WindWolves Preserve

Went went to WindWolves Preserve south of Bakersfield. We learned how to survive in the wilderness if we ever got lost. We learned some of the foods we could eat if we were hungry like wild celery and stink melon. We tasted them both. The melon was pretty bad, but the wild celery that grew by the creek tasted the same as our celery. We learned to stay away from stinging nettles and poison oak. We saw what they both looked like. The Indians used the vine of the stinging nettles to make things with and even cooked the leaves and ate them. We also saw a humming bird nest and an animal skull.

Our guide taught us how to trap an animal by using rocks and two sticks to set a trap to get the rock to fall on and kill a small animal.

We learned to identify animal tracks of animals that live out in the valley wilderness. We made tracks of bobcats, deer, tule elk, bear, and mountain lion. We saw actual tracks of a tule elk and a bobcat and also saw deer by the road.

Building a fire was really hard. Our docent showed us how we could use two sticks and rub them together or twirl one stick into another until we got sparks. We tried and tried but only felt the wood getting warm, no sparks.

We learned to how to build a shelter if we ever got lost and needed shelter. Always have the door toward the east because the sun rises in the east and it will warm up the shelter. We used sticks and brush to make our shelter. We also learned that you can live for six days without water and six weeks without food. I don’t think I’d live that long without food. It was all very interesting. I hope I am never lost in the wilderness.