Northward Bound

As my friend Kate would say, I'm heading to Michigan, where the lakes are great!!! Tomorrow morning I'll hop a few flights and arrive in Wisconsin, where I'll have a chance to visit with two great friends. Then I'll be on my way toward the Upper Peninsula, where I grew up. On Tuesday afternoon, guess where I'll be?! That's right, on Isle Royale!

While I'm sad to leave Mike in GA to finish up at the academy, I'm really excited to visit the island and then head "home" to northern California. Which brings me to some other good news...I've been selected to work at Redwood National Park! I'll be based out of an education center/residential camp in a redwood forest within the park, where we'll lead groups of 4th, 5th and 6th graders on outdoor adventures. Sounds like fun!

So the next time I write, it'll be from a much cooler climate.

Hasta luego, Georgia! Hasta pronto, Michigan!

Congaree Swamp

When we first arrived in Georgia, we came up with a list of goals to accomplish during our time here. The list included visiting all the local GA NPS sites, canoeing in Okefenokee NWR, snorkeling in the freshwater springs of FL, and visiting Congaree NP in South Carolina. So we're pleased to report that we've accomplished all of our goals!

We spent an amazing weekend canoeing, hiking, and camping at Congaree. We were especially surprised by the diversity and abundance of life in the swamp. You really realize it at night, when all the amphibians, owls and other nocturnal birds, and insects begin their nightly chorus. We were lucky to go on a ranger-led evening canoe outing...even luckier that we didn't even need to bring our own canoe to take part. The weather was hot, humid, and sunny, typical of summer in the southeast. It was the first weekend in over a month that we didn't get poured on in the evening/night.