Today was service day! We had a choice between working on trail maintenance or

working with a group of ESL (English second language) students from a local

elementary school. I chose to work with the students - we were going to have

them outside exploring nature so that sounded great to me!



We had a bit

of a delay when the students weren't able to come out to the park and we had to

quickly adjust our plans and go to their school. We were split into pairs and…

I cannot believe I have already been here for five days. This week has FLOWN by

- I feel like it's last Sunday and I just arrived. I miss my friends and family

(especially Ames!!!!) but at the same time I don't want this experience to ever

end!



Earlier today on Facebook I posted the picture of myself in the arm

splint and stated that I did not injure myself so nobody would think I broke my

arm... While I definitely have not broken any bones, I have injured…

Before getting into our activities for today, I have to mention breakfast. We

were spoiled with fresh fruit, yogurt, pancakes (absolutely delicious), eggs,

and blueberry muffins. I eat better here than I do at home!



After

breakfast, we set out to hike the Alum Cave Trail! The weather was...

challenging. It was very, very cold. I had on a base layer, a special warmth

top, a fleece jacket, a rain jacket, and then another fleece jacket and I was…

This morning we were able to kind of shadow different park rangers and see what

it would be like to have their jobs. First, we got to work with an entomologist

- we collected aquatic invertebrates and looked at them under a microscope (in

case anyone was wondering about those interesting photos that I

posted). After that we met with a botanist and learned about how they manage

invasive species as well as raise native species to repopulate areas that have…