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!

Aerial Photography Tips in Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve

While working at Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve this summer, documenting research and cultural events, one of the amazing things I was able to do was a flightseeing tour! If it hadn’t been for my summer job, I don’t think I would have gotten this chance as soon as I did because the flights are a little pricey for me personally at this point in my life. Luckily, our team leader organized schedules for us to fly with an awesome National Park Service pilot over the mountains and glaciers of Wrangell St. Elias!

Our pilot was the amazing, Lynn Ellis, who grew up in the remote Nabesna area and has been flying pretty much his entire life. At the young age of 16 he learned to fly from his father and has been flying ever since.  As you can imagine, Lynn has a lot of intimate knowledge of the land. Growing up in the area has allowed him to create a unique relationship with the expansive landscape of Wrangell St. Elias, meaning a flight with Lynn as your pilot is quite the treat! To top it all off, one of my coworkers who came on the same flight as me grew up near the area and had known Lynn for a while. If it weren’t already special enough to be gliding over all the magnificent rock and ice, I was also extra fortunate to hear all the personal stories and connections these two had to the land. 

This was the first time I had flown over the park and the first time I was able to casually fly in a small plane, but I had previously flown in a small plane for work. They were very fast, business flights though! Those first couple experiences allowed me to be more prepared for this flight, so I’d thought I’d share some tips in case you too find yourself fortunate enough to be soaring over gorgeous scenery and want to capture your experience.

• Packing: Keep your gear minimal and in a small pack! My first time on a small plane was when I was flying from Yakutat to Dry Bay on a real quick, all business kind of flight. We had to shove everything underneath the plane, but of course I wanted my camera and my water bottle (I hate not having access to hydration, ha). I figured it was best to keep it to these two items and hold them in my lap. Turned out, juggling these both in my lap in the tiny front seat of our plane was a little trickier than I had thought! It would have been nicer to have a small bag or pack with me that I could set in my lap and either pull out my water or my camera when I needed. It can be hard to maneuver once your set up in the plane, so it’s nice to have everything right in your lap and contained so it’s not rolling around as the plane moves. On my flightseeing tour, this is what I did and it was a lot easier to coordinate my items.

• Prepping: Prepare your camera ahead of time! Like I mentioned above, it can be pretty hard to maneuver inside small planes. The first flight I went on I didn’t want to move too much since I was in the front seat and could have easily bumped the pilot or buttons! Granted, pilots are professionals and are probably used to this, my way of operating during photography is always to minimize my affect on the experience. I like being a fly on the wall that captures reality as it unfolds and this idea tends to seep into my life even when not on a shoot. However, if your camera already has a full battery, cleared memory cards with lots of room, and a good lens on it, then you won’t have to worry about doing this in flight. Have it all set up before you even climb in that plane and you can fully focus on taking in the view instead.

• Lens: Choose a wide lens or a zoom lens! I’m really stubborn when it comes to using zoom lens. When shooting portraits it’s super easy to stick a 50mm on my camera and move around when I want a different view. Shooting dynamic landscape photos are a little different though (much to past me’s disappointment). A zoom lens can be wonderful when you are limited in movement, but want a variety of views. On my first flight I brought my trusted 50mm, which did get some beautiful shots. Yet, I found myself wanting the chance to move around. Sure, you will fly over a new and exciting view, but you’ll want a different perspective. For this tour I brought my 28mm to 85mm lens. It was great to get variety, which brings me to my next point…

• Switch it up: Video and photo, wide and close, vertical and horizontal, out the window and inside the plane. Get a bunch of different perspectives even if you are hovering above the same area. It’s been really fun for me to look at my photos as a set and see the different views I captured. I also really like creating films, so I made sure to get lots of video from this flight. I was able to use some of the footage in short videos I made for Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve, that hopefully I will be able to share very soon.

• Finally, don’t lean against the plane! I kept finding myself trying to make this work, but any small plane is going to have a lot of vibration. Your video shots will be a lot smoother and your photos will be sharper if you just hold up your camera yourself. No need to rest against the plane.

There’s the advice I’ve collected from my few times in a small plane. I hope they can be useful to you! These images feel a lot different to me than ones from a drone. Shots sourced from both techniques are gorgeous, and of course it’s not always reasonable to fly up in a small plane, but personally, I love the feel. Maybe it’s the memories they bring back or the glassy view from inside the plane. What are your thoughts? Do these shots feel different to you compared to drone shots? Let me know!

Nurturing Rains

Arcosanti in the Rain - Arizona Photography

As the rain was falling, my friends and I pulled into Arcosanti just in the nick of time. The sun was lowering, inching closer to the horizon, and tours were closing. Yet, by chance, we wound up meeting a guide who happily showed us around, filling us in on the special details of the experimental town. Arcosanti is a more sustainable alternative suggestion to urban sprawl, where the buildings are kept to a limited area so as to make the most use of the resources offered by the surrounding land. The trickling rain brought extra attention to colorful land, highlighting it's potential.

The evening had all of my favorite subjects wrapped up into one: lots of beautiful greenery, a gorgeous, shimmering sunset, unique architecture, and lovely friends. Also the opportunity for lots of candid shots! I hope these photos can bring you along for our rainy little tour.