Appalachian Teacher

Mr. DeVoe, a 7th grade science teacher at Groton Middle School, has been granted a sabbatical to hike the Appalachian Trail and use the technology of his IPhone to share the experience with students and community.  I hope to use his blog for teaching moments in my own classroom.  For example, we have been studying longitude and latitude.  Mr. DeVoe can take a reading of his current longitude and latitude when he's on the trail and send us a picture and it will be a real-life example of the system.  

On average it takes people 6 months to hike the whole length of the Appalachian Trail which runs from Georgia to Maine.  He will be starting the trail April 4th from Springer Mountain in Georgia.  Follow Mr. DeVoe on his website here.

The kids seemed excited and curious about his journey.  Where will he sleep?  What is he bringing?  What does he do all day for five months?  So Mr. DeVoe stopped in for a visit today to show the class his website, a Google Earth presentation of the Appalachian Trail, and to talk about life on the trail.

Sophia tries to lift his 43-pound backpack!


The students expressed interest in putting a food package together for Mr. DeVoe and mailing it out to him in a couple of months. Since he has to consume 5,000-6,000 calories a day, Mr. DeVoe told us that light treats high in fat and calories are best. Here are some suggestions:
-candy bars
-poptarts
-oatmeal
-granola
-instant rice
-ramen noodles
-stovetop stuffing
-tuna (in a bag, not can)
-pasta
-lipton noodles
-granola bars
-trail mix
-cookies
-sunflower seeds
-hard candy
-power bars or any other energy hiking snacks

Feel free to donate any extra of these things lying around the house if you're able!