We had a big drive to get to El Chaltén, Argentina, a young town that was only just founded in 1985 during border disputes in the mountains it was nestled beneath. After three hours in the car and our first border crossing (which was completed entirely in Spanish), we reached a crossroads: continue on the … Continue reading Arriving in Argentina & Turning 30
January 3, 2025 Our plane touched down more than 6,000 miles away from home, and the thrill of wanderlust was already fire in my veins. I looked out the window at the treeless landscape, a rugged expanse of wind and ocean waves. Hundreds of miles away, granite peaks & spires loomed over glacial lakes, arid … Continue reading Patagonia: Navigating Our Trip of a Lifetime
I never wanted to visit the tropics. Throughout my life, the threat of heat, humidity, and who-knows-how-many venomous snakes, spiders, and insects lurking in the foliage were all reason enough to keep my wanderlust-filled heart far away from any equatorial rainforests. Even as a child, I imagined poison dart frogs leaping from the trees to … Continue reading Stepping into the Rainforest in Costa Rica
It's far easier to come up with excuses not to do something than reasons to go for it. Sure, sometimes there are legitimate obstacles standing in our way, and other times, it just doesn't pan out. But I believe we would be shocked to realize the amount of time that we are simply holding ourselves … Continue reading Into the Unknown: My Week as a Naturalist on an Alaskan Disney Cruise
On June 3rd, 2016, a chance meeting in Denali National Park led to a friendship that founded love. Seven years to the day later, John pulled out a mountain-engraved ring on a Lake Michigan beach and asked me to marry him. This is our story.
The best part about my first two weeks back in Denali was the jaw-dropping place where I was lucky enough to stay. My friend Katie's summer sublet is a two-story log cabin nestled in the spruce trees on the edge of a bluff, where the land drops down to the Nenana River valley lined by … Continue reading Life in a Dry Cabin
I woke with a start. I'd been dozing on and off for the past couple of hours, but this time was different. My heart was hammering in my chest, as if my body could sense where I was in the world, my internal alarm clock ringing and bouncing off of the shelf. I quickly sat … Continue reading Returning to Alaska
“Why do you care about protecting wilderness?” I pose this question to visitors every week in one of my classes. After three or four days in Denali National Park, I know that they’ve heard about as many facts and stories as their brains can hold (and that they won’t remember most of them). I reserve … Continue reading Growing Alongside Nature: Life as a Field Educator in Denali National Park
Routine on the road comes easily. Wake up around 8am. Pack camp, eat breakfast. Boil water for tea. Drive 6-7 hours. Set up camp. Make dinner. Sleep early. Repeat. While the drive down from Alaska is one of my favorite road trips, trying to make it to the lower 48 quickly can be tiring. The … Continue reading Benefits of Backpacking: Our Trip into Olympic National Park
The Curiosity Chronicles 