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
In Memory of Ty Cobb: A Visionary Leader of Resilience and Impact
Ty Cobb, former CEO of Yosemite National Institutes (now NatureBridge), passed away on Saturday, December 7, 2024 in Reno at the age of 84. Known for his visionary leadership, resilience, and ability to inspire collaboration, Ty guided YNI through some of its most difficult moments while building a foundation for its future growth and success.
WildLink November 2024: Woodlake High School
This November, Woodlake High School students and chaperones arrived in Yosemite for their first year as a WildLink school, and we are so excited to have them on the team! That means that the brave students who signed up for this expedition had virtually no idea what to expect before signing up for the trip, because none of their peers had experienced it before them! The week, although quite frigid, was full of lovely views, learning about Wilderness, spending lots of time by the river, and enjoying the beauty of Yosemite Valley and Wilderness. Their educators Sarah and Amelia were excited to help this group feel a sense of belonging in this place. They were also lucky enough to be joined by Ranger Lissie on their first day in the Wilderness!
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.