| England |
[Jul. 28th, 2009|02:06 pm] |
Ok, I know I never post on LJ anymore, but I'm bored and interesting things have happened.
I attended Pingree for a four-week summer field course on all different natural resource techniques as well as learning to identify (and scientifically name) over a hundred plants, shrubs, animals, trees, etc. of the CO Rocky Mountains. It was a blast! Moose outside my cabin almost every morning, hiking all the time, swimming in 40º F water, watching fourth of July fireworks from 11,200 ft. That was pretty awesome, I counted at least 12 different shows down on the plains. Best Independence Day Ever! Made some friends too.
Two days after getting back to CT, I was off to Cambridge, England to visit family friends. I absolutely loved it! So much history! I even saw Darwin's grave! And drank in the pub where Watson and Crick used to hang out. I'm thinking about applying to Cambridge University for their master's program in Conservation Leadership. I hope I can get in!
Highlights:
-Spotted Dick is really tasty, and so is Banoffe
-Stinging nettle is no fun
-It's weird to see english sparrows and mute swans in their country of origin
-rabbits are everywhere
-Cambridge Uni. is 800 years old this year
-I love old church choir music now
-Now I know why my favorite region of the US is called NEW England
-Hard cider is delicious and I hate beer.
-Pubs are good fun
-Mushy peas are the best
-Trousers is the funniest English word
Also... I happen to meet a boy! In the Cross Keys Pub. And... he's coming out to Colorado! After only knowing me for three days. Andrew's awfully cute and a very smart Cambridge University engineering major. Two days older than me :p I'm so excited. And he has an accent, and a plane and can speak spanish! Ok... enough fan girl.
Basically, I love England. Can't wait to go back. |
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| Bison Shootings |
[Jan. 29th, 2009|09:11 am] |
So I just finished reading an article from The Denver Post about a man sentenced to 10 days in jail for shooting 35 bison in South Park (yes, this is a place in CO, not just on TV). Apparently the bison were able to escape their ranch and get onto the neighbor's property. The shooter was a Texan and afraid that the bison were dangerous. There were multiple bullet wounds in all the bison and they were left for dead, no meat taken and some had been pregnant.
Stupid way to solve the problem.... but the best part was this quote:
"They weren't trying to kill them," Armstrong said. "They were using high-powered rifles to pepper them."
Hmm... maybe the popo should start using high powered rifles to discourage rioters. It won't kill them, right?
Here's the link:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11576537 |
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| College |
[Nov. 19th, 2008|08:49 pm] |
Not much has happened of great interest, though I did make a 2,500(ish) mile road-trip from CT to CO on the round-about Yellowstone way. I saw wolves, as usual, in Yellowstone and was able to talk to some of the wolf biologists there. Heard howling too :) I also enjoyed the little bit of southern Minnesota I saw.
Wildlife biology is going well, and I might be able to volunteer on a winter Boreal Owl project this spring. Hopefully I get to be one of the chosen...
I'm living with two great roomates in a huge house, that's clean and we cook pretty much everynight. The freezer is full of elk, pheasant, farm-raised beef, mallard, and mule deer.
Taxidermy
I've done a squirrel (road-kill) and I'm still finishing up on a disaster of a gray fox that a fellow student brought me to stuff for him. Eeek. I think I'll have to post it on wtf_taxidermy!
I can't wait to get back to CT. My goal is to get out everyday and track deer and fishers, hunt squirrels and talk with the trees. |
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| Peru |
[Jul. 12th, 2008|11:53 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Icaros | ] |
I'm physically back from Peru but mentally I'm still adjusting to my familiar and comfortable home.
I learned so much, about people's potentials and the value of community, about how to function without help in a foreign country where English isn't spoken, about truth and about living.
I anticipate learning the full extent of how this experience has changed me and how it will continue to do so.
In my wildest dreams I never thought I'd have an opportunity to drink ayahuasca in the Amazon. Ayahuasca is a very powerful teacher and hallucinogen, but it isn't a drug. I was gratefully able to participate in an ayahuasca ceremony with the Shipibo 'ayahuasqueros' (Shamans). It was an amazing and beautiful experience. I've learned so much about existence and myself. It answered a lot of questions and opened up many more. I will make a point to drink it again if I find myself needing too. For now I have a lot to work on and a whole new perspective in which to view the world. If anyone is interested I could post more about the experience or talk with you.
I'm really tired right now but those 17 days in Peru were some of the most influential of my life. |
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| Peru- Planning |
[Apr. 23rd, 2008|11:50 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  distressed | ] |
So I just bought my plane ticket to Lima.....
Ouch.
I'm very stressed. I hate spending too much money... it set me back $940... That's only half of the total costs. I'm not going to spend any money between now and then... except I need immunizations and deposits to Village Earth for the trip. Oy. Why do I love to travel so much? And I can't get any substantial job over the summer b/c of Peru, bringing my car out to CO, and a late class. Oh noes. Maybe I could work at a factory or mall store. *whine*
I know this Peruvian adventure is going to be a highlight of my life but why does it have to be so expensive? :'( I hate money.
Well I'll try to forget the money right now, and know that I'll be experiencing the awesome culture of the Shipibo people. I'm very fortunate. |
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| Life |
[Apr. 22nd, 2008|12:45 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | CSU | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
| [ | music |
| | sprinklers | ] |
I've been mostly busy, what with the crazy deer, the most boring schedule of classes ever, and travel plans for Peru.
But I've been making progress, both in life and in... WOW. Yes, I know, I succumbed. I don't overdo the gaming though. Trust me.
I've found that for me to be happy, one thing I need is to have goals I can actively work on fairly regularly. So far I've been succsessful with my exercise goal, but more importantly I've been making contacts with the Nature Conservancy (I'm going to volunteer back in CT teaching some NYC highschoolers on a hike or two), Bryan Criswell of the Thrid Millenium Alliance (Ecuadorian cloud forest here I come! I'm thinking of volunteering down there on his org.'s new preserve and maybe doing some research from my senior honor's thesis), and just trying to get to know people better. I'm much happier than I was about a month ago when all I wanted to do was go home.
Anyways, besides direction I went backpacking up at Lory State Park behind Arthur's Rock again. Chilly but I saw Pasqueflowers, water spring beauty, and violets. Chris and I called Mr. Hage, because we were bored and cold, and he was at a bar, very happy. Haha. The western meadowlarks were singing, the vultures are back, the ravens were noisy, and I didn't see any cougars :( but maybe a weasel.
Today I did a presentation on shamanism with Sarah from the Pagan Student Alliance. I think it went well. It's nice to have a like-minded person to discuss experiences with. We made rattles, but I'm still planning on finishing my fancy one back home. Mark was there and he's always good to talk to. Very fun guy with AMAZING ghost stories, for which I am a sucker. Hopefully we'll be able to get out towards Horsetooth later once he's out of his National Guard inspection thingy.
Before Peru I'm going to brush up on my Spanish, learn as much as I can about the region's flora and fauna and people, and really experiment on a consistent basis with shamanic practices, energy, etc. I want to be prepped!
Anyways, life is good. My friends are lovely... but I still miss the forest. |
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| Spring Break? |
[Mar. 19th, 2008|06:18 pm] |
Spring break is horribly monotonous... here's my day: Wake up, eat, bike to work (blah), work for 2-3 hours, bike back, do nothing (homework, nap), and then the only source of excitement- cooking with Zack and Chris, and maybe watching a movie. Luckily Thursday is my last day at work this week!
Last night we made wiener schnitzel. It was DELICIOUS. I love Austrian+ German food. Mmm... anyways I really miss natural places (specifically my home woods, but even the ponderosas, mountains, etc). The decision to not bring my car was a money-saver, but quite depressing. Oh well, just a few more months here.
I've been picking at the banjo, doing some songs with Zack and Chris. Unfortunately I have a cold and it does not agree with my singing :p.
I would have liked to have done art, more reading, journaling, outside adventuring but I kinda got stuck in a rut. This weekend in Boulder again will be uplifting. Chris is a bit too clingy and all my girl friends are gone :( Too many males! AHHHHHHHH! Heh.
Yup. Pointless update. |
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| Life |
[Mar. 4th, 2008|11:40 pm] |
I've been pretty busy- Boulder was amazing, I learned I'm a pretty good singer (I can harmonize yay), and had awesome food, besides hiking Mt. Sanitas (little hike) and cross country skiing. Since then, I've been working, cooking Indian food, and working on a business venture with Chris.
Also... I'm hoping to go to Peru! I'd be going through Village Earth (sustainable development NGO) for 10 days (though I'll probably stay longer). We'd be doing cultural exchange-type stuff with the Shipibo tribe. Their communities are in the Amazon and I would spend all waking hours cramming as much jungle time in there as possible. Also, I'd be able to speak with shamans, which would be absolutely thrilling for me. In fact, a few weeks ago, I went to an art show sponsored by a Shamanic Preservation group that does work with the Shipibo. I bought one of their 'songs' which are fabrics with patterns woven into them that represent songs for different purposes. Mine was made to bring beautiful visions.
I really hope it all goes through, however, this means I probably won't have time for a summer job which is worrying.
Another worrying thing is some of my body image stuff. For some stupid reason, I have concerned myself more and more with how much I'm eating, exercising, etc. I'm always getting stressed about eating "too much". Logically, I know I'm eating fairly healthy and I'm not too homely, but logic and my emotions toward this are not getting along. Arg. I need to stop this, but I feel the only way I can is to attain the weight I want. Damn. I'm dumb. Oh well. I don't even know why I'm doing this, I'm generally not so shallow, and it isn't to look good for someone else (I don't need to) it's to make me feel like I'm accomplishing a goal. Blah. Maybe it's hormones, heh. |
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| CWD Job |
[Feb. 12th, 2008|10:15 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | FoCo | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | distressed | ] |
I got the job! The deer are nice, and there are also cats, voles, and hamsters. The hugest cat I've ever seen is one of the subjects-Chester- who reads 'error' on the scale, which maxs out at 26 pounds. I can't wait to be done with job training so I can spend more time with the deer.
Last Saturday I went snowshoeing in Rocky Mtn Nat. Park with a few friends. The wind was fierce in the open, but fine in the woods. We took the Cub Lake trail. It's like hiking basically. I like x-country skiing better, but I can go more places on snow shoes, which, btw we got for free! Yay nice CO people! The man who rented the gear to us said he proposed at Cub Lake, and shortly after, two naked Frenchmen came screaming and running out of the woods and then jumped in the lake. Good omen? Anyways... no sign of the reported black wolf, but I did find some neat yote tracks and lots of elk. The meadows reeked of elk. I also enjoyed some good ice sliding on my stomach.
This weekend, Chris, Zack and I are headed for a weekend at Boulder. We're going to go x-country skiing and enjoy his mom's awesome cooking, which I'm looking forward to especially since dorm food is not the greatest delicacy.
Hmm.... classes are boring. So boring in fact, that my favorite of the bunch is organic chemistry. Oh bother.
I don't know what is going to happen with Chris and I. Part of me is wanting it to be done with, the other part isn't. I dunno. He's been really nice. |
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| Back to CO |
[Jan. 29th, 2008|08:21 am] |
Break was refreshing, and I loved being able to get back in touch with the forest. I also sewed a early 1800's era men's tailcoat that looks quite dashing.
So, I started school again, and already I've gone bald eagle watching, bouldering, and cross country skiing. My friend, Nicki, and I are volunteers for the CO Division of Wildlife and are working on the Bald Eagle Roost watch. We picked a roost by Horsetooth, so a biologist drove us out and we hiked to go find the area. We saw some ravens, 2 adult eagles and an immature. I'm not much of a bird nut but it was still fun.
Also that day I had some fun with what I think was a raven, however it was in town (in a meadow) and didn't look as big as I thought it should. I don't know ravens that well yet because we didn't have them much in CT. Anyways, it was making weird noises that sounded like popping yer mouth and then clicking. I did it back and we carried on.
So, Zack got a bunch of to go x-country skiing up at Cameron Pass. It was so much fun! The weather was great and the Meadows trail that we took went through some beautiful woods. The trail was 5 miles or so and it took 5 hours (let's just say some of them were noobs, but it gave me time to look around). And the snow!.....had I dug to the ground, I would have been in snow up to my waist. It was absolutely stunning, and to use one of John Muir's favorite words, glorious. I want to go again! Right now! No more classes!
Tomorrow I have the second part to a job interview for working at the CWD deer research facility. I'd get to pet deer and pick up their poop while wearing double layer biohazard suits. Yay! |
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| New Year |
[Jan. 2nd, 2008|11:52 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | satisfied | ] |
So, my New Year was really on solstice, but for conventionality, here ya go.
1: What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Rock Climbing!
2: Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't know if I made resolutions.
3: Did anyone close to you give birth?
No
4: Did anyone close to you die?
No
4: What places did you visit?
Maui, Hawaii--Everglades, FL---Colorado!---Missoula, MT-----Yellowstone, WY
5: What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
More field work experience and backpacking and a job
6: What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory?
August 14th--Starting my years at Colorado State
7: What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I graduated as valedictorian in highschool
8: What was your biggest failure?
Not getting jobs
9: Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing big
10: What was the best thing you bought?
Plane ticket to Maui
11: Whose behavior merited celebration?
Chris for being less of an asshole
12: Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
President Bush... and occasionally Chris
13: Where did most of your money go?
Colorado and vacations
14: What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to CSU
15: What song/album will always remind you of 2007?
Regina Spector
16: Compared to this time last year, are you...
--A. happier or sadder? happier
--B. thinner or fatter? slightly fatter, but way more muscles!
--C. richer or poorer? richer?
17: What do you wish you’d done more of?
Being outside, art, living
18: What do you wish you’d done less of?
Moping
19: How will you be spending Christmas?
CT with friends and family
20: Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Dawn?
21: Were you in love in 2007?
Yeah
22: How many one night stands in this last year?
None, obviously.
23: What was your favorite TV program?
I don't have a TV
24: Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No
25: What was the best book(s) you read
Gosh... uh...My Story as Told by Water.. amazing book.
26: What was your greatest musical discovery?
Flobots
27: What did you want and get?
To go to CSU for school
28 What did you want and not get?
A cowboy prince.. haha
29 What were your favorite films of this year?
Pan's Labyrinth, Sicko, I don't even know which came out when.
30: What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I went to training for doing bald eagle roost counts. I'm 19
31: What is one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having low self confidence.. and a job
32: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Jeans, tails, bones, feathers, and... hiking boots
33: What kept you sane?
Michelle and the woods
34: Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Dennis Kucinich
35: What political issue stirred you the most?
Anything environmental
36: Who did you miss?
The woods
37: Who was the best new person you met?
Nicki!
38: What was the biggest surprise in 2007?
Hawaii
39: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
You need to make your future.
40: Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
A whole new world.... sorry I couldn't think of anything. This is courtesy of Michelle <3 |
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| Home |
[Dec. 14th, 2007|01:46 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Ft. Collins | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  hungry | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Transformers :( | ] |
I don't want to go home, but I do. I'm used to it out here, I like the people, and CO is great. I'd say the thing I miss most about CT is my woods. I don't even really miss my parents. I need to get back to the forest! I'm hoping to go hunting the day I get back (tomorrow) despite the snowstorm predicted for that day.
I'm planning on developing my shamanic views and practice during the break. It's fulfilling and I could use the comfort.
Other goals: -taxidermy! (fox pup? white tail fawn, squirrel, what ever else... snakeskin hat band)
-sew a victorian tail coat jacket (sexy :p )
-lose 3 pounds (contest with my friend)
Umm... I hope I'll get to talk with Juhl and go for a woods walk. We'll see. I'm visiting the school on Monday.
I drew my christmas card for this year-- a rocky mountain bighorn sheep ram in front of the FoCo view of the front range "mountains"
Lots of snow here.
I've been sucked into webcomics. Oh bother. |
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| I miss the forest! |
[Nov. 15th, 2007|11:41 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | chipper | ] |
Alright, I've been getting the N.D.D. a bit too frequent for my tastes, but that should be solved by going camping somewhere in Poudre Canyon (Grey Rock area?) this weekend. I'm going to freeze to death. Oh well. Katie L. can have my sewing stuff, and Swift gets my dead things. I'm not really going to die, but I'm not looking forward to the nights.
Cora is coming out to CO from CT for a week. 'Twill be great to see her again and have fun.
Hmmmm.... I'm still searching for a research mentor. I'm thinking more towards conservation biology minded stuff now. There's so much that could be done!
Ooo! I went rock climbing at the Palace in Poudre Canyon! Two lines rated 5.9, the hardest I've yet done. I was proud of myself :) I have callouses building up.
When I come back for winter break we are totally playing lap tag (it isn't dirty) and telephone pictionary. |
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|
| Update |
[Oct. 19th, 2007|10:17 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
Time is flying here.
So, in the past month I went hiking on a crazy hike to Frozen Lake in RMNP, rock climbed some more at Duncan's Ridge (I bought some climbing shoes for pretty cheap), camped out with the Wildlife Society at the MacGregor Ranch to listen to elk bugle, went to a play, ate awesome Indian food, etc...
I'm involved in some clubs- The Wildlife Society (I sell coffee for them on Mondays), The Student Conservation Biology thing, the Pagan Student Alliance, and I just went to my first Zoology Club meeting Jen! They had a guy come talk about black-footed ferret reintroduction.
I'm really not that homesick. Only when I'm down about some other issue (and that's basically one issue) then I start missing Cora. Thankfully, she'll be coming for Thanksgiving break! I can't wait to see her.
I've also taken up calligraphy so my handwriting will one day look similar to 18th cent. hand. I love the colonial period. Too bad there's none of that in CO. There's also only one fall color: Yellow. And it's only in patches. Still pretty, but not what I'm used to. I'm enfatuated with the mountains though.
I'm going to the Denver Zoo tomorrow, and W.O.L.F. on Sunday. Huzzah! |
|
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| Camping at Lory State Park |
[Sep. 16th, 2007|05:05 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | chipper | ] |
So we finally got up there. We went up at dusk (sorta dumb) on Friday and set up camp after hiking an hour up to Arthur's Rock. I'm really glad Eric and Jay have most of the gear we needed since I left what little I have back in CT. I loved the site. Bouldering was just out the tent door. Tim hoped to be eaten by a cougar, but alas, we saw none. We scrambled up the rocks by our tents and shivered together for a while, enjoying the crickets and the wind blowing through the ponderosas.
I saw the silouhette of Arthur's Rock summit and figured that we might have a good view of the cities, so we hiked over there (a few more flashlights would have been wise, but no matter, none of us fell off) The rock is a huge outcrop of granite. It is beautiful.
 (this is some random web photo of it from far away) The city lights were disgusting but intriguing. It was chilly, but we stayed up there for a while.
The next morning and whole day was relaxed. I helped Eric scope out a spot to rock climb, and saw some sorta hawk or merlin fly up and take shelter in the cliffs. He ended up setting an anchor point on the summit, but it turns out that the rope was 50 feet too short. Oh well. We bouldered, enjoyed some PB & J bagels, and met Nicki once she came back from doing prarie dog research assistance. that night we cooked up pasta. I gave out some massages and we slept outside for most of the night (no tent) but the wind picked up and a lightning storm blew over us, so it was back to the tents. It wasn't as cold though.
I was the first awake by about 1.5 hrs, so I climbed up the rock and did some nature bonding, bird-watching, rock nesting. After breakfast, we packed away the site and headed back down to the parking lot.
We're hoping to check out Roosevelt N.F. next weekend, probably up highway 14. |
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| Ahead |
[Sep. 14th, 2007|11:31 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Till Kingdom Comes-ColdPlay | ] |
After some troubles with the bf, we're doing much better. Not so much critiscism anymore. Anyways, last weekend was pretty quiet-- movies, errands, and the Tri Media Film Festival. We watched a bunch of shorts and I treated everyone to Ben and Jerry's. If you can find My Name is Wallace on the web somewhere, you should watch it. It is a very creative situation with a phone sex line and a challenged person. It gives you the warm fuzzies.
This weekend we are finally going hiking at Lory State Park. We'll be staying both nights near Arthur's Rock. I think we'll hike around a bunch, cook stuff, rock climb, and maybe go for a swim if it doesn't involve mountain mahogany bush whacking again (the scratches haven't healed yet!) I think I'll write a letter or two while I'm up there, and try to get some studying in.
I have been having dreams about rabbits/ searching for rabbits. Last night I found a weird rabbit shrine with a huge statue of a rabbit. Then I tried to bring two friends there to show them, but I couldn't find it again. Hmm... I'll have to look up rabbit or hare.
*Is excited to do some nature bonding* |
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| Rock Climbing |
[Sep. 3rd, 2007|10:12 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Newsom Hall | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Mika | ] |
So, more adventures at Colorado State!
I'm so glad to have met the Maryland'ers: Nicki, Jay, and Eric. They're amazing (and they have a car to go cool places). But they've introduced me to rock-climbing and peaches. I really hope that I can give them the same back. I did take them to Lory State Park (even though they had to drive) and Eric seemed to really lilke the place (no rattlesnakes this time). We didn't end up camping this weekend b/c Jay went back to MD, but we're hoping to next weekend. We don't have enough tent space at the moment, so we might just freeze outside :D. See what happens. And I want to make Jay a birthday cake, since it is sometime this week.
But, anyways, classes are good. I had to go dig up 20 plants with Caylen, who's a really nice girl in my Plant ID lab. I don't ever want to do that again. It took a surprisingly long time. We went up to Roosevelt National Forest at 2:00 and got done with pressing the plants at 7:30. We'll have to identify them sometime soon. Yuck.
I also have to give a speech for my honors seminar. I chose to talk about the bison near-extinction. Hopefully I'll do alright. I don't mind talking in front of people, but that valedictorian speech was read off a paper, this speech has to be memorized and 6-7 minutes long.. Eep.
But, enough school crap. Today I went to Duncan Ridge over Horsetooth Resevoir to rock climb. The sandstone cliff is about 50 feet high. Eric set up all the ropes and anchors. I belayed someone for the first time! And they didn't die! I climbed twice, on a 5.6 and a 5.7. Good for a beginner like me. I had to use their stuff and Nicki's shoes (which are a size 7 and I have size 9 feet, so they were Chinese foot-binding shoes). I love climbing the real rock. It made my hands smell good.
We mountain-mahogany-yucca-cactus-whacked our way down to the resevoir and took a swim in clothes. The clay is amazing, I wish I did pottery. So red. I gave my self a facial.
Back at the top of the cliff, my legs were all scratched up from the scrub. I always liked bruised/cut/scratched up legs- it makes me feel like I've done something.
Hiking at Lory on Saturday was hot. Victor came. There were copious amounts of ponderosa-sniffing. Damn, it's great out here. I hope we can have as much fun in the winter. |
|
|
| Rocky Mountain National Park Hike! |
[Aug. 26th, 2007|07:52 pm] |
So I got up a 7:00 this morning to go hiking with Kayla (Who I met on the Werelist forums) in Rocky Mountain National Park. Even the drive from Ft. Collins to there was a geological extravaganza/ beautiful, etc.
We stopped at the Bear Lake Park and Ride, then took a shuttle up to the trail head. We hiked to the Fern Lake Trail Head to catch another bus. But inbetween those two endpoints, was amazing scenery, critters, and scents.
Kayla knows a lot about the plants/ecosystem of the area from the Pingree Park summer session so she taught me a lot of neat things (like plants that will coagulate your blood if you get cut). She's really fun.
The hike was something like 8.7 miles total. I definitely noticed the elevation (around 8,000 to 10,000 ft) but my lungs still managed. The rock faces were great. There were a few high-altitude ponds that were crystal clear, a water fall or two, and tons of golden-mantled ground squirrels, chipmunks and pine squirrels. We also saw/heard ravens (they're huge!) and a blue grouse. I saw snowfields, but we weren't high up enough to get to them. The water was really cold though. There are wildflowers everywhere. I saw a pine sq. try and take a mushroom cap up a tree (even though it was about as big as him). I love it!!
Kayla had me sniff a ponderosa pine... it smells divine. Demeter needs to make that into a perfume.
The hike took most of the day, but we did get to see some elk in the meadows, and an area where a dam broke and created a big alluvial fan of boulders.
I wanna go up again!
(pictures on facebook) |
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|
| Colorado State! |
[Aug. 19th, 2007|06:06 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | content | ] |
I got to CSU on the 14th for orientation (which was boring, but I did meet a few people) and it has been mostly a blast since. I've met so many people who are into outdoor sports and nature. Amazing!
The campus is right by the foothills of the Rockies, so it is pretty flat around town (good for biking). I really like not having a car (well, in someways, like not worrying about gas)
Chris and I already went hiking with some great people (Nicole, Eric, Jay, Nathan, and Victor) to the big white-stone "A" on a foothill. Originally, as part of the Ram Welcome programs, the hike was cancelled b/c of thunderstorms, rain, etc. but we decided to go anyway! We didn't know exactly where to go, just a general direction, but we found it. There weren't really any obvious trails to it where we looked but that makes it more challenging. I love seeing all the new plants (cactus, tumbleweeds, weird flowers...) and I love being with people who appreciate and are comfortable in the outdoors. I definitely notice the altitude here, but I'll get used to it soon. The views over the A hill were great-- resevoir below us, and taller mountains beyond that. And they actually howled with me! I'm thinking we'll be sticking together.
*Tree-hugger euphoria* ( though there aren't that many trees compared to CT) |
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