Occoneechee Mountain: On Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, ICO took the A.E. Finley YMCA Community HOPE mentoring program out for a hike at Occoneechee Mountain in Hillsborough, NC. With a summit of 867 feet, this is the tallest point in Orange County! The children enjoyed the bunnies, dogs, trickling waterfalls and overlooks on the hike. The weather cooperated and provided our group with a great day for a fall hike. We wrapped up the afternoon with leaf rubbings and a good game of kickball before returning home.

Durant Nature Park: On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, ICO completed its annual service event completing a stream clean-up at Durant Nature Park. We found several plastic bottles, plastic bags, and among other things old thrown out toys that ended up in the stream. After the clean-up we celebrated with painting pumpkins and a hike around the lake where we saw several turtles basking in the autumn sun.

Historic Yates Mill County Park: On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, ICO celebrated the fall harvest at Historic Yates Mill County Park in Raleigh. We toured the historic mill and learned how water alone can power the process for making cornmeal and flour. The corn shucking contest and corncob toss were a lot of fun, and there were some great hands-on activities, such as spinning wool, making a wheat straw wreath and playing with the magical properties of corn starch! We listened to traditional African music during lunch and learned about African dance and culture. We ended the day with a hike around the pond and skipping stones on the water.
Harvest Celebration Slideshow

Stone Mountain State Park: On Saturday, June 20 through Sunday, June 21, 2009, ICO camped out at Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring River, NC. Several children experienced their first overnight camping trip, first campfire and their first time sliding down natural rock slides, which proved to be a big hit! We also hiked to the summit of Stone Mountain. The view from the top was impressive -- making the steep hike worth the effort.
Stone Mountain Slideshow #1
Stone Mountain Slideshow #2

Duke Lemur Center and Eno River State Park: On Saturday, May 9, 2009, Heritage Park learned about prosimian primates and their odd adaptations at the Duke Lemur Center. The afternoon was spent hiking along the Cabelands and Quarry trails at Eno River State Park.

William B. Umstead State Park and NCMA: On Saturday, April 18, 2009, ICO celebrated Earth Day 2009 at the Umstead Coalition and NC Art Museum Earth Day Festival. We walked four miles through Umstead and then headed over to the museum for an afternoon of games, crafts and music at the festival.

Merchants Millpond State Park: On April 4-April 5, 2009, Triangle ICO met up with the high school students of KIPP Pride High for a canoe camping trip at beautiful Merchants Millpond State Park. We spent Saturday exploring the park in the canoes and saw some great wildlife, including an alligator!

Shelley Lake and Greenway trails in Raleigh: On Saturday, March 21, 2009, nine youth and five adults enjoyed a crisp sunny day at Shelley Lake, bicycling 7-10 miles on the greenway trails, playing games at Huck Finn Day, and observing various waterfowl and a turtle along the way.

Sylvan Heights: On Saturday, March 7, 2009, Triangle ICO met up with the high school students of KIPP Pride High for an outing to Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center, the largest grouping of waterfowl in the world, on a beautiful day in March. Record temperatures and sun were enjoyed as we hiked and explored the Roanoke Rapids canal trail in the afternoon.

Blue Jay Point County Park: On Saturday, February 28, 2009, Heritage Park went to Blue Jay Point County Park to learn about aquatic life and explore the exhibits in the Environmental Education Center. We dip netted in the pond and saw up-close salamanders, tadpoles, dragonfly nymphs and various aquatic bugs. Although it was a cold and rainy day, we had fun and learned a lot!

NC Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC: On Saturday, January 10, 2009, nine kids and four adults enjoyed a very crisp, but sunny winter day at the NC Museum of Life and Science. While there wasn't time to view all that the Museum has to offer, various groups visited the Farmyard and the Butterfly House, saw black bears, red wolves and lemurs, and tried to sail a boat by remote in an exhibit on wind. After lunch, all were entertained by Birdman Dave, who introduced us to a green winged macaw, a barred owl, and a parakeet.

Eno River State Park: On Saturday, November 22, 2008, Triangle ICO had its first outing with the Community HOPE Mentoring Program. The group traveled to the Few's Ford portion of the Eno River State Park to explore a swinging bridge, hike the Cox Mountain trail, and see the ice floating on top of the river.
Eno River Slideshow

NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Ken's Corn Maze & Lake Benson Park: On Saturday, October 25, 2008, nine young men from Heritage Park spent the morning holding ball pythons and learning about crocodiles before heading out for a 2.5 mile corn maze and afternoon of playing sports. The team to win the maze completed it in 42 minutes! A good fall day was enjoyed by all!!

Medoc Mountain: The first trip with KIPPS Pride High and GPS was a success! On Saturday, October 4, 2008, both students and volunteers enjoyed a science-filled day at Medoc Mountain State Park where we learned about snakes, rocks and streams while hiking about 2 miles.

Crowder District Park: On Saturday, September 13, 2008, Heritage Park enjoyed a warm, late summer day at Crowder District Park in Apex. We attended a program about the sport of falconry, strolled around the pond, played volleyball, and tried to guess different NC animals by playing "Wildlife 20 Questions." On our way back to Heritage, we cooled off with ice cream at the farmers market.

Falls Lake: On Saturday, August 16th, 2008, Heritage Park cooled off in Beaver Dam with football, frisbees, and swimming. We also hiked along the lake, and attempted to skip some rocks.

Hanging Rock State Park: On July 12-13th, 2008, ten students from Heritage Park went on a camping trip to Hanging Rock. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful mountains, as we swam and canoed at the lake, hiked to waterfalls and amazing views, and relaxed around the camp fire.
Hanging Rock Slideshow



Raleigh Farmers Market, Chicken Tour & Lake Wheeler: On Saturday, May, 17th, 2008, Heritage Park learned about local eating by visiting the Raleigh Farmers Market and several backyard chicken coops as part of the annual Henside the Beltline Tour d'Coop. We spent the afternoon having a picnic and enjoying the natural beauty of Lake Wheeler.
Chicken Slideshow



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