our heart strings and transporting us through time and space. The words to certain songs speak to our hearts when, oftentimes, nothing else will. Alabama-raised songwriter Mutt Cooper explains, “I always hope the words connect to the audience and that we’re all in the same emotional space at the same time.”

Cooper, who now lives in Georgia, started playing the guitar and writing music when he was just 10 years old. He now works as an occupational therapist, specializing in traumatic brain injury.

A navy veteran himself, he works with veterans at Martin Army Hospital in Fort Benning. He uses his songwriting skills to address the pain and emotional scars of the wounded, whether they’re military, children or just ordinary people navigating daily life. His song, Tom, has received a lot of attention from Vietnam veterans groups because of its powerful, relatable lyrics.

He wrote the song about his cousin, who served in Vietnam. The cousin, Tom, came back from Vietnam a changed man, a change so profound that he had to live with Cooper’s family and spent most days playing guitar to help him process the pain. “He died in Vietnam, but he didn’t know. He’s got a lot of scars that don’t show,” the haunting lyrics say.

The lyrics to another of Cooper’s songs address the simpler, but broader, issue of aging. The words to I Knew Him When are easily relatable to anyone who has noticed a wrinkle or a grey hair as birthdays come and go.

Staring in the mirror, it’s easy for me to see.
The same young man who lives inside of me.
Well, it makes no sense, and how can it be?
There’s an old man in the mirror looking back at me.

Cooper recently spent a weekend with more than a dozen other songwriters at the Horse Pens 40 Songwriter Festival on Chandler Mountain. The festival’s organizer, Paul Ensign of C&P Entertainment, has been providing the venue and stage to showcase the talents of local, regional and national touring songwriters for four years. “These guys and gals get up on stage, not just to sing, but to give you the emotion behind the words, the experience that helped to write the song,” explains Ensign.

Texas-based songwriter Thom Shepherd, also a festival participant, agrees. “Everybody’s here to really listen to the lyrics and hear the stories behind the songs.” He and his wife, fellow songwriter, Coley McCabe, have both won awards through the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and have been named Duo of the Year by the Trop Rock Music Association for the past four years. She has played at the Grand Ole Opry four times.

The two met when they were working with different Nashville publishers housed in the same office building. They were married by an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas in 2015. They tour regularly and enjoy going to songfests to meet new writers and to reconnect with others. They even hold their own songwriter’s festival in Texas called Lonestar Luau. (Editor’s note: You can check them out at Lonestarluau.com.)

“Write for yourself,” says Shepherd. “That’s what a publisher told me years ago. I’d moved to Nashville to perform. Everyone said you’ve got to be able to write, so that’s when I started working on that. I struggled at first, but then I was counseled to write for myself, about things that have had meaning to me. That’s the place that hit songs come from. That’s when I started thinking about things like my love of cars.”

His love of old cars is what made him reminisce about seeing his first car again after selling it to an old friend. He went back to visit the man and saw the car, sat in the driver’s seat and opened the glove compartment. “That’s when I started to imagine. What if this car had been owned by someone else and what if that someone had left a note in the glove compartment,” says Shepherd excitedly. “And what if that owner had been a young man going off to war who left the note to the new owner in case he didn’t come back? And what if the car was a Corvette?”

With that story in mind, he collaborated with songwriter Wood Newton and wrote the 2001 hit single, Riding with Private Malone. The song was recorded by American Country Music artist David Ball. “You always hope one of your songs will touch people’s lives, and this one has,” says Shepherd. “I hear from people who say this was a particular soldier’s song, and he didn’t make it back. It reminds them of that soldier. Others tell me this song is the reason they joined the military.”

Coley McCabe wrote Don’t Open That Door as a response to the loss of her sister, Tracy. The song was later recorded by country star Loretta Lynn. “I wrote it after Tracy passed, never meaning for it to be recorded,” says McCabe. “But it was pitched to Loretta, and she recorded it. I ran into her a few years later and told her I’d written it. It was shortly after her husband had passed. She sang the chorus to me with a tear in her eye. It was sweet!”

Strong family ties also fuel the fire for fellow songwriter Christina Crystal. She has just turned 30 and has been writing songs for 16 years. At the songwriter’s festival, she explained to the audience the background behind several songs she and her husband, songwriter/producer Nick Biebricher, have written and produced, including the very personal Ultra Sound, a ballad about the experience of expecting the birth of their son.

Another of Crystal’s favorites is a playful lyric that she wrote and performed called, Dolly, Would You Pardon Me, a fun, upbeat song with a nod to vocal great Dolly Parton. The song was nominated for best country song of the year in 2019 at the Independent Music Awards.

“Hit songs begin with words that make people feel something,” says Shepherd. Pure joy and fun are a hallmark in his huge hit summertime party song, Redneck Yacht Club. Written by Shepherd and recorded in 2005 by country music’s Craig Morgan, the lyrics are an invitation to “Meet us out at party cove. Come on in, the water’s fine. Just idle on over an’ toss us a line.”

If you’re out on this lake this summer, you’re sure to hear it. The power of music is fueled by powerful lyrics.

Features

Tips from St. Clair’s hiking guru

Journey begins with single step, sage advice

Story by Roxann Edsall
Submitted photos

As the weather warms up, many of us start feeling that spring fever and want to head outdoors to one of Alabama’s many beautiful hiking areas.

From the new Big Canoe Creek Preserve – whose trails open soon in Springville – to neighboring Cheaha State Park, you won’t have to go far to find those opportunities to take in the natural world outdoors. And while you don’t have to be a seasoned pro to enjoy hiking in Alabama, thru-hiker and Pell City native Bennett Fisher offers some tips for the rest of us.

After all, he was a novice once himself. He jumped in as a hiker full-speed, hitting the Appalachian Trail (AT) on his first backpacking trip after graduating from Pell City High School in 2015.

Along with his dad, who was also a novice hiker, he completed the entire 2,190 miles of the AT from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine. Since then, Jolly, as he is known on the trail, has also thru-hiked the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) and about half of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). He is still recovering from the foot injury that sidelined his CDT hike.

His first piece of advice for the beginner is to prepare, but take it easy on yourself. “There’s a lot of gear to choose from. Don’t get discouraged. Form your own opinions. Do your research and take advice, but then try it and form your own opinions.”

After the father-son duo set out on their quest to conquer the AT, it wasn’t long before they were questioning their choices. On subsequent hiking trips, they explored different gear options and weeded out what didn’t work for them and added what they missed.

Local hiking gives you many more options on items you may want to bring for comfort. “If taking a camp chair helps you get outside and enjoy yourself,” says Bennett, “then take it. It’s all about what you will use to make your experience better. But don’t weigh your pack down if you don’t need it. If you don’t use it, just don’t bring it next time.”

Next, he says, evaluate the same gear in different weight options. “On one of my first hikes, I brought sandals to wear around camp that were about a pound each. What I really needed were dollar store flip flops that weighed only a few ounces.”

Good hiking shoes, he adds, are an essential piece of equipment. “A lot can go wrong with shoes.” That sentiment is echoed by Trey Staples, manager of Gadsden Outfitters. “My number one tip is to be sure you have a good sock and a good shoe. You’ve got to keep your feet dry. Get help from an outfitter who will take the time to fit you for the shoe that’s right for your feet and your activity level.”

For easy cleanups, Staples recommends bringing wet wipes, which are easy to pack. He also recommends repacking items to bring less waste with you and be sure to pack out whatever trash you do have.

Getting a backpack that fits your body is important if you’re doing more than day hiking. “Get a pack that fits you,” says Staples, “and that means going somewhere where they’ll measure your torso to get it right.” For day hiking, a small pack is useful for storing your water, food, rain gear, first aid kit and snacks.

“It’s also a good idea, no matter how long a hike you’re on,” adds Staples, “to let someone know where you’re going and when you’re expecting to be back.”

Water is a critical safety component of any hike of any duration. “If you’re on a day hike,” says Fisher, “definitely bring your own water. But for multi-day hikes, you’ll want to bring along a water filter.” Also, he says, you don’t have to buy professionally packaged backpacker food. “It’s pretty expensive, and you don’t need it.

Just bring things you like to eat and will look forward to eating. I’ve brought food before that I thought I needed that was healthy, but it just lived in my backpack because it wasn’t appealing to me, so I didn’t eat it.”

Developing a passion with each step

Fisher and his dad came back from their AT thru-hike having solidified their love of hiking. Fisher says he spent quite a bit of time hiking at Cheaha State Park before moving to Utah in 2018 and earning his degree in Outdoor Product Design from Utah State in 2020.

He has since launched his own outdoor clothing line with the tagline, “Where fun meets functional.” You can check out his products at Jollygear.com.

Kayaking Big Canoe Creek

Unexpected bonus nets Springville couple a business on the water

Story by Scottie Vickery
Submitted photos

When Beverly and Robert Shaffer started house hunting just over a year ago, their main goal was to find a place where they could raise some chickens. They ended up with a house on 19 acres in Springville, and at recent count, four goats, two tortoises, 19 rabbits, 23 chickens and 15 guinea fowl. Oh yeah, they also got a kayak rental business that came with the property, as well.

The perfect place for outdoor live music

That turned out to be a happy surprise, and operating Big Canoe Creek Kayaking has been as big an adventure for the family as it has been for the paddlers who come to enjoy some peaceful time on the water. “We ended up with much more than we were looking for, but we love it,” Beverly said.

Although they weren’t in the market for a new business, Beverly, who owns a childcare center in Birmingham, said they knew a good opportunity when they saw it. She and Robert have four children – Ashley, Hollis, Lyons and Thomas – and two of them were in need of summer jobs. Ashley works at the childcare center, and Hollis lives out of state, so Lyons and Thomas were the perfect candidates to run the kayak business.

Both students at Auburn University, the brothers weren’t exactly sure what they were getting themselves into last year, their first season. “It was definitely a lot more work than I expected, but it ended up being a ton of fun,” Thomas said. “Now that I know what to expect, I’m definitely more excited about this year.”

They open for the season on May 13, and the Shaffers expect to be even busier than last year. The owners of Yak Tha Creek in Ashville decided to close shop earlier this year, so Big Canoe Creek Kayaking is now the only kayak rental facility in St. Clair County. After purchasing half of the other business’ boats, the Shaffers now have a total of 50 kayaks, including seven doubles.

Kayaking is the most popular form of paddle sports, according to The Outdoor Foundation, and Big Canoe Creek is the perfect spot for all ages to get their feet wet. Lots of families and friends come to take advantage of the opportunity to unplug, get away from it all and enjoy nature.

“It’s really peaceful, and it’s very beginner-friendly,” Thomas said of the 3.85 mile stretch of the creek. It’s an easy float, and if visitors don’t want to do a lot of paddling, they can just sit back and enjoy the ride. “We have lots of kids doing it,” Thomas said, “and people take their dogs all the time. A lot of people go fishing, and they all seem to catch a lot.”

The scenery along the creek is breathtaking

The watershed is home to 50 species of fish and eight species of mussels, according to The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, which was founded in 2008 to protect and preserve the creek and its tributaries. The 246-mile watershed, which runs from northeast Jefferson County, flows through northern St. Clair County, eventually joins the Coosa River in southwest Etowah County. It is also a great place for bird watching. Owls, egrets and eagles are among the species that have been spotted.

The Shaffers’ animals are a big draw, as well, and children particularly love the goats and rabbits, Thomas said. There are picnic tables onsite, so visitors can pack a lunch and plan to stay for a while. “Everyone seems to really enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a fun way to spend time together, and it’s super relaxing.”

Big Canoe Creek Kayaking is open Friday through Sunday, although groups can be accommodated during the week. They open at 8:30 a.m. and the last kayaks go in the water at 3:30. Rentals are $40 for a single kayak and $50 for a double, and the cost includes paddles and life jackets. Visitors are shuttled to the drop-off point and picked up nearly four miles down the creek. The trip typically takes two to three hours, and paddlers with their own kayaks can have their boats shuttled for $20.

In addition, there are five campsites – each with a grill, picnic table and fire ring. The cost is $25 for the first tent and $10 for each additional tent. The campground is open 7 days a week.

For more information about Big Canoe Creek Kayaking, located at 6545 Alabama Highway 23 in Springville, call (205) 452-9553 or find them on Facebook at Big Canoe Creek Kayaking.

Just Ride!

Cycling through St. Clair backroads well worth the trek

Story by Roxann Edsall
Submitted Photos

“Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride.”

— Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist and five-time Tour de France winner

The popularity of biking, both traditional and E-biking, skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic as the need for social distancing peaked. Outdoor gear companies like Gadsden Outfitters report a leveling off of sales this year to a modest increase, more typical of pre-pandemic growth.

The newest trend gaining speed is gravel cycling. Sales of these gravel cycling bikes rose 109% from 2019 to 2021, according to New York Times. This sport is a bit of a mashup of both road biking and mountain biking. Despite its name, gravel cycling really encompasses riding on any surface that is not a paved road.

The bikes for gravel cycling feature the low gearing of mountain bikes with the lightweight frames of road bikes. The tires of a gravel bike are also narrower than those of a mountain bike.

The sport is popular with beginners because it is less technical than mountain biking and because gravel bikes are so versatile, they can be ridden almost anywhere.

“We’ve been looking at how to include the gravel rider in our events,” says Lloyd Maisonville, president of the Birmingham Bicycle Club. “It’s really up and coming as its own style of cycling. Many of our members have to travel a distance to do gravel events.”

Cyclists, whether their preference is gravel cycling, mountain biking or street riding, often list the adrenaline rush and beauty of the outdoors as motivators in their sport. And that ride often takes them on countryside treks through north St. Clair County to places like Ashville, Horse Pens 40, Chandler Mountain and St. Clair Springs.

Whatever the motivation, though, there is no doubt that cycling is a great low-impact aerobic activity. It’s also perfect both for those who want to be alone with nature and those who want to participate in cycling events with groups.

Nathan and Alex Tucker recently spent the day cycling at Oak Mountain State Park. The father/son duo list the trails there as some of their favorite in the state for biking.

“Oak Mountain has so many different trails. You’re always trying to do your best and get better and faster,” says Nathan. Alex agrees, adding that the variety of trails is good for all skill levels and different styles of riding.

There are many other options for cycling enthusiasts that include the Chief Ladiga Trail, Coldwater Mountain and Fort McClellan Multi-Use Trail, all in Anniston. In the Gadsden area, cyclists may want to visit the trails at Noccalula Falls Park. Other options include Red Mountain Park and Tannehill State Park.

This month, there are several events. The Eagle Rock Easter Classic is April 8 in Rainbow City and benefits Eagle Rock Boys’ Ranch. There is an event April 16 at Chief Ladiga Trail in Anniston. Bo Bikes Bama is April 22 in Auburn and benefits the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund.

Get in touch with your local bike club for local rides. One such club is the Birmingham Bicycle Club (Bhambikeclub.org).

“We love hosting rides in St. Clair County,” says the BBC’s president. “The roads and scenery are safe and beautiful, and the drivers are very courteous. We can ride freely and safely, more so than on an inner-city type ride.”

The club’s century ride, the BBC 100, is one of the longest running bicycle events in the state. The ride is Sept. 9 and starts at Ashville High School. There are four routes, ranging from 25 miles to 100 miles, designed to appeal to the variety of riders and skill levels.

In its 50^th year of existence, the BBC has recovered from a pandemic membership dip, up to nearly 300 members and growing. Part of their revenue from ride fees goes to helping local communities and into educational efforts to promote cycling.

Editor’s Note: For more information on the club, go to: bhambikeclub.org

Features

Schooled by nature

Immersive outdoor program at Pell City’s Hidden Lake Farms

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Kelsey Bain

The day is cool and crisp. One by one, the cars arrive, children emerge, laughing and greeting each other. This is a group of homeschoolers, and they’ve come to the farm for a field trip.

But, this isn’t a trip to just any farm. This farm is the site of a new nature immersion school, and today, they’ve come to learn from nature at Pell City’s Hidden Lake Farms.

In their half-day visit, they’ve met Ham Solo and Princess Luau, a pair of eight-month-old Kunekune pigs. They’ve learned that while they are yet quite small, they will eventually tip the scales at around 200 pounds each. The students have learned that because of their shorter upturned snouts, this particular breed is not able to root as much as most pigs.

Meeting and learning about the pigs was the best part of the day for five-year-old Vivienne, daughter of Deanna and Jonathan Stanton. “I loved the pigs,” she beamed. “They are cute!” 11-year-old Miller agreed. The son of Frances Gauntt, he was fascinated by the pigs, but also enjoyed learning about the farm’s covey of quail.

“That was pretty cool about the quails,” says Miller.

As farm owner and nature educator, Bethany Milstead, described typical quail behaviors, daughter Allie entered the enclosure to collect eggs. She emerged with a handful of tiny eggs. The miniscule hatchlings, Milstead explained, will only weigh as much as a quarter.

A homeschool mom herself, Milstead knows the value of hands-on experiences in keeping the attention of a mixed-age group of students. She hands out quarters for the children to experience a weight similar to the quail hatchlings. Even the parents are hanging on every word. “I never thought about the babies being so tiny,” comments one adult.

Another child’s voice is heard asking to hold the eggs. The tiny eggs are handed out for the children to hold and observe. “Can you eat them?” asks one student. “Yes, you can,” answers Milstead, “but you have to eat a lot of them because they’re so small.”

The students also learn about beta-casein proteins that relate to the farm’s cows and the milk they produce. They work on a gene distribution and expression exercise called Punnett squares to figure out what types of cows would need to be bred to produce particular proteins in milk.

“Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better.”

~Albert Einstein

Milstead is a firm believer in the strength of learning through experiences in nature. She believes in its value strongly enough that she is opening her nature immersion school in January. The school will be patterned after so-called “forest schools,” which originated in Scandinavia and gained popularity mostly in Germany and the U.K.. Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, forest schools in the U.S. have seen a moderate gain in popularity.

Hidden Lake Farm Nature Immersion School will have space for up to three classes of five- to 10-year-olds. The program runs September through June, with a break in July and August. Classes are three days a week from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be held outside each day beginning and ending at the 54-feet-by-45-feet pavilion.

A recreational vehicle is parked there for kitchen and toilet facilities. Administrators will monitor the weather and shuttle students to Milstead’s nearby home if storms are imminent.

Students will have opportunities to interact with and learn from the activities and animals on the farm. In addition to the pigs and quail, Hidden Lake Farms has horses, donkeys, dairy cows, chickens and turkeys – even a tortoise.

Milstead plans to incorporate the animals and land in her cross-curricular approach to education. Instead of concentrating on math or English at a particular time, she will integrate activities that support learning in multiple disciplines.

“There’s so much research on how important it is to be outside, yet children spend most of their time indoors,” explains Milstead. “There are so many benefits to being outside, including the development of large muscles, heightened immunity and learning opportunities that take advantage of natural curiosity. A nature immersion curriculum empowers children and fosters imagination and confidence.”

Research from Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit which studies childrens’ mental health and education, shows that being outside also supports creative thinking, encourages responsibility, reduces stress and promotes learning by fostering children’s natural sense of wonder.

Fostering that same sense of wonder that enthralled both Vivienne and Miller on that homeschool field trip will be a foundational tenet for teachers and administrators of this new school at Hidden Lake Farms. “We will be right here with the children making note of where their interests are,” adds Milstead. “We will then focus our studies there. We will all carry journals so we can document interests that emerge, and they can journal about what they’ve learned.”

The students will have plenty to journal about as they explore and learn about the animals and plants on the 60-plus acres of land that includes the school and Milstead’s home and farm.

A native of Talladega, she returned to the area to settle down with her husband, Rusty, and her three daughters and one son. From the time they purchased the farm, Milstead has had a vision of one day sharing it with others to help build their love of nature and learning. Ultimately, she hopes, that love of nature will extend to both students and parents. l

Editor’s Note: If you are interested in learning more about getting involved with Hidden Lake Farms Nature Immersion School or in field trips to Hidden Lake Farms, contact Bethany Milstead at hiddenlakefarmpellcity@yahoo.com.