I really enjoyed the entire trip. After sitting in class, and learning how to test these different factors, it was a treat to actually go out and test them ourselves. My favourite jobs were measuring the cross-section of the river and collecting the biotic factors in the kick-net. This involved getting right in the river, overturning rocks in the freezing cold water and walking across the length of the stream with water in your boots.
There was a large water spider in the stream, which could skitter across the surface quite quickly. It gave me quite a fright when it swam directly towards me. When it hovered on the water, it held its legs out in perfect symmetry, and when the ripples around it became still, it looked like a “snowflake” on the water.
The stream and surrounding area was beautiful this time of year, with all the leaves changing colours and falling softly to the ground. What an awesome trip to remember!! - a student
