Photos from Yellowstone

It's been just over a year since I last updated this page, and it's safe to say I have some updates to share.

After finishing up my semester of student teaching at Mascoma from my last entry, I spent three weeks in classes at the Tuck Business Bridge Program, moved to the Midwest to work at a large, international healthcare software corporation, and then moved to the real West to work in the world's first National Park. Here are some photos and tidbits from the summer and fall in Yellowstone. 

This spring, I accepted a job with the National Park Service as a Recreation Ranger with the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program. YCC is a work program for 15 - 18 year old students, who live and work, getting paid, in Yellowstone for four weeks. The other Professional Recreators (as we like to call ourselves) and I were responsible for supervising the students on nights and weekends. We lived in a dorm in Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern part of the park, but I led groups of students on day-long hikes and overnight backpacking trips all around the park. I also enjoyed putting on talent shows, movie nights, and the infamous Yellowstone decathlon night. Man, I wish I'd known about YCC in high school!

Here's a litte more info about the program: http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/yccjobs.htm

The last week of each session, we did a "group summit" hike with all 34 students. This photo was taken on top of Mount Washburn, over 10,000 ft.

After YCC ended in the end of August, I transitioned into a position in the Education and Youth Programs Office at Yellowstone. In this role, I work with field trip groups visiting the park, teach lessons over Skype to classes from all over the world, and participate in outreach to local schools and community events. So far, I've worked at a powwow, a teachers conference, with numerous field trip groups, and a cool event called Raptor Fest in Bozeman. I'm enjoying working with such a range of students and getting to teach about Yellowstone. The park is a tremendous place for learning science, history, geography, and conservation, and it's pretty special to get to share my excitement with students.

I've been lucky to have a number of friends visit me in Yellowstone this summer and fall. Here's a photo with my Aunt Linda, taken outside the Old Faithful visitor center. 

And some Dartmouth friends have visited the park as well. Here's a photo with three other Dartmouth '14s on top of Observation Peak! Gerben, far right, was a crew leader with YCC this summer.

I couldn't be happier to be living and working in such an amazing place. People call it "Wonderland" for a reason :)

Regular visitors to this page (both of 'em) have seen this quote before, but thinking about my progression through the past year, I figure it's worth including again.

“If you have not touched the rocky wall of a canyon. If you have not heard a rushing river pound over cobblestones. If you have not seen a native trout rise in a crystalline pool beneath a shattering riffle, or a golden eagle spread its wings and cover you in shadow. If you have not seen the tree line recede to the top of a bare crested mountain. If you have not looked into a pair of wild eyes and seen your own reflection. Please, for the good of your soul, travel west.” 

― Daniel J. Rice, This Side of a Wilderness