2018 YOlympic Scholars: Backcountry Adventures
On Wednesday afternoon, the Alcoa Scholars returned back to our campus on Lake Crescent after spending seven days in the backcountry of Olympic National Park.
Katie & Eric's Trail Group #
For Scholars Adele, Rosa, Michael, Taleisha, Daniel, Jack, Sandra, Balint and Helga highlights included:
- The moss in the Hoh rainforest
- Exploring Hoh Lake (and seeing three bears!)
- Hiking along the High Divide and eating huckleberries
- Finding enormous elk antlers at the 7 Mile Group Camp
- Spending most of a rainy day eating pancakes
Ayla, Tessa & Chris's Trail Group #
For Scholars Lauren, Andreea, Louis, Hamish, Luke, Rachel, Shae, Embla, Sara and Elias, highlights included:
- Hiking the nine miles from Enchanted Valley, up and over Anderson Pass to Big Timber i one day
- The glacial turquoise of Anderson Lake
- Freezing cold bright blue water at Big Timber
- Sleeping in a dream circle the last night
- Singing lullabies in our evening meetings
- Seeing a bear across the valley on the way up Anderson Pass
Sonia & Sarah's Trail Group #
For Scholars Ben, Gus, Tiffany, Giselle, Phoebe, Riley, Sigurlaug, Anna, Sara and Vanda, highlights included:
- Reaching the Anderson glacier
- Seeing fresh bear tracks on the way down from the glacier
- Washing off in the river
- Students cooking meals for themselves
Shawn & Laurien's Trail Group #
For Scholars Aya, Lauren, Nick, Roxanne, Blake, Emily, Rasheeka, Troy, Manu and Miki, highlights included:
- Reaching Gray Wolf Pass, elevation 6,204 ft.
- The beautiful, shallow lake below Gray Wolf Pass
- Spending four hours cooking dinner each night
- Touching snow!
Stories
Fall Reflections from NatureBridge Yosemite
As an environmental science educator, I spend a lot of time teaching about nature, but this season I’ve been finding that as it turns out, nature has a lot to teach us, too. Sometimes I can let the trees, the meadow, and the lichen teach for me. They show us how to respect each other’s boundaries, how to celebrate differences, how to work together, and how to lean on each other’s strengths in order to exist in a new place. These lessons felt incredibly relevant to me heading into the first week of November, a notoriously busy time at NatureBridge Yosemite. I wanted to focus on messages of kindness and inclusivity with my students, I wanted them to feel a sense of belonging in this new space, and I also hoped that they would share those messages with others.
An Incredible 10th Anniversary of Evening on the Lake
On October 25, the Amazon Meeting Center in downtown Seattle buzzed with celebratory energy as over 300 NatureBridge guests and supporters gathered for the 10th anniversary of "Evening on the Lake," our signature Pacific Northwest fundraising event for our Olympic campus.
"Science became fun" at NatureBridge for Alum Laura Lomeli Russert
Laura Lomeli Russert is a NatureBridge alum who grew up in Groveland, CA and now calls Washington, D.C. home. Laura’s journey with NatureBridge began when she attended the Golden Gate campus as a young student with her class from Tenaya Elementary. Laura credits NatureBridge with shaping not only her love for nature but also her passion for education and science. "Science became fun,” she recalls. “You weren’t learning from a textbook anymore, and it became so much more real." Her hands-on, scientific experiences at NatureBridge laid the foundation for her eventual pursuit of a Ph.D. in psychology. “I feel like I owe a lot to NatureBridge."