DeHaan calls her program Iris and the Triple Crown Classroom. Throughout the school year, she creatively integrates the A.T., the Continental Divide Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and even the Iditarod dogsled race into language arts, math, science, social studies, and more. “A lot of people think that it’s some kind of curriculum that I’m following, but it’s more like a way of life,” she explains. “I weave the trails and trail life into what the school requires me to do.”
DeHaan teaches math skills by tracking their mileage. They calculate how far they’ve gone and how far they plan to go. An “itty-bitty little hiker” on a big A.T. map helps them monitor their progress along the Trail.
If they’re reading about trees, they’ll talk about the Keffer Oak in Virginia. As DeHaan explains, “For phonics, if we’re learning ff, ll, ss, and zz, I’ll say, ‘Oh, for ff, let’s use cliff.’ And then I’ll talk about Tinker Cliffs in Virginia. I’m constantly weaving what I know about the Trail into the lessons.”
When DeHaan tells them about Grayson Highlands, the students bring stuffed animals — preferably horses — and arrange them in the playground. “Then we hike around the ponies, which is always fun,” DeHaan laughs. Everyone has a good time while also learning about giving space to and respecting wildlife.
The students learn about how to navigate different parts of the Trail, like large boulders they would pass under. “I take two chairs, put them together, and put a bean bag over the top. They take their backpacks and go under it,” she explains. “For Mahoosuc Notch, we go to the playground. They have their backpacks on, and they climb and crawl and all this cute stuff.”
And Mount Katahdin? “I have an old easel, so I wrote all the things that are on the Katahdin sign and put it at the top of the hill. We go up the hill and I teach them how to smack the sign,” DeHaan shares. “They genuinely, in their hearts, summit Mount Katahdin! It’ll make me cry if I think about it. It’s the coolest, cutest thing ever.”
They went to Trail Days and then hiked to the Grayson Highlands with three of their children. “That day, as we were finishing our hike, I froze. Tears were streaming down my cheeks,” she recalls. “Cameron asked what was wrong, and I said, ‘I can’t go back.’ And then a voice inside my soul said, Take it with you. I was confused until it hit me! I couldn’t get down the Trail quick enough to get to my notebook and start writing all the ideas that flooded my mind.”
DeHaan’s work with her students aligns with the ATC’s and its partners’ efforts to emphasize hiker education and personal responsibility. Among their many duties, Ridgerunners on the Trail share responsible hiking practices with visitors. And people of all ages can learn more at one of the Conservancy’s three Visitor Centers in Damascus, Virginia; Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; and Monson, Maine.
“It’s always fun to talk to families,” says Caitlin Miller, the ATC’s Information Services Manager. “There’s this moment where you can kind of see the concept of the A.T. click in their minds. It’s like a spark. Teaching them about the Trail early captures a part of their imagination.”
For as long as she can, DeHaan intends to keep igniting those sparks. “This is how I govern my classroom and my life,” she says. “I instill in the children a love for nature, caring about the Earth, the people in it, the animals, and preserving it for the future.”
Miller is a fan of DeHaan’s program. “Teaching kids from a young age about stewardship of our public lands and wild places really hooks them, and I think from there, they grow up with that outdoor ethic. She’s doing that and makes it fun by engaging that adventurous spirit that people love about the Trail.”
For ATC hiker resources, visit appalachiantrail.org/hiker-resources