The wolf may be able to show off its strength and agility in the wilderness, but it is the Raven who carries the knowledge of the forest.

My Friday morning was filled with excitement as I frantically rushed to school for the trip to Grouse Mountain. Shortly after the buses arrived at the base of the mountain we set off to explore the various wonders that Grouse Mountain had to offer.

Our first stop was the wolf habitat where we saw two grey wolves and a brown wolf interacting with each other. The brown wolf stood righteously in his habitat showing himself off, demonstrating to us and the other wolves that he was the leader of the pack.

After visiting the majestic wolves we entered the gondola station and prepared to board the older and "more sketchy looking" gondola. Our ride up the mountain felt like a crazy roller coaster ride. In reality, the gondola was travelling safely and efficiently.

At the top of the mountain we walked to the Hiwus Long House where we were taught about the aboriginal people. The aboriginal instructor related to us the history of his ancestors. I especially enjoyed the dancing that took place in the long house. I danced as a Raven, pointing up my nose at the roof and holding my hands at my waist. Others danced as wolves, showing off their strength throughout their dancing.

After the breathtaking performance in the Hiwus Long House our group walked to the bear habitat in hopes of seeing the massive bears, Koola and Grinder. Our first visit to the habitat turned out to be disappointing as the bears were nowhere to be seen. After lunch we returned to the habitat and luckily saw the two bears. I saw Koola relaxing on a comfy snow covered rock. When the fog cleared the other bear, Grinder, could be seen and believe me, he was massive. I'm sure he would have had no problem tearing us to shreds if he wanted. Yep, even Mr.Wilson. Link to Grouse Mountain bear video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpOWV0vDejY&feature=player_embedded

Unfortunately, our time with the bears had to come to an end. We travelled to another shelter where we learned about various phyla that exist in the biological ecosystems of the world. Luckily, I had already been taught the information by Mr. D. The activity we did was a breeze and I felt "honoured" when my group begged me to help them! Afterwards we viewed a presentation about skulls and how to identify whether or not they belonged to an omnivore, carnivore, or herbivore. During the presentation I had my picture taken with a dead bear. Its jaws where big enough to wrap around my head!

As always, another excellent Edge outing had eventually come to an end. After boarding the bus all I can remember is falling sleep and waking up in Walnut Grove.