It is a beautiful summer morning here at Sky Ranch, but it looks like we can expect another afternoon thunderstorm. Hopefully our two backpacking trips and our four day hike groups will all be able to stay dry as they explore God’s Creation.  So far I have been able to sit outside at the chuck wagon enjoying nature and working on this blog update, but the clouds are already building around us.

This week is one of our busier weeks for our offsite programming and while it has been busy, it has also been very exciting to see some many people setting off into Creation for a week of self-sustained living.  We have two full trips, one group from Minnesota and the other from Kansas.

This morning our specialists are teaching Pioneer history and food education to the Teresa cabin.  The cabin is learning how to cook in a dutch oven, making an apple crisp. A dutch oven is a great way to cook in a fire; it is a cast iron pot and lid that can be used to cook a variety of dishes- especially dishes that require baking and can’t be done on a grill or skewer.  The lid has a rim around it so you can pile coals on top and cook the dish evenly.  Dutch ovens have been used for hundreds of years and we use them to teach about the pioneer lifestyle back in the mid 19^th century.

To get ready, the specialists worked to prepare a good fire with plenty of hot coals to cook over.  After preparing the apple crisp, the girls of Teresa cabin placed the dutch oven in the fire and waited for it to cook.  While waiting for the food to cook, the cabin participated in a Bible study, exploring today’s theme of “Hitting the Trail.”  The apple crisp was ready just as the Bible study was wrapping up.  Teresa cabin then got to try the dish that the prepared and cooked. (It was delicious!)

-Mark (High School Off-Site Coordinator)

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