Picnic at 3,000 Feet

by Jackson Curry and Rennie Shaffer

HEY VIEWERS! Today we will be chatting about our journey to Seneca Rocks. It started as an early morning at Food Lion. Turns out, there are many different Food Lions in Harrisonburg! A few of our classmates went to the wrong one, causing us to wait on the bus as a dark cloud approached. This set a worried tone for the beginning of the trip (as if we weren’t worried enough because Mr. Kohrs was driving the bus). Once the rest of our classmates arrived, we were off! Mr. Kohrs put the pedal to the metal! The bus ride started off fine; it was a flat ride through Harrisonburg… until we got to the mountains. As we started up the mountain, Mr. Kohrs really began to fly. We went through a series of hills, hitting what felt like Mach 10. We pulled up the pedometer on Life 360 to track the speed, only to find out we were barely hitting 60 mph. A classmate's tummy took a turn for the worst, requiring us to pull over so they could evacuate the bus. In the blink of an eye, we had finally arrived at “Wild Wonderful West Virginia”!

The dark cloud turned black, and it began to rain. We bolted into the gift shop, spending copious amounts of money. Then, we took a bathroom break, and the trek up Seneca Rocks began. The hike up winded back and forth, making it feel like there was no end. (The hike was actually only 2 miles.) Once we made it to the top, the view was worth the pain. Some of our classmates were scared, but we all made it up! Although the signs claimed that climbing on the rocks could cause death or injury, this was the best part of the trip! Our picnic had finally begun! We all sat and ate our lunch, but were still cautious of the dangerous plummet that could occur. After our lunch, we continued to climb across the peak. We admired the views from 3,000 feet up, looking down into the valley that stretched for miles. We got back to a safe spot on the peak and hunkered down; each person sketched their perspective and incorporated observations and annotations into their drawing.

With our stomachs full and our sketches complete, it was time to make our way back down the mountain. The trek down was a lot easier than the way up. Rather than stopping for constant water breaks and to catch our breath, the journey back was filled with goofy conversations and bonding that will last a lifetime. While the hike was filled with calf cramps, wet socks, and a snake we named Sammy, this was the perfect way to start off the year as juniors at MRGS.