Sea·son /ˈsēzən/ noun That half (or third, or fourth) of the year where you find yourself employed, staying in one location for more than a week at a time, and earning benefits of some kind. I was first introduced to the term “seasonal” in 2015 during my internship in the Great Smoky Mountains. I met … Continue reading Reflections on a Seasonal Lifestyle
Goodbyes have always been hard for me. The leaves have fallen from the trees and blanketed the wet ground. The air has gotten colder, and chilly walks to the shower building in the morning are making it harder and harder to get out of bed. The shops and hotels in the nearby "canyon" have boarded … Continue reading So Long, Farewell.
Autumn is here in Denali. The golds of aspens and willows spread through forests, across valleys, and over mountains. The air is crisp and cool enough for a jacket, scarf, and socks with my Chacos. I've started craving things like apple pie, chai tea, and homemade applesauce. The last month and a half has been … Continue reading Falling into Autumn
I cringe when I toss wrappers and non-recyclables into the trash. I know that they'll end up in a landfill not far from my home (and stay there for potentially hundreds of years). I hate throwing away used shoes, or binders, or containers. I hate throwing away anything that seems like it still could have … Continue reading Why TerraCycle is Your Next Sustainable Move
“Glacier” has been a part of my vocabulary since I was 6, while on my first trip to Glacier National Park with my family. I remember looking at the rocky mountains in wonder, disbelieving that there was any place in the world that could hold snow through the summer. I probably used to think all … Continue reading Investigating Ice on the Muldrow Glacier
Time can have an unearthly quality. Watch the clock at the end of your shift, and five minutes can feel like five hours. Yet days, weeks, or months even, can pass in the blink of an eye. Wasn't it just yesterday I was striding across a temporary stage on our football field, accepting my undergraduate … Continue reading Discovering Denali: Season 2
This afternoon I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic honor society. Founded in December 1776, the society recognizes college undergraduates for academic excellence and breadth of coursework, signifying curiosity in a liberal arts and sciences education. Their motto: "Love of learning is the guide of life." Almost four years ago, as … Continue reading Looking Back: How My Four Years at Gustavus Shaped the Person I am Today
On December 31st, 2016, I set off on an adventure different from anything I had ever done before. A new country, a new continent, a new ocean, a new hemisphere. I was headed to Tanzania.
Fast forward one month, and I'm not the same person I was when I left. I have enough stories to last years and enough photographs to fill numerous photo albums. Because I wasn't able to document my experiences online while I was abroad, I'm going to create a post of my favorite photos from the trip, accented by highlights taken directly from my personal journal I wrote in every day.
The Curiosity Chronicles 