Kanatakon School Students Hike Azure Mountain

In the early morning hours of May 25, Kanatakon School students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 boarded an Akwesasne Board of Education School Bus. Students wearing long pants and sneakers piled into the bus with their backpacks filled with water, healthy lunches and bug spray. By 9:30am, the bus was rolling down Blue Mountain Road. The wheels kicked up dust and rocks as the bus approached the trailhead of Azure Mountain.

With the precise driving skills of Maggie King the bus was successfully backed into the small trailhead parking area. Students eagerly stood up after riding the bus for an hour with no break. Everyone was now in the deep woods of the Adirondack Mountains.

The trek began with students forming a group that would hike with Abigail, a Caveman Strong fitness education teacher at Kanatakon School. This group of students would be the first to make it to the top of the mountain. As those students ran up a secondary group formed and soon everyone set their own pace according to their abilities.

Abigail worked with students all year long and decided to reward Grade 4, 5 and 6 students with the celebratory hiking trip to Azure Mountain. With a job well done, students were given the opportunity focus on their fitness skills that they developed over the school year, all while experiencing the wonders of the Adirondacks.

Caveman Strong located in Cornwall Ont. partners with local schools in Akwesasne (Tsi Snaihne, Kanatakon and Kawehnoke) to provide students with fitness education. Caveman Strong's mission is "to 'plant the seed' and have kids 'fall in love' with fitness and exercise through learning about themselves and learning what works."

When the students finally made it to the top they marveled at the views from the Azure Mountain Peak. Although somewhat tired, the students accomplished something very rewarding through encouragement and teamwork from peers, teachers and chaperones.

Azure Mountain is located in the Town of Waverly, NY at the western edge of Franklin County. The trail is moderately trafficked and is a 1.8 mile hike. Azure Mountain features a long-standing fire tower, which was originally erected in 1918. The trail is open year around, where hikers can enjoy the seasonal views of the Adirondack Mountains and area water bodies.