Kids unplug with outdoor programs

Bill and Suzanne Andrews, both fifth-grade teachers at Mountain Brook Elementary, know firsthand how demanding school is and how stir-crazy kids can get after spending most of the day cooped up in classrooms. 

“One of the things I feel is that kids grow up too fast, and they don’t have that time to just enjoy,” Bill Andrews said.

That’s why they decided to create a company that offers kids the opportunity to get outside right after school and unplug in nature. Treeline Expeditions LLC, which was created seven years ago by the Andrews, is an eco-tour guide service that encourages locals, especially children and families, to get outside and explore through after-school activities and other outdoor and backpacking trips.

“We were trying to find a way for kids to just be unplugged and not go home and sit in front of the TV or Xbox,” Bill Andrews said, and instead “learn how to take care of nature and also just enjoy it and be kids again.”

One of their most popular after-school activities, he said, is paddling on kayaks. Especially for the kids who want an untraditional sport or to do something outside during their sports off-season, he said many of them have found a home in Treeline’s small group of paddlers.

A couple times a week, parents can sign their kids up for paddling with Treeline Expeditions if they are in the Mountain Brook, Homewood or Vestavia school systems. After school at 3:20 p.m., Bill Andrews transitions from school teacher to paddling coach as he drives his Treeline Expeditions van and picks up all the participating Mountain Brook students at MBE and then heads over to pick up the Vestavia and Homewood kids at the Piggly Wiggly on Montgomery Highway. By 4 p.m., they’re unloading into kayaks at the Cahaba River for an hour and a half of water time.

Treeline Expeditions accepts kids ages 7 through 11. Groups usually range from six to eight kids, Bill Andrews said, depending on if he has another guide helping him. They keep the groups intentionally small so the students can get plenty of help and attention. Usually, they paddle down the river at a frequented put-in spot along Overton Road, although sometimes they paddle at spots down U.S. 280, Bill Andrews said. 

Other after-school programs they occasionally have include “Adventures,” which vary with hiking, geocaching, outdoor skills and hands-on science and STEM activities, and a mountain biking program where kids pedal the trails at Oak Mountain State Park and Red Mountain Park. 

Bill Andrews said they have kids of all levels of confidence that come to the afterschool programs. Some are familiar with paddling from lake house trips or the beach, he added, while others have never been on any kind of boat or kayak. 

“One really cool part is I had a guy in the fall who had never paddled or anything, and by the end of around November, he was teaching everybody else how to do it, so just that confidence is kind of cool,” he said. 

In case some kids are not yet able to control a boat alone, tandem boats are also provided. Each session, Bill Andrews covers safety and life jackets at the beginning. Then they start with the basics, he said, like how to work the paddle, move the boats forward and then how to turn and go back. 

“It’s amazing. Kids pick it up so quickly,” Bill Andrews said. 

He said they always start in an area where the water is calm and they don’t have to worry about a current. After everyone gets the hang of it, they move to areas with a little more current, and he teaches them how to read and navigate the current in a safe way. 

Over the years, he said he has come to realize how important it is not just for kids, but for adults to also take time to unplug, put down their cell phone and just be in the moment in nature. 

“We started off focusing on kids, but we are trying to grow and focus more on kids, families and adults just because it’s been so beneficial,” he added. 

During the summers, Treeline Expeditions also offers 10-day long backpacking trips.

There are two pricing options for after-school paddling and activities. For one afternoon, it is $35 for transportation from the school to the river, paddling instructions and the usage of the boat, paddle and life jacket; and for one month of unlimited after-school paddles, it’s $140.

To sign up for the paddle program or learn about some of their other programs, go to treeline-expeditions.com or email at bill@treeline-expeditions.com.