Fri, Nov 20 2009
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Published July 20, 2009 06:47 pm - Levi Humes likes animals. His family’s property is home to pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, goats, turkeys, ducks, pheasants, a miniature horse, donkey, cow and emu. Outward Bound in The Cascades Jefferson Area High senior spends three weeks in Pacific Northwest wilderness By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com Star Beacon Levi Humes likes animals. His family’s property is home to pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, goats, turkeys, ducks, pheasants, a miniature horse, donkey, cow and emu.
After spending three weeks among wild creatures like porpoise, seals, bald eagles, river otters and marmots, Humes has come to an even greater understanding of his afinity for animals and nature, one that is nudging him toward a career in the life or environmental sciences. “It’s kind of steered me more toward the nature/animal path that has always been a passion of mine,” said Humes, summarizing the impact his participation in the Outward Bound program had on his plans. Outward Bound is a non-profit organization that serves people of all ages and backgrounds through active-learning expeditions that inspire character development, self-discovery and service in and out of the classroom. Participants work in unfamiliar settings that help them realize they can do more than they ever thought possible. It serves about 70,000 students and teachers annually. A Jefferson Area High School senior, Humes was made aware of Outward Bound in his English class. The program seemed like a good match for Humes, an Eagle Scout and 4-H member. “I’ve always been an outdoorsy kind of guy and it sounded like a neat experience, being able to learn new things and meet new people,” he said. With assistance from Bruce Loomis and Humes’ parents, Barry Humes and Annette Paul, Levi was able to join the Northwest Sea Kayaking and Mountaineering adventure in Pugent Sound and the Cascade Range. Humes said he chose that wilderness exploration program because of the variety it offered. “I like doing new things,” Humes said. “I was worried if I did the exact same thing for 22 days, I might get a little tired of it.” Humes prepared physically for the rigors of mountain hiking by walking up and down the grandstand steps at the fairgrounds. His father worked out with him. “We’d start off going up with our right legs first, then on our left legs first,” he said. The training paid off on the mountain hikes, but he ignored preparing his arms for the demands of kayaking several miles a day. He left for the adventure June 15 and returned July 6. On his first day in the program, Humes and the other nine students in his group of six males and four females learned how to kayak in the frigid water of the sound. They had to swim 20 yards in the cold water and purposely flip their kayak over and learn to escape from it, as well as alert others to the accident. Humes says his actual kayaking went without incident, however. They kayaked between uninhabited islands, camping on a different one each night. While on this segment of the adventure, the students performed service projects, a component of the Outward Bound program. “Outward Bound is big on service,” said Humes, who has gone on mission trips to West Virginia, Central America and areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. “We tore down an erosion fence and dismantled a hunter’s camp (on a island).” 
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