Preparing hiking trails in Latvia

Preparing hiking trails in Latvia

What we can do and how we prepare the hiking trails for our project?

Latvians teachers are trying to look for interesting hiking trails in order we all will be able to go hiking. 

It is allowed for Latvians to go hiking not more then 10 people with the coach. Our sport teacher( as she is the coach) organised Nordic walk workout in the woods. It was the way we could shared ideas about project work in these “interesting” times.

It is not possible to develop a hiking trail if you dont try it. So our project teachers are looking for more interesting and more educational trails. Our teachers found that it is nice way to spend time with their families. We are sharing our hiking trails and trying to choose the most suitable for our project. After we are thinking of the educational part of the trail. Brainstorming and choosing the one trail, the one lesson plan sometimes is harder then going for a hike!!!

Our teachers sometimes feel they don´t have an idea what to do and what we can teach during hiking. Then we are looking for professionals. So Latvian project coordinator participated in the interesting hiking  on the forest skis trough Vidzeme forest. The hiking guide was the most popular Latvian biologist, journalist Maris Olte. 

He inspired for the project second trip trail and educational field of the hiking.

For the second hiking trail Rigas Valda Avotina pamatskola chose Lielie Kangari. Lielie Kangari is truly  Geography lesson by itself. Lielie Kangari is the most incredible, the most wonderful, the most attractive formation – a seven-kilometer-long, high as the tops of trees, a steep mountain ramparts.

At the eastern end of Lielie Kangari, on the bank of the Mazā (Little) Jugla, there is Ķoderi castle mound, what was called the Big Man’s Bed as there was sleeping giant named Kangars.

Lielie Kangari, like many other kangari throughout Latvia, were formed at the end of the ice age or glacier impacts, it was forming  about 14,000 years ago. 

There are living protected species –  20 species of plants, three species of fungi, six species of lichens and two species of mosses, as well as 19 species of birds and two species of mammals.

Lielie Kangari Nature Reserve was established in 1957.

Jolanta Āboltiņa