"I was overjoyed to hear that the summer she turned nine was to be the first summer HoWL was expanding their day trip program to include younger kids. I signed her up for every trip she was eligible for. She joined the DiRtBaG service crew and repaired fences at the Land Trust; painted tire planters at the REC room; and spent whole days picking up trash from the trails and beaches around town. She was surrounded by a group of competent, responsible (and more importantly extremely cool and fun) guides who challenged her and joked with her and included her in their passion for Homer’s wilderness. She was with friends but also with older peers. Kids who had a few years of HoWL under their belts and were fully invested in the ethics of the organization. Empowering leaders. Creating community. Nurturing a responsibility for the environment while engaging kids in the sheer joy of living where we do. This was what I felt unprepared to be able to provide for my kids by myself, and I jokingly referred to HoWL as Bea’s third parent for those first three summers." -Susannah Webster, HoWL mom since 2014