LAKE BRONSON, Minn. _ With daytime temperatures near 45 degrees, it wasn't exactly a polar expedition, but nine students from Heritage Christian School in Karlstad, Minn., spent two nights recently winter camping at Lake Bronson State Park in northwest, Minnesota.
The state park near the town of Lake Bronson is about 80 miles northeast of Grand Forks.
According to Jon Eerkes of Karlstad, the winter camping excursion was the "capstone event" for the Christian school's Outdoor Education Class. Eerkes, who teaches the class as a volunteer, is a land steward for The Nature Conservancy in northwest Minnesota.
The camping excursion, which began Thursday, Feb. 16 and wrapped up Saturday morning, Feb. 18, was several weeks in the planning for the four girls and five boys in grades 7 through 12, Eerkes said.
The students spent nine, 1{-hour sessions learning camping and basic survival skills to prepare for the adventure, he said.
"The heart of this course was my desire to see more kids experience the outdoors," Eerkes said. "In terms of faith, I see the outdoors as helping kids connect with their creator. In terms of personal growth, these outdoor experiences help encourage independence, self-esteem, a sense of accomplishment and an ability to face and overcome difficulties.
"In terms of my career with The Nature Conservancy, I realize that unless people experience nature and create good memories as they experience, they will never care about its welfare."
All the planning in the world couldn't have assured the balmy weather _ by February standards _ the students and their four chaperones encountered during the trip. The crew set up three shelters, and the mercury the morning of Friday, Feb. 17 dipped to a mere 25 degrees and rose to 45 by that afternoon, Eerkes said.
The campsites at the state park's Two Rivers Campground also offered good shelter from the wind, he said.
