Today we really enjoyed ourselves here at Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a different pace than yesterday’s activities, which I’m sure everyone appreciated! We started the day off at the Folk Art Center where we viewed a viewed a bunch of cool craft work. From there we took a long ride up Blue Ridge where on the way we stopped and identified a few new plants also went on a short hunt for rattle snakes! Our next stop was walking through Craggy Gardens trails and observing Bald grasslands. Next we headed to Mt. Mitchell where the temperature dropped to about 55 degrees since we were at 6,684 feet elevation. This is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. Our final stop was Curtis Creek. Here we got in waist deep water searching for all types of creatures! We found things from salamanders to the nymphs of different flies. Overall, everyone enjoyed today’s adventures! -Mariah White 
May
16
Wednesday, May 15th field bio
May
16
Wednesday May 16, 2011
Hi my name is Celecia Manning!
Today was day 3 in the Appalacian Mountains and we visited Mt. Mitchell. This was a very cool experience because Mt. Mitchell happens to be the largest mountain east of the Mississippi River. The name of the mountain has a story to to go along with it because it was named after Elisha Mitchell who died trying to measure the height of the mountain. His body is buried there and you can see the memorial as soon as you reach the very top of the mountain. After hiking we went to Curtis Creek and that’s the part I enjoyed the most out of the trip. We got into the actual creek and used nets to catch things like crayfish and tadpoles. There was also some humor in the trip because several students fell inside the creek! The water was very low so no one was harmed and overall we had a very good day. I am very thankful for the oppurtunity to experience something different because this is my first time in the mountains. We are half way through and I can’t wait to see what adventure we will go on tomorrow !
May
15
Tuesday 5/15/2012
Today was very productive and interesting. We saw many animals such as many salamanders, frogs, bugs, snails, elks, and wild turkeys. We also found many plants such as ferns, hobble bush, and blueberries. We need a lot of hiking and saw waterfalls and beautiful mountains. I learned so much in one day and took pictures that I will cherish for a lifetime. It was amazing and I hope to come back in the future.
May
15
Tuesday 5/15/2012
Today we spent the day exploring the mountains around Black Mountains. We saw a bog, a cove and did lots of hiking. We heard a lot of birds today which were identified by their calls. We learned about many more plants like squaw root and rock tripe. (Which by the way if you get lost in the mountains you can eat.) We experienced different altitudes and how they affect our lungs. We saw elk and wild turkeys along with more salamanders. Today was physically strenuous but we learned a lot. It was a lot of walking. The coolest part of today was the falls at Graveyard Fields. They were spectacular!
May
14
Monday, May 14th – Blog 2
Today we went hiking in the Appalachians. It was 2 miles up hill and 2 miles down. We started on the Azalea trail heading up and on the way back we took the Blue Ridge trail. I thought the hiking was not extensive, though I found myself yawning a lot and breathing more deeply. Driving up to Christmount, we are currently at an altitude of 2,500 feet, and noticed a difference in the way I was breathing.
Abby Dank
May
14
Monday, May 14, 2012
Hello, it’s Monday, May 14th at 9:44 pm and I just finished an exciting first day on the BIO 006 mountains course. We departed Barton College at 8:00 am to journey to Christmount in Black Mountain, NC. Overall, the first day was quite successful. Truthfully speaking, I was nervous about coming on this trip as I do not have much experience with nature. When packing for the trip, the forecast for Monday suggested severe thunderstorms with a high of 77; however, the weather couldn’t have been any different. We departed Group Lodge 101 at 2:40 pm to embark on a 4 mile hike through the trails. We started on the Azalea Trails. Siri my IPhone 4 said that the temperature was 68o. She is so smart!!! I probably should have been working out prior to this because the journey up this trail was steep to say the least. I think my calf muscles will be stronger by the end of the week. As we traveled along the trail, we saw different trees as the Eastern Hemlock and Tulip Poplar and also saw a wide variety of ferns such as the Lady fern an Christmas fern, just to name a few. On the Azalea trail we captured a crayfish and several Mountain Dusky salamanders. Our travel back towards our lodge, led us to the Blue Ridge Trail. We were equally successful with the capture of several animals with the highlight being a ring neck snake that we named “Spongey”. If you look below you can see a picture of Spongey being held by one of my classmates. I am tired, but feel good about my day. I am looking forward to the adventures that we are scheduled to have this week as we learn more about the North Carolina Mountains. Below are some pictures that we took throughout the day. I hope you enjoy them!!!
Check out this blog throughout the week as more of my classmates will be highlighting the activities of the BIO 006 course.
Markiesha Edgerton
Class of 2012
Mariah holding Spongey
May
11
Students Exploring NC Mountains-2012
Hi! It’s Friday, May 11, and I’m doing some preparations for BIO 006, a field biology course focused on the Appalachian mountains along the southern section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Something new for the course this year is that students will be blogging about their experience here. We head out Monday, and the first blog post should be Monday night. The field part of this course is one week, so the last post would be on Saturday. But we’ve had so many students sign up this year that we’re doing two sections! That means two trips, and blogs will go for two weeks. So if you know people in the course, or if you want to learn more about what we do, or if you’re just bored and surfing, check in on us! There will be something new every day from 5/14 – 5/26.
JimC
Apr
27
Is that your final answer?!
It was the second semester of my senior year at E.A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina when I decided that Barton College was the place for me. During my process of college hunting, everyone told me that I will know where I want to go to because it will “feel right.” I was not exactly sure what that meant, until I stepped foot on Barton’s campus. Right away, I felt comfortable with the school’s environment. The first thing that stood out to me was the campus as a whole. There are beautiful trees everywhere you look, and all year you can watch them change as the leaves fall and grow back according to the seasons.
Another thing that struck me was the people. I got the vibe that not only does the admissions staff know how awesome Barton is, but so do the students. It was evident everywhere I looked that the students thoroughly enjoyed being at their school. For example, unlike most of the other colleges I visited, on my tour whenever we pasted current Barton students, no one ever hesitated to say, “Hey! How are you? Barton is a great choice, you should come here!” There is nothing I love more than students with school pride. Everyone at Barton is extremely nice; it is the kind of nice that makes you appreciate your school and the people who surround you.
Barton is a private, liberal arts school, and we have a smaller student body. Here at Barton, students are offered great opportunities. At big universities, all of the students are considered just a number; at Barton it couldn’t be any more different. This quality is beneficial because most students are more likely to speak up in smaller class sizes; this way you can get all the attention you need to succeed and more. At first, given that I did not know that much about the school, I doubted whether attending Barton was really the right choice for me. However, I am completely satisfied with my decision of making Barton the place to further my education. I guarantee, you won’t regret coming here!
Apr
27
Wide Awake Wilson
Getting ready to come to Barton? Then you probably have so many questions, such as what really is there to do in Wilson? Where are some of the popular hangout places? And, if you’re like me, where can you do some shopping? All of these questions, and many more, race through your mind when you think about college and the town you’ll be spending the next four years in. Barton does have a small campus, but we also have so many fun and exciting events going on all the time.
Here at Barton, we have Campus Activities Board, or CAB as we call it, which is a student group that plans and organizes many of the events we have on campus. Some of our past events include: comedians, trips to the Carolina Hurricanes Hockey games, poetry slams, movie nights, karaoke nights, weekend trips to amusement parks, glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunts, talent shows, and much more. CAB is open to any ideas that the student body may have for hosting events on campus!
Barton is also very big on athletic teams and sporting events. This year, our men’s basketball team was very successful, and the Student Bulldog Club cheered them on the entire season. So, if you want to show off your school spirit and pride, you may want to look into joining the Student Bulldog Club. This organization attends all BC games for free and supports the teams with their amazing school spirit – face paint and posters included. The Bulldog Club also travels to away games with the teams and supports them as well.
Although CAB organizes events held on campus, there are also things to do off campus as well. If you don’t have a car, don’t worry – there’s always a carpool or a friend willing to give you a ride. In Wilson, there are tons of things to do, from as skating, bowling, and eating out, to going to the movies or shopping. In Wilson, there are many restaurants to choose from, ranging from Mexican to Italian food, and let’s not forget those late night cravings for Cook-Out! Now, let’s talk about shopping, one of my most favorite things to do! In Wilson, there are several shopping centers that include a Target, Rue 21, Marshalls, Ross, Wal-Mart, Belk, and many other choices.
Regardless of what you’re interested in, there’s always something to do and something to get involved in here at BC!
Apr
20
Working Hard for the Money
With summer quickly approaching, the only stressful thing is the huge stack of job applications piled on my desk! Even though paperwork is no fun at all, the hardest part would be finding the perfect summer job. (Plus, it’d be nice if that job came with a big pay check!) Luckily, during the school year, I don’t have to worry about finding a flexible, nearby job because there are lots of opportunities for work study jobs on campus!
The work-study program provides part-time employment to students to help with college expenses. There are over two-hundred-fifty work study jobs offered each semester, and they’re usually posted on our work study bulletin board located outside the Financial Aid office. From jobs ranging from the dining hall to the admissions office, you’re sure to find a job somewhere where you actually enjoy working!
I’m an ambassador here at Barton, and part of my responsibility is to give campus tours, answer the questions of prospective students, work open houses and other special events, and do office work in the admissions office. One of the perks of being an ambassador is that I get to meet so many wonderful people around campus! I basically get paid to talk about how much I absolutely love being a Barton bulldog! And come on, what’s not to love about Barton?!
Working on campus is such a blessing! When you go to work, you don’t even have to start your car, since it’s just across center campus. Sometimes I drop by the office by with five minutes to spare, or even give a tour between classes. Another great thing about working on campus is that your boss will know that school always comes first. Everybody here is more than willing to work around your class schedule and will understand if you need a night off to study for a big test the next day.
If you’ll be attending Barton this fall, make sure to check out the work study board! Also, keep an eye out for posters and flyers for positions around campus. I’m sure there will be some room in our ambassador family!
- Jessica
