Training's Over... Now What?

Well, training is over. Let the craziness begin! Next week our first group of kids arrives. I don't think any of us is completely prepared for it, but we're about to jump in head first anyway. :)



Here's a typical week schedule:

Monday- Training of some sort w/ no kids

Tuesday- Kids arrive after breakfast. We get our groups and then have lunch. The first hike is that afternoon, and then we put on an "evening Program" for them after dinner. (Think silly costumes and educational skits and songs.)

Wednesday- Morning and afternoon hike. Night off!

Thursday- Morning and afternoon hike. (Afternoon hike is Living History, where we all dress up as characters from 1796. I am the school teacher. Ha.) That night we take them on a night hike through the Glen.

Friday- Morning hike, lunch, and then the kids head out!



About every 5 weeks or so I'll have kitchen duty, which means I won't have any kids that week.



So far the only thing I really dislike about this job (besides the looooong hours) is taking care of the raptors. I think I mentioned before that I take care of the Kestrels. Every day I take them some fresh dead mice (ewwww!) and then I have to pick up all the guts and other discarded body parts from yesterday's mice (EWWWWW!)... It hasn't been too bad lately because everything's usually frozen, but it warmed up the other day, and I had to try very hard not to throw up all over their cage while I cleaned up. I also handle screech owls for our educational bird talks, which might sound fun, but it's not really my cup of tea. These "cute" little beasts do not like being picked up, and it's rather intimidating when they clack and puff up and give you the stank eye... worse when they bite. So, I think it's cool to work with birds and it'll be very beneficial for the kids, but I probably won't make a career out of it...

So we'll see how next week goes. Other than that, we've been working long hours and then working more when we get home. I've been going to bed super early, believe it or not. But we all get along so well that work is fun and we always have a lot of good laughs. We do mention to have some good times on our time off, too. We've been getting a lot of snow and went sledding last week!! We also went out to celebrate last Tuesday on Inauguration night!!!

Looking forward to coming home this weekend for my birthday!

Inauguration night at a local bar. Left to right: Tim, Allie, Aly, Amanda, Dia, me and Samuel.

Sledding!!! Me, Jesse, Samuel, Megan, and Amanda

Yowza this is awesome!!!!

Giving local kids bad ideas...

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Me and Otis. We do okay. I avoid the dreaded and feared Canelle. She bites.

The Naturalists

Just a quick picture of the folks I'm working with. There are only 9 of us because one person had to leave unexpectedly, but a new intern is arriving next Monday. We're posing in front of the Yellow Springs after painting our faces with the iron oxide that is deposited there. Apparently this is a tradition that the kids especially love! :)


Aly, Jessica, Allie, Eric, Amanda, Jesse, Eve, Dia, & Hong

First Week at the Glen

Hey all. Coming to you from the lovely town of Yellow Springs, Ohio. I know that many of you are thinking- She just went to Alaska... Why Ohio? But let's refrain from being all judgey, at least for now. True, I may not be climbing any mountains or fighting any grizz in the next few months, but the scenery here is none too shabby and I hear there are some ferocious squirrels about these parts. I'll keep you posted.

I'm here in Ohio until June at the Glen Helen Ecology Institute working as a naturalist intern at their Outdoor Education Center. Not quite ready for that big girl job yet. Haha. This place is a perfect mix of camp (as in Manitowish) and outdoor ed. I'm working with 9 other naturalists and some other staff, and let me tell you, we spend all of our time together. I live in a house with 4 of them. Right now we're in training and are being bombarded with information- getting to know the Glen (especially all the trails), learning the many different educational hikes (ex. "Geology" or "Forest Ecology", etc.), learning camp routines and procedures, learning how to work in the kitchen and do all the different chores that keep this place going, and learning how to handle, feed, clean up after, and teach with a raptor. We're working loooong days (think 7:30am to 9:15pm). It's intense but I'm having fun and I'm sure I'm going to gain so much, both personally and professionally.

As a frame of reference for you Illinoisans, the Glen reminds me of Giany City State Park down in southern Illinois.

The "Farmhouse", where I live. It's right down the road from the Outdoor Ed Center.

My room. Don't be fooled- that "Exit" sign leads out a window 2 stories up with no ladder or stairs. Hmmmmm...






My desk. Exciting, I know.

Ta da!!! My closet. Picture the door to the room to the right of that dresser.

The "Yellow Springs" that the town is named after.

Bittersweet. An appropriate name.

Self portrait while I was out exploring on my day off.

A cool covered bridge on the edge of the property. Too bad it's covered in graffitti.

There's a fungus among us.

The "Climbing Tree". Guess why?

Me and Cornelius the corn snake- one of our teaching snakes.