Finding Balance with Bees

Bumble bee with visible pollen sacs near the Copper River in Alaska

Most days, my mind is up in the sky, dreaming and thinking. My dad used to do this impression of “the squirrel” in my head. He’d run around in circles, squeaking, chirping, and flailing his arms. He told me he only knew I had a squirrel in my head because he had one too. Whenever I’m sharing all the thoughts pinging around in my brain and my struggle to focus he tells me to “quiet the squirrel”. Something I find very challenging to do.

There’s a lot to think about constantly – how do I chase my dreams, how can I be a better person, what is that bug flying around my head and what is its place in the world?  Weirdly enough (or maybe perfectly enough) it’s the crazy never ending squirrel thoughts in my head that eventually bring me to pause. I have a hard time meditating with my eyes closed in a quiet room and feeling really good afterwards. I feel more displaced and empty. But an outdoor meditation, staring at bugs and birds and random critters? That feels right. It’s the spinning whirlpool of thoughts that have guided me to this practice.

The intimidating “bee”

When working at summer camp in Arizona, I’d be sitting outside between programs soaking in the sun, wondering how I would fit my life long to do list in and also take the time to focus on me and my mental health. I’d be feeling guilty for taking the time to pause. At the same time I’d be feeling guilty for constantly thinking about work. My fragmented relationships and the idea that I’m weird and no one can really connect with me would pop in too. Then a strange bug would appear. My favorite of all my seasons was a big, fat orange and spikey nectar-drinking fly. At first I thought it must be some kind of terrifying and very dangerous bee. I mean, do you see it? Bright orange and SPIKEY?! Definitely seems like nature’s warning. I started taking pictures of them and scrolling through Google searches to figure out what they were. I could never figure out a scientific name, just the generic idea that they were flies that drank nectar, but I figured out something even more important.

My search took me through websites dedicated to bees, bee look-a-likes, and larvae. I learned that bees have two sets of wings and look-a-likes generally have one pair of wings. I also learned that I was slightly obsessed with bees and their look-a-likes too. Maybe not quite as obsessed as people who cataloged pictures and created websites, but obsessed enough to be really grateful someone else was that obsessed. More importantly, I learned how much I enjoyed this whole process. The process of finding something I didn’t understand, marveling at it, researching it, and as it turned out somehow stepping away from all the anxious self-questioning thoughts in my mind. It’s a practice I still find myself doing today in two ways:

Enjoying another meditative moment of sorts during a work break at outdoor camp in Arizona

1.     I’m able to remember these facts when I see bees now, which pulls me into this sort of meditation. I pause, think of all the cool things I’ve learned about bees, and smile in appreciation of how cool they are. And also smile in appreciation of how my crazy thoughts got me here. My non-stop thoughts usually disperse and I can breathe. I’d spot these bees all over while doing environmental education in Northern Arizona and take a sighting as a reminder to pause.

2.     Sometimes I notice something new about bees that gets me thinking and I turn to the internet again for answers. I find myself uncovering more fun facts that connect me to my “meditative” headspace. Last summer in Alaska, I was visiting a friend’s fish wheel at the Copper River when I noticed a bumble bee buzzing around. I paused and appreciated it. Just the other day I was visited over and over again by a bee look-a-like and it was the catalyst for this whole reflection!

Either way, I’ve learned about the balance between my own buzzing thoughts and being able to pause for the small moments. Moments that fill me up with joy, appreciation, fascination and wonder. Not just for the natural world, but for the squirrel scurrying around in my head too.

Kayaking Valdez Glacier Lake | How to Choose a Kayaking Tour

Sea kayaking in Alaska was not exactly on my bucket list, mostly for one reason – I figured it would be too pricey for my budget. I like to dream big, but I do also like to dream about outdoor adventures that lean more towards free, haha. :) Yet, life had different plans. I guess more like my roommate, Noelle, had different plans! We wanted to get out of Glennallen for the weekend and set our sights on the coastal town Valdez. She wanted to go sea kayaking and with a little bit of Google searching/phone calling she was able to find an affordable trip and talk me into going too. I’m so glad she did.

We ended up kayaking in Valdez Glacier Lake among floating iceberg chunks. Adjusting to paddling and steering the sea kayak together was a funny challenge, but one I think Noelle and I could accomplish! We docked our kayaks a couple times, hopping out to hike around the area. Along our trip we saw ice caves, mini waterfalls, and a spectacular view of Valdez Glacier and its medial moraines. During one of our short hikes we found ourselves being dive bombed by a seabird of some kind. We realized it must be trying to protect a nest nearby, so we tried to get away as soon as possible to allow it to relax… While also being as careful as possible because we had no idea where the nest was and didn’t want to find ourselves walking in it! This area isn’t considered a big ground nesting area as far as I’ve seen or our guide knew, so if you find yourself stumbling upon wildlife like we did and causing it distress, just give it more space.

 Now maybe you also want to book a kayaking tour too. Well awesome! Then I have some tips to help you book and go on the best trip you can:

• Decide What’s Most Important: As I’m sure you know if you’ve started searching for kayaking tours, there are a ton of options out there. Deciding what you really want out of your trip will help narrow down your choices. How much time do you want to spend out kayaking vs. hiking? What are you hoping to see or get out of your trip? How much money do you want to spend? The main priority for Noelle and I was get out kayaking within our budget. However, we also wanted to go sea kayaking and see fun marine wildlife we couldn’t see on land! If you’re heading to Valdez, then there are two sea kayaking groups out there with pretty much the exact same prices. So, peruse their websites, give them a call, and figure out which group is right for your schedule and needs for a kayaking tour!

• Make Your Needs Known: Once you know what you want, now’s your chance to make it known before booking! From what we read Noelle and I thought we would be sea kayaking in a place where we would be able to see otters. As we were packing up gear with our guide, we made some jokes about kayaking in the sea and he quickly corrected us that we would be going to a lake… Uh what? Haha. When we asked what wildlife we would see he told us, “Eagles and seagulls.” Oops. This is why I would definitely suggest communicating all your top priorities to your guides. Even if you’ve read their website or print materials (like we did!) you never know if a certain tour was changed around a little bit and instead of being on sea would be on a lake! If we had said, “We’re really interested in this tour for it’s price, being on the sea, and marine wildlife viewing opportunities,” then maybe someone could have let us know that particular tour was now scheduled for a lake.

• Show up Early & Prepared: Whatever tour group you end up going with will probably have a suggested checklist of items you should bring for your tour. If not a Google search would give you lots of other suggestions too. Basics would be wool or polyester (not cotton) top and bottom, a warm jacket (again not cotton), rain gear, a hat, and lots of snacks. Cotton keeps you colder when it gets wet, than wool, silk or synthetic material like polyester and out kayaking you are bound to get a little water on your someway or another. This is also why I like bringing an extra pair of clothes to change into afterwards. I like being comfy!

• General Safety Tips: After looking into kayaking tours you might notice that some places additionally offer just kayak rentals, no guides. You can talk to those groups and see if the area you want to kayak is within your level of skill and knowledge to decide if this is the route you want to go. Even if you’ve been kayaking before, but you’re a little unsure about being in a new situation, I would definitely suggest going with a guide. I’ve been kayaking before, but never near glaciers. It adds a whole new area I had no expertise in. I felt a lot more comfortable with a guide who had more knowledge of our surroundings. Some groups won’t rent just kayaks to you without certifications too. Even with a guide, don’t do something that makes you uncomfortable! Sometimes getting out of your comfort zone is a good thing, but you get to decide how you feel in each new moment. Maybe stepping outside of your box has felt great in the past, but if the present moment feels off, go with your gut and give yourself some peace of mind. Some moments I feel braver than others, so if you had caught me on a different day I might have said no to the ice cave for whatever reason and that would have been fine.

• Bonus Tip: If you’re a local in a touristy area or you work in the tourism industry, it never hurts to ask if there are any local discounts or tourism industry discounts. This isn’t always the case, so I definitely don’t expect any special “complimentary” pricing, but it does happen. Some friends had pointed this out to me recently and while it’s not my norm to ask these types of questions, I’ve learned you don’t lose anything by asking.

If you have any questions about kayaking tours in Alaska, let me know in the comments. I might be able to give you some helpful ideas or suggestions!

Science in the Park | Flagstaff Festival of Science

Saturday, September 22nd, families, students, supportive community members, and tons of awesome organizations gathered at Wheeler Park for Science in the Park. What’s Science in the Park? It’s the annual kick off event for the Flagstaff Festival of Science, a 10-day free affair full of field trips, hands on presentations and exhibits, and open houses in the community. Science in the Park had booths packed with hands on activities and experiments for the future scientists of Flagstaff and beyond. Actually, there were so many cool people, organizations, and opportunities gathered in one place for the event I don’t know where to begin… Let’s start with the people!

I started the morning at the Camp Colton booth since I love camp! We had some awesome 6th grade volunteers, who had just completed their week of camp last month, to lead experiments and answer any questions about Camp Colton. However, as more and more kids started coming up to us asking questions I just couldn’t sit back and take pictures, I had to talk to them too! They’re so funny and smart; I love getting to talk to curious, little minds. One boy came up to me asking what Camp Colton was and as soon as I told him it was an environmental science camp he exclaimed, “I’m going to be a scientist in the future!” From then on out I introduced all our young visitors as “future scientists” to our 6th grade volunteers. Watching little faces light up with enthusiasm when we asked if they would help us collect data or make a hypothesis is cute enough, but also watching our previous campers lead experiments is so sweet! They presented information with so much passion and excitement that even adults had to stop and listen to them. I’m so grateful they were there to fill future campers with the same kind of zest for camp and science. I really can’t wait for all the new little campers we’ll get to teach over the years!

The kids weren’t the only fun faces to observe either. Seeing a parent’s expression as they watch their own kids discover the wonder of science is just as exciting. There is so much pride and joy that flashes through their eyes when their child is filled with curiosity after running a new experiment. Sometimes our young visitors would shy away when we asked them to make a hypothesis, but their parent would encourage them to take a guess no matter what. Support is so important to our students and I loved how much parents offered during Science in the Park. We also received lots of support from other community members who stopped by to tell us they helped build tents at camp, or that their children went when they were 6th grade and soon their grandchildren would be coming to camp too. I love that Camp Colton is a tradition in the Flagstaff community. I’m proud to be a part of it!

Science in the Park also featured so many amazing organizations in the Flagstaff community and through out Arizona. USGS showed up with fish, turtles, and salamanders, and so many other activities packed into all their booths.  The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera came out from ASU to show off some rad photos of the moon and hand out free postcards and posters (which I happily accepted, of course). Grand Canyon Youth, Willow Bend Environmental Center, Bookman’s (who has a fun coffee shop by the way), Tynkertopia, and so many more were all there with fun activities for the public. Each giving visitors a chance to connect and learn about nature and our history through science, which I think is my favorite part of Science in the Park. Our young “future scientists” need that opportunity to create a connection with nature and the outdoors in order to encourage a life long commitment to preserving the land and history through their love for science. I look forward to seeing what their curious and enthusiastic minds create very soon!