The Tenderfoot Vibe

Jared Christopher, Ohio University ’24, joined our 2024 internship cohort as our Marketer-in-Residence. In addition to working on a marketing plan and press releases, he spent a lot of time getting to know the property. He made deep observations about various elements. If you haven’t made it to Tenderfoot yet, his writing just might transport you here…or entice you to visit.

The Pond

The pond is the center of the Tenderfoot facilities. In the center is a waterspout, and there’s a  floating dock for someone to step onto to travel along the pond. It is also accessible for swimming. Consistently being cleaned by staff, the pond provides nourishment for animals and humans alike. Our biologist, Kayla, has been getting inside the water, clearing out the pondweed therefore improving the pond ecosystem and managing invasive species. This also makes the water much more suitable for swimming. As it rains you can see the little droplets hit the water so softly as the birds chirp, illuminating and heightening the experience of hanging out and chilling by the water as it refreshes your spirit. The water is approximately 10 feet deep and at the bottom of it is muddy ground. Along the edges of the pond are medium length grasses, also consistently trimmed, creating a boundary for this body of water. Best times for swimming? Between 11 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon when the sun is at the peak of its sunlight for the day. That being said, the water temperature is great for basically anytime of the day. Some of the best visual aspects of the pond are the waves that form once you put feet or a rock in there and that array of flow that follows. It makes the pond feel more animated. The pond can be seen as you are entering the learning lab and on the balcony of the learning lab facilities. Not a strong swimmer? No worries! Life jackets are available from inside the lodge. Just make sure to inform the staff that you are requesting one, and they will be happy to help you.

The Woods

If you want to see green, you are in the right place. Probably the most extensive part of Tenderfoot Learning Lab are the woods. These woods circle around the outer parts of the facilities yet go really deep, and there are multiple entrances. If you have a car, you can park right in front of the Pioneer Road trailhead. From there, you can get a view of the construction of the outdoor classroom being built, and from the outdoor classroom, you get a great view of the Tenderfoot Pond. When you go along the path around the classroom and walk across the bridge beside the pond, you can see our lodge where we live and create meals from the garden. Sitting upon the stumps around the fire pit, you see a sign that says Hammock Garden. Beyond that sign, there are parallel rows of tall trees that make a clear path for hikers to go deep into the woods. These are a great way of getting shade on a hot day, and they’re perfectly spaced for hanging hammocks.

The woods are safe, but watch your step. One minute you’re on a ridge, the next minute you are in a valley. But once you get down in that holler, there are the deciduous trees that flourish the environment. There are multiple streams and creeks for your eyes to follow the flow, for the body to feel refreshed, whether on purpose or by misstep. Also worth noting is that the woods are a great place for when it rains due to the fact that the trees capture most of it, so you stay mostly dry. The staff can provide you with a map for you to know where you are going. Make sure you have a map or a partner to walk around with so you don’t get lost or go too far off from the facilities. 

You may get followed around by the lab’s chickens. They are friendly, but they tend to wander off. They also make a lot of noise. They aren’t the same as having a buddy around. You may spend a lot of time trying to round them up if you hike with the chickens. Here’s a trick, take a swim across the pond to keep the chickens from following you. Then when you get out, take the bridge across to get on the inside of the woods. Also, make sure you get back before dark because it gets harder to see as the sun goes down. Your eyes adapt a lot slower to the environment, the darker it gets. That or bring a flashlight with fully charged batteries. 

Daily, our staff is making the woods more accessible by clearing the trails, mowing the lawn, pulling out the invasive weeds, and collecting sticks to make a bonfire. This creates access to a nice array of green plants, showcasing everything that Tenderfoot stands for: keeping our planet as green as possible and staying tender to it as we reduce our carbon footprint. The game plan here is to maintain the planet so that it can stay alive as long as we are, if not longer. 

The Campfire

How can a hot summer get even hotter? Campfire! Well, Tenderfoot has those as well. Right next to the Hammock Garden, we have a campfire pit and eight stumps for people to sit on. Fires can heal the body, clear the mind, and create warmth during colder months. Behind the Hammock Garden sign are some materials we can use to make a fire. Learn how to create a fire with our crew with a match, lighter, or with just a few sticks. You’ll be surprised just how versatile fire can be. Surrounding the fire are rocks that decorate the area, contain the fire proportion, and provide additional sources for creating fire sparks. Additionally, some of the best parts of exploring through the woods is finding material to add to the fire. We try to keep the fire small so that not too much smoke gets in the air but big enough that all of it can burn evenly. The pit is small but mighty. It can spread the fire you are trying to create and make it as hot as summer can be. Recommendation, do it at night. That is the best time to experience it after all…under the night sky, with the fireflies illuminating it, and the tiny splashes of the pond bubbler and the rustles coming from chickens hiding in the woods.

You wanna know what’s better than one campfire pit? Two! That’s right, we have two fire pits in our lab. The first one is of course located next to the hammock garden. The second one is located to the right of where you park your cars. It’s just a short hike down the woods into the Deciduous Downtime campsite. Lift your spirits with a fire down here. This one is for a much smaller group of people due to the amount of seating arrangements there are, the proximity to the woods, and the surrounding trees in the area. The smoke doesn’t want to get too big in the trees there either. We exercise a lot on not polluting the air and reducing our carbon footprint. Let’s say the Hammock Garden provides you with a grander fire experience while the campsite allows you to explore a more scenic route in pursuit of experiencing fire. Make sure that when you are done enjoying the fire, you completely extinguish it by dowsing a bucket or two of water on it. Bonfires are going to go crazy this year as a nice refresh.

The Garden

Do you wanna know where we grow our food for us to eat? Do you wanna know how oxygen gets into the air that we breathe? Come outside and take a look at our Garden of Eat-It, and feel that morning breeze to get started with your day. Located next to our pond is about 100 square feet of surrounding land area that makes up the Garden. We keep the gate closed and tied up in order to keep the chickens from getting in. If you plan to go inside, make sure you close the door and tie it up tightly on your way out. Here, we grow fruits and vegetables fresh and allow the nutrients to nourish our bodies to protect our system. Strawberries, cabbages, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and more grow in this garden. Approximately 15 beds fill the garden up with a variety of different plants.

Feel the wind as it comes past you and watch it move the plants, showing how alive they are. Open air is good for the mind to process information and give you a sense of direction. Walk around the garden to explore the unique properties of each of the flower beds and enjoy the visual elements of them. Here it is very calming and soothing to get a feel of the beds so neatly arranged and structured to fit the concave perimeter aligned by the metal fence put there. Also aligned by the perimeter are the tall grass strands separating the garden and the pond. These strands are also helpful in keeping predators out of the garden. Watch them dance as the wind blows them, moving them along with the ripples of the pond right next to them. There aren’t just plants here, we also have an assortment of rocks placed right towards the entrance that will soon become a walkway. Here the ants can find a habitat for themselves and move in a free yet controlled space. The plants surrounding the rocks also find a way to thrive and provide a colorful outlook for the area.

Definitely the most important part of any garden and flower bed is the soil. Soil is placed all throughout the garden to feed the plants and rocks, and Tenderfoot makes their own with kitchen compost. There are some trees towards the east of the Garden producing more oxygen to get in our air. They grow smoothly and healthily. There may be some bees flying around, but all they are trying to do is collect some nectar from the flowers. They are friendly. They wanna catch some air just like anyone coming out to Tenderfoot, trying to get the full outdoor experience and staying tender to our planet. The garden – it’s an excellent way to get out of your head and feel the flow of the wind. What a cool place to cool down.