Outdoor Explorers
Giving Bozeman kids a new experience.
Cross-country skiing under the sun on a warm day without a cloud in sight: the epitome of winter in Bozeman. This is how the Outdoor Explorers of Gallatin County's Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program spent a recent Saturday up at Bohart Ranch. Everyone was excited to be up on the freshly groomed slopes in the shadow of the Bridger Range. Arriving in the chilly valley early in the morning, people huddled for warmth in the lobby while they got their gear together. As boots slid on, the sun came over the ridge to warm up the skiers. It was smiles all around as the kids and their mentors (known within the program as "bigs" and "littles") got ready to tackle Bohart's trails.
Practicing new skills
With 370 individual organations in the United States, BBBS is a 100-year-old nonprofit that works to strengthen communities from the ground up, matching children with role models they get along with and can relate to. The process of matching a mentor with a child is held to strict standards and is a precise process. Trained professionals facilitate the matching process; the usual time commitment is 18 months, so the bond is made to last. BBBS works with mentors to offer guidance and training, ensuring that the mentor/mentee relationship is working for all parties involved. This structure of support and caring is what makes the program stand out against other mentoring programs.
The results are clear. Studies have shown that children involved with BBBS are less likely to do drugs, start drinking alcohol, skip school, and get in fights. The presence of an adult who cares and spends quality time makes all the difference. Having someone to look up to and confide in helps kids overcome troubles at home and school.
Each match spends at least an hour a week together, and the Outdoor Explorers program creates variety in those encounters through fly fishing, hiking, wildlife tracking, kayaking, floating, archery, horseback-riding, and more. BBBS partners with the Montana Wilderness Association to give children an appreciation for the outdoors they might not otherwise get. This winter, they all found themselves up at Bohart learning how to cross-country ski.
Enjoying a hard-earned lunch at the trail shelter
Most of the children had never been on skis before, so a lesson was first on the agenda. Doug Masterleo helped everyone learn the basics before sending them onto the extensive trail system. Cross-country skiing is awkward at first, and as kids went down here and there, mentors were ready to lift them back to their feet. Through the forest they kicked and glided, out into a broad meadow, where an amazing view of the Bridgers and Bangtails appeared. It was smiles all around as kids got the hang of this new activity.
During lunch at a trail shelter, a Forest Service employee gave a quick lecture about public land and other ski opportunities in town. Everyone was excited at the prospect of practicing their newfound skills on the groomed trails at Lindley Park. Then it was back down the hill to the lodge, with a few brave kids leading the way at top speed.
"Big" teaching a "little"
By the end of the day, everyone was in high spirits and had a renewed appreciation for the natural world. Kids didn't want to go home, and asked about how to find rentals in town to pursue their new hobby. With the considerable snowfall this year, cross-country skiing will be a viable way for them to get outside in the coming months. Which is great, because that's one of the goals of the Outdoor Explorers program: getting kids excited at the prospect of spending more time outside, and giving them the opportunity and information to do so. If their day at Bohart is any indication, then the program is already a success.
Adam Starecheski is the program coordinator for BBBS. For more information about the organization, or to become a big brother or big sister, call 587-1216.
