I can't believe another month has passed already! June certainly went by in a blink.
My first "weekend" (my weekends are Mondays and Tuesdays) off during the month I went to the Foxfire Museum. It is a place full of pioneer heritage. There are many old buildings and artifacts that reacquaint you with life in the Southern Appalachians during the time of the pioneers. I also went to the "beach", if you can call it that. Lake Burton (nearby) has a public swimming and beach area. Unfortunately my "relaxing time on the beach" was disrupted by rambunctious children and yelling parents. PSA - Keep your children in line! Following the unpleasant time at the beach I went to one of my new favorite places in the area, Hemlock Falls. It is so pretty! The trail follows along the stream and there are many "falls" and bridges and places to put your feet in :) Definitely a favorite in my book!
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| Hemlock Falls Trail |
And, it's not just my "weekends" that I have to report on. I have a few work related things to share as well. One of the projects the other intern and I have been working on is a guided nature trail walk of our Summit Trail. At the beginning of the month we began giving this program. We walk the Summit Trail from the top of the mountain back to our parking lot (6/10's of a mile downhill) and share with visitors unique vegetation and geologic features along the way. We walk the trail at 1 and 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. So far they are a success! We hope to put together another program about watersheds and hydrology of the mountains soon!
Another thing to share is the international recognition Brasstown Bald received earlier this month! A photograph of our observation deck and the mountains was used as the background to www.Bing.com on Monday June 9th. We got a lot of publicity because of it and couldn't be happier!
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| Brasstown Bald on www.Bing.com |
As of June 10th I have been in Georgia a month! Can you believe it?!?! The "weekend" of the 9th and 10th I spent catching up on a few things and reading. I have read a few books already the summer and I would recommend all of the them. Thus far this summer I have read "In the Sanctuary of Outcasts" by Neil White, "It Was on Fire When I Lay Down On It" by Robert Fulghum, and "The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green.
Side note: June 7th was National Trails Day and the 14th was National Get Outdoors Day so we have had lots of reasons to celebrate around here!
As I mentioned in my last post, my Fridays are different from my other days as they are "special project" days (sometime this "day" doesn't fall on Friday, but once a week a day is set aside for special projects). I usually work on one of my many projects but sometimes we have it scheduled for the other intern and I to meet with someone and do a "shadow day." On Tuesday the 17th I went and shadowed Taylor, the Trails Technician for the Blue Ridge Ranger District of the Chattahoochee National Forest. We went and helped
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| Helping with trail maintenance |
The next day I left for my trip to Burlington, Vermont for the Forest Guild National Conference. I drove from here to Atlanta (about 3 hours) and then flew from Atlanta to Newark, NJ, and then Newark, NJ to Burlington, VT. After a couple snaphews, a few delays, one expensive dinner, and many traveling hassles I made it to Burlington about 12:30am on Thursday (with my bags :)
All day Thursday was the field portion of the conference, where we were outside all day learning about various things about how our forests might adapt to climate change. I had a wonderful time at the Proctor Maple Research Center near Mount Mansfield, which is Vermont's high point. Sadly, I didn't get to summit it, but we will count it as another "1/2 summit" :) That evening was the official "meeting" of all of the board members the business-type subjects were addressed.
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| Michigan Tech Students - National Forest Guild Conference |
And then.....I took a surprise trip home! Though I have had it planned for a few months it was still a surprise to those back home! Early that Saturday morning (6am) I flew from Burlington, VT to Chicago and then to Minnesota. I was able to be home for my sister Angela's show as well as my sister Rachel's high school graduation party! It was so great to be home for a few days, especially since the WHOLE family was home!
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| All together! :) |
On Tuesday (24th) I traveled back to GA. Since being back I have been catching up at work and trying to get ahead for this fall (and my future...yikes!) The idea that a year from now I will no longer be in school and I will hold a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences is a scary yet fantastic thought! I have begun to think about what's next (grad school, out-of-college jobs, another seasonal position, where I will live, etc.) Thinking about the future is a job in-and-of-itself! But, I can't let myself get too caught up in the future, as I still need to live out each moment as it comes :)
I hate to end such a great blog with this sad note, but two years ago today the world lost a wonderful soul, my friend Adam. Prayers go out to all of those families and friends that have lost a young person in their life. I would ask you all to remember, cherish, and make the most of each moment of life you are given. Also, this Friday is the 4th of July, a time to celebrate, as well as a time to remember my Grandpa Yarusso. My Grandpa pasted away on July 4th three years ago to Alzheimer's Disease. He is in a better place now, watching over us - I love you Grandpa!
As this blog probably (hopefully) portrays, my life has been crazy lately! I have been traveling all over, gaining all sorts of experiences, and meeting lots of great people! I am actually pretty excited to return to school in the fall and start to figure out what the next steps in my life will be! Prayers as I "figure my life out" are appreciated!
I hope life is treating you kindly. I am thinking of you all!
With Love, Kyle
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