Maggie Marshall sits in a kayak she uses to explore "the stumps" on Elk Lake. The Cherryland Middle School seventh-grader recently won a trip to South Africa -- her dream vacation -- by telling of her explorations in a National Geographic Kids essay contest. Courtesy photo

Marshall, a student at Cherryland Middle School, won the trip by entering a "Hands-On Explorer Challenge" through the magazine in which entrants had to show in a short essay how they're hands-on explorers in their world. Marshall wrote about her experiences exploring "the stumps" on Elk Lake on her kayak, which she said she discovered a couple years ago.

"I remember I was with my friends and we went back there and found turtles and fish -- it was just amazing," she said.

Marshall kayaks there with friends or alone and goes there each summer.

"I like that it's one of the last undeveloped lands on Elk Lake," she said.

Marshall said she's been exploring for a long time, checking out beaches, forests and, of course, the stumps. She said that in the fifth grade, she had a "Dream Vacation" project in which she chose to describe the time she would spend exploring South Africa.

"I'd always wanted to go on a safari and see lions and elephants," she said.

On the National Geographic trip, Marshall and the 14 other winners will fly to Johannesburg then embark on a 10-day safari. As part of the prize, the winners will receive digital cameras and receive tips from National Geographic experts who will accompany them on the trip.

The students will be joined by Boyd Matson, host of public television's Wild Chronicles; Melina Bellows, National Geographic Kids editor-inchief; Annie Griffiths Belt, a National Geographic photographer; local experts; and a parent or guardian.

Jeanne Marshall, Maggie's mom and a sixthgrade teacher at Cherryland, will join her daughter on the journey. She said a South Africa trip has been something her family has talked about doing.

She and her husband, Lynn, believe children should have as many varied experiences as possible.

On the Expedition Team, the students will gain experience in observing the places they visit without disturbing them. And the experts will help them learn to capture those observations in pictures and words.

Maggie Marshall, who'd like to be a children's book author, said this trip will be a good topic to write about in the future.

She said she was "just so happy" to win.

"I had done a Dream Vacation in fifth grade, and I was amazed that I'd be able to go on my dream vacation," she said.