(Courtney Style) Today I...

Today I...

Woke up in Ramona at 6:14am

Drove up to Julian and stopped in at the Julian Coffee House (Lou's)

Quad mocha and a breakfast croissant with sausage

Smile on my face and in my heart as I see my mountains again

4, 5, 6 does and 3 fawns cross the road in front of me

Try to convince Jake via text to come down and climb Stonewall with me

Staff meeting: the Monday grumpies

Staff meeting: I am the peanut gallery

Lisa got a haircut!

New kids, new energy

10 minutes to take my shoes off, lay down on my bed, and relax

Burritos!

3 minutes to crawl up onto a rock and watch the thin clouds drift past

Cabin time with the boys: never giving boys free time again. Structured activities only

Boys + burritos = massive flatulence during cabin time

Camp fire! My voice came back (nearly) enough to sing Boom Chicka Boom

Kids leave. Teachers stay. Enjoying the fire under the ring around the moon.

It's 9:30pm and I am going to bed.

wealth

A friend of mine at Camp Cuyamaca, Andrew, and I had a few minutes to sit back and talk today. As we munched on Girl Scout Cookies (Samoas and Thin Mints: the only GS cookies that matter) we spoke of our future plans. He might have enough saved up to simply live as a bum near the ocean. A fantastic choice! Especially in San Diego. I told him my only plan was to hike about 50 miles of the John Muir Trail with two of my best friends, Camille and Tyler, this upcoming summer.

He surfs. I back pack. And our conversation wove in and out between things that make us happy and why. I've been studying the things that make me smile recently. People always tell me how happy I look, and I know I am more than happy; I am joyful.

I finally said something to Andrew that solidifies what I have been observing in my life:

"Well, I live to experience life, but there is more to it than that. There is a time and a place to be alone and to see things on your own, but the most important thing to me is experiencing life with others. That is how I define being 'rich': the more experiences you share with a person, the more memories you have with someone, the wealthier you are. I like to get rich every day."

I went on to rant as I always do about media-fed materialism and how it eats away at the values that this current generation has... but the heart of the conversation was this: I am rich. I am wealthy in my own definition. I am filled with a joy that comes from the interactions I have with these amazing people around me.

The road I walk is only as bright as I allow it to be. It would be completely dark if I shut my eyes. Or it could glow and shimmer with the radiance of those who give my life meaning.

I walk a road lined with memories and experiences worth more than gold, and it shines even truer...

cherish

When we walk down granite covered hill sides we talk about the Earth.

When I look down at my boots, I notice a shard of pottery.

Clay, dust, water; shaped by skilled hands; fired and hardened.

But this was hundreds of years ago.

A place a fragment of history in the upturned palm of my student's hand.

This is how you can tell it is pottery and not just a rock, some bark from a tree.

She starts to see and pick out pieces from among dozens of rocks.

I smile.

This is how my father taught me to see the Earth: the things of Nature and then the things of Man.

There is a distinct difference. When trained, your eye will be able to find that thing that does and does not belong.

A kid from the other village came up to me today and said, "Hey! You're Kat! Your group said that you can see anything!" He puts a hand behind his back. "How many fingers am I holding up."

I looked him dead in the eye. "Three."

His jaw dropped and his eyes bugged. "Oh my gosh!"

Today I spotted six red tailed hawks, one barn owl who was fleeing an hawk, two ticks, three grasshoppers, one jack rabbit, and three vultures. One of my students said that I had amazing eyes. I grinned; I do have my father's eyes.

shelter

We saw our breath as it was torn from our mouths. All noses and cheeks were ruby ruddy red; all hair tousled when not bunched beneath beanies.

Up, up to the top of the hill, where the wind is the strongest, the coldest, the sharpest. If we follow the trail, we will continue to be blown about like leaves. If we drop down, forget the trail, we will find what I am looking for...

I teach my students that when you drop down the side of a mountain, you can find a shelter from the wind.

Ducking beneath mountain lilac; hopping over downed pines; tunneling between manzanita; there it is: an open, sloping meadow on the sunny-side of the hill.

I toss my bag and jacket aside and show my kids just how marvelous a nap in the sunshine can be. "Everybody relax. Warm up. Feel free to lay down and curl up like a deer in the grass."

They are exhausted from the wind and the cold. Their little bodies have used up so much energy shivering.

Nearly half of my group fell asleep in the sun.

I love having the honor of teaching children how to find shelter from the frigid weather, how to find a sunny mountain meadow, and how to fall asleep to the wind howling just above them in the tree tops.

for the kids

Yesterday I took a group of new arrivals out on the trail. They seemed wild and unfocused, so I decided to teach them about some of our local flora.

"Does anyone know what this plant is? This green, serrated leafed plant is called stinging nettle. If you look at the underside of the leaf you will see that it is indeed covered in tiny needles. When these needles pierce your skin, it secretes folic acid, which is the same kind of acid that bees and red ants use. You want to see what it looks like when it touches my skin?"

"No! No!" they screamed. I was surprised; most sixth graders enjoy watching other people endure injury. "Please don't! We can just youtube this when we get home!"

They got louder as I brought the stinging nettle closer to my skin, and finally a crescendo when it made contact with the underside of my wrist.

"Ahhhhh!"

I had never actually felt stinging nettle before, but I knew what to expect.

"Wow! Already I can feel a burning sensation--like someone is poking me with about 20 red-hot needles!"

"Eeeewww!"

There is a plant called mugwort that lives right next to stinging nettle, and this plant is a nearly instant solution to stinging nettle. When you crush mugwort between your fingers, a few droplets of salve can be made. When you apply this mugwort salve to your stinging nettle, it will ease the burn and you'll feel 100% okie dokie in about 10 minutes. However, this helpful plant is dormant during the Winter months. I told the kids if they were to ever land in stinging nettle, please do so during Spring or Summer.

Anything for the outdoor education of our children :)

warrior teacher

Beneath my watch is a layer of dirt and sweat.

From my shoes pour pebbles and grit.

I shake my silver brown hair and mica flies into the wind.

Tongue to my lips and I taste the dust of the earth, the sage I picked.

This will not last forever. At least, not yet.

This is a gift: being able to open the door to the outdoors for kids.

Impressionable young adults.

At the beginning they were squeamish about walking through mud.

This week I taught them to allow themselves to be dirty--hands on fun.

By the end of the week they were playing in streams, watching hawks, writing poetry.

"A Warrior of the Light shares his world with the people he loves. He tries to encourage them to do the things they would like to do but for which they lack the courage." - Paulo Coelho, Warrior of the Light

This is my calling in life: to share the beauty of nature with the youth so that we may all have a deeper appreciation and love for it. If it is not appreciated, who will stand before the bulldozers and concrete and log cutters and engineers and roads? Who will fight for the few pristine and beautiful places we have left in this world? Who will be able to look at a mountain and see themselves reflected in it? Who will be able to stand on that mountain and look upon their world with awe and inspiration?

Coffee!

Today in our Pine Village meeting, our Village leader gave us French Pressed Coffee! Coffee!! That I had to stir with a spoon because I kept chewing the grinds at the bottom. Everyone in Pine Village is now bouncing off the walls: Literally. No really--look at the picture of Holly and I bouncing off the hallway walls!

I love this place!

acorns

Tiny miracles make me remember why I smile my way through life.

Yesterday two women came into Nomad Ventures to try on climbing shoes. We chatted about shoes, harnesses, and the best places to climb. It turns out that these women hadn't been outside much; only to Joshua Tree.
I tried to shame them into climbing outdoors more and to get out of their plastic gyms. The taller woman paused as she was putting on a shoe, turned the shoe upside down, and out fell an acorn. One solitary, browned acorn.
"Wait... did that come out of the shoe?"
"Yeah. What is it?"
I gaped in disbelief: "It's an acorn. You know, from an oak tree?"
"I've never seen an acorn. I didn't even know that acorns came from oak trees. I thought this was one of those moisture-absorbing things they put in shoes."

How did this acorn get into a 5.10 climbing shoe box? How was it that I managed to bring out this shoe to this woman who had never seen an acorn before? How do people not know that acorns are from oak trees?

I smiled.
"You can keep that as a reminder to get outside more often. Go climb outside!"
My job at Camp Cuyamaca seems more important to me than usual now.

Rain in October

3:38am. It starts to rain; I always wake when it starts to rain in the night. My window is ever open so that I never miss such miracles.

Smiling, I think about how the wind changed today and how a small wisp of cloud told me to expect this weather. A young girl in my Oak cabin had run up to me today and said, "Mr. Jeff said that we might get some dry lightning tomorrow!" I had smiled and replied that Mr. Jeff (my internship supervisor) knew how to read the weather well; I had also noted the clouds and their meaning.

The rain continues. I close my eyes again and picture the girls in their cabin being lulled to sleep by the water. One girl turns on her flashlight: it's bright! *CRRRRBBOOOOOM* I can hear the thunder as it echoes from one end of this valley to the other.

Jeff was right about the lightning.

Adrenaline rushes in, opening my eyes in anticipation for the next flash. When it comes, it comes from behind my room (which faces West). The storm will be quick tonight.

It's 4:10am. Tomorrow the earth will smell sweet, the bird will sing with appreciation, and I will tell that girl, "See? Jeff was right... except for the 'dry' part!"

The one time I don't have my camera

I lead my first group today and taught the SAMSPAW concept: there are seven natural resources on Earth; sun, air, minerals, soil, plants, animals, and water. The kids basically already knew this (but not all groups do).

We walked about in the mist and talked about how it feels to walk in a cloud.

Jeff, my supervisor, came along with me and made sure I didn't lose or mislead any children. He also helped me find my way around trails with which I am not yet familiar. On our way back to Camp I saw him step over a bright little flash of red, black, and yellow.

"A mountain king snake!"

Jeff turned and helped me keep the kids back as I caught the cutest, tiniest California mountain king snake I'd ever seen.

Thank you, Dad, for teaching me: "Red on yellow can kill a fellow. Red on black, you're okay, Jack!"

The kids got a treat in seeing such a rare (and adorable) specimen, and I got a treat by being able to see it, catch it, and talk to the kids about how awesome it is!

Stormy weather

It began raining at 4:22am. I woke to hear the raindrops hitting the upturned oak leaves, the dusty pine needles, and the metal table just outside my window. Tink tink tink tink.

This would be perfect if it weren't for that darn table...

So I stand up on my bed and look out my window to see if I could move the table in the morning.

CRACK! gggzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

Lightning struck very, very near. Near enough where I could hear something buzzing and humming in response.

I love storms. I told my boss today that I was sorry for being so flighty; I am storm-deprived. Our All Day Adventures were scheduled for today and we decided to break up that "all day" into two parts. For the first part we hiked the kids out to Rock Canyon, where bedrock forms a series of pools. With the help of the rain, these summer-time-dried-up pools were slightly filled. We saw a cute little toad that was only as big at my thumb, the same thistle-down velvet ant, and a few hawks. The kids were a bit noisy, but they were pretty cool this week. One of them attached himself to my walking staff and would do anything to carry it. Pretty darned cute.

The storm came in waves, showering us in light rain, then a downpour while it was sunny, and the occasional thunder and lightning show. It was marvelous. I haven't been so giddy in a long while. I mean, hiking in the rain while it is sunny with thunder overhead: what more could I ask for, really?

Mornings with Mom

Woke up early to meet Mom in Julian. I am fighting off a sore throat. Needed cough drops and EmergenC.

Mornings are made of peace here.

I drive down the road snapping shots out my open window. It smells like it wants to rain.

Mom has an entire care package for me; I'm 24 and I still could not survive without my mom. This makes me smile because I am trying to get back in touch with my childhood.

It's working.

Apple boysenberry crumb crust pie. Apple cider. It's for the other interns and other friends at Camp. I see my boss in town, then again at work. We joke about me "shadowing too closely."

I help the kids with rock craft today. Take a ragged stone, turn it into a gem: this is not an easy task for impatient children. But they manage. They succeed. They smile.

My staff has become something of a sacred thing to carry. I normally let the quietest, the nicest, and the shiest kid carry it as we hike. The red tailed hawk feathers twirl on the wind at the end of the staff. It seems to enable children to fly.

Week two

I feel progressively stronger. And taller (though that may be due to the fact that I tower over most sixth graders). I am so used to high school boys being at least as tall as I am, but these guys are short--and if there are tall ones it is normally the girls.

These kids are amazing; they know more than some college students I have met. They are also much friendlier.

I am also learning "six grade appropriate language" here at Camp. Let me demonstrate:

Non-appropriate term: Fart

Camp Term: Butt-crickets

Non-appropriate term: Butt (but, crickets! I know.)

Camp Term: Rear, bottom, G.M. (gludius maximus)

Non-appropriate term: Shut up

Camp Term: Shhh! Quiet, you squirrels!

Non-appropriate term: Oh my god!

Camp Term: Hokey smokes! Geez la weez!

Non-appropriate term: Poop

Camp Term: Scat

So it's not much of a list, but I am pretty tired and my brain has shut off. 10pm is far too late for me to be up.

Yet I am so, so happy!

Night Hikes

Camp Cuyamaca gives some kids the kind of gifts they have never received before: like a night hike during a full moon. Many of the kids who come to 6th grade camp have never been camping, let alone spent five whole days submerged in the beauty of nature.

I've been told that some kids have never seen a clear night sky--they have never seen the Milky Way. And so I take my stand as a part of Camp Cuyamaca and I try to combat this nature deficiency disorder that appears to be all too rampant in children now-a-days.

I finished my first week and I am now heading into my second; I am excited, better prepared, and anxious to help these awesome kids get to know nature.

Watch! Students are suddenly ecstatic to be surrounded by trees, by fresh air, and by wild animals; they find themselves in awe of that which they used to overlook.

There are six months of these miracles ahead of me; I love this job.