Kalabarri

Jingo Dingo

Crazy Red Kangaroos

Great Beach

Pinnacles

Favorite Places in the South

Kiwi in the USA

I recently took a trip to Washington D.C., and before my visit I got in contact with the National Zoo, which just so happens to have kiwi birds! I asked them if I could stop by and visit with them, and they actually said yes! Turns out they thought that my time volunteering with these small flightless birds in New Zealand made me a worthy visitor.

Kiwis as you may know, are flightless New Zealand birds. They have a long beak used for sifting through soil and grabbing bugs. They have the softest feathers that Maori Chiefs once wore as cloaks. They lay the largest egg in proportion to their body size of any bird. Did I mention they have whiskers. They are freaks of the animal kingdom, as are most of New Zealand animals. Sloths may be adorable, but a friendly kiwi is just as cute! Check out my video, to see for yourself!

To learn more about Kiwis at the National Zoo visit

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Birds/Kiwi/default.cfm?hpout=homepage

My buddies make it to Animal Planet!

Watch Animal Planet on December 17th to see my sloths at Aviarios!

My Photo picked for Australian Geographic!

A photo of Shark Bay World Heritage site I took in Western Australia, made it into the Australian Geographic!

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/view-image.htm?index=0&gid=10356

Superior Hiking Trail: A walk in the woods

Bear Lake on our last morning

This is what it is all about
The dirty and much fitter version of Jessy

View from one of our camp sites. Here's my little tent.
Jessy in Minnesota
The group consisting 12 teenage campers and three staff
Wolf prints, we saw hundreds during the first portion of the trail.
Most of my view for 9 days was a bunch of backpacks, but I was lucky to see the birch trees!

This summer I worked at the camp I have been going to since I was 10 years old. I was teaching environmental education there as I have done in South Carolina.  I was asked to lead 12 teenagers on a 9 day backpacking trip.  Apparently everyone thought I have backpacked before, which was certainly not the case.

The only item I could use for the hike that I had brought along with me to the camp was my amazing water proof backpack! Everything else I had at home, so needless to say there was a lot of borrowing going on. I managed to get everything I needed, including biodegradable soap for when we did happen to find a body of water.

Superior Hiking Trail, also known as the SHT is one of the 10 best hikes in the world. It's rated the 5th best in the US. It goes from Duluth Minnesota to Canada along Lake Superior. It also goes through the Sawtooth Mountains. It's up and down, over massive rocks, through swamps, through mud, through birches and over bridges. It is all breathtakingly beautiful!

The first day we walked maybe a mile, and I thought I was going to die! It was hot and I was tired of walking. We also managed to break a water pump that night, but luckily David (the trips director) ran out to buy a new one since we were still close enough to the road. We did hear wolves howling that night and in the morning, which was a highlight of the trip for me.

The trail ended up being amazing, the sights were breath taking. Sure it was challenging, but this made it even more worth the while. The teenagers I got to know were such great individuals! Especially the one who boiled my water for my coffee every morning.

For anyone wanting to try this hike, I would give yourself plenty of time to do it.   I could have kept going after the 9 days, but figured it had to end at some point.  Make sure to bring a good bag, a water pump, camera, and a sense of adventure! Helps to have good company too.

The Highland Games in Savannah