healing

The past few weeks I've been in a weird funk that's really been getting me down. I just keep getting busier and busier and I get so caught up in a whirlwind of school, homework, practice, a new job, trying to find internships and research opportunities, and thinking about the future in general, that I rarely get a chance to finish everything, much less have some time off to relax and have fun. Even the things that are usually fun and help me unwind from time to time, (i.e. orchestra, frisbee), just aren't doing the trick!

That's why this weekend was magical. For just a few short days I got to escape the bustle of the cities life to go up north and stay in a sweet cabin. To unplug, unwind, relax and enjoy the great outdoors with awesome people. And not just anywhere up north, but my favorite place of all... ITASCA.

Itasca Summer 2011 

Itasca holds a very special place in my heart. Last summer I spent 5 weeks at the U's Biological Station in Itasca State Park taking field courses in Ornithology and Animal Behavior. If you've never heard me talk about this before, it was like summer camp for adults (and especially exciting for those poor souls who never went to summer camp as kids... aka me). Half the time I was taking awesome "classes" about animals, learning about science, and the other half of the time we got to frolic around the wilderness. Win-win, if you ask me. It was at Itasca that I first really felt affirmed that I was on the right path (academically), where I fell in love with birds, and where I finally became friends with other like-minded sciencey people!

Hiking out to Bear Paw Point

So when I got the chance to go back to Itasca for a weekend with the U's Center for Outdoor Adventure, I jumped on it. It was like a much-needed vacation: with just a small group of outdoorsy people, including two of my best friends, we stayed in a cozy "cabin," hiked some of the beautiful trails of the park, ate lots of good food, played board/card/word games, made new lumberjack friends, and just chilled! (and I saw a few birdies!) It was so healing to just get away, forget about my hectic life for a few days, revisit a place that I love and just be calmed by the simplicity and beauty of nature.

Headwaters in the winter