This is what I do - my job in pictures!

I had a fellow instructor, Charlie, observing one of my classes last week. He took a couple pictures, so I thought I'd share them - my "in action" teaching shots - exciting!

I was teaching Little World, a class all about decomposers of the forest - we like to call them the FBI (fungus, bacteria and invertebrates). This is my FAVORITE class to teach, because students don't often realize the essential role that these creatures fulfill!

After explaining the basics of these creatures' roles in the woods, the students went to work, creating their own version of a decomposer, complete with niche, adaptation, and mimicry information!

When everyone was done, the students took turns sharing their work in front of their classmates. It was a great way to wrap up class and the lesson!

Boardin' and Beachin' it

An extra week off of work marked some big "first's" for Jill the California adventurer. The first week in April, I committed to visiting my dear friend Heidi in Avon, Colorado. It was a week to remember, as I got to spend a lot of quality time with one of the coolest girls I know - we spent mornings at a delightful coffee shop, stayed up late listening to music, and cooked up yummy treats. And then, she showed me her world - the slopes of Beaver Creek. With some borrowed ski googles, clunky boots, and a snowboard, I headed toward my destiny (as seen in the below picture).


Inside, I was slightly flipping out at the thought of sliding down a mountain or a slick metal board. I tried to hide it though, and I didn't have to worry too much because Heidi was a patient instructor.


Heidi started me on a green slope (the least steep, although it seemed monstrous to me at the beginning). As I struggled to stay standing once I was strapped onto the snowboard, I was surrounded by 4 year olds learning how to ski - with their 36-inch statures and 36-inch skis, they made it look so easy! Little by little, encouragingly coaxed by Heidi, I made my way down the slope, feeling out how to stay upright and feel out the edges of the board. At the bottom of the hill, I realized I had been holding my breath the whole time...so I let out a big "whew!" and raced to the lift to do it again! Once I got the hang of it, snowboarding was incredibly fun! I wasn't as graceful as Heidi, but I tried to follow her down the slopes as best I could. She convinced me to do a blue slope before we ended our day, and I successfully made it to the bottom! If I find myself permanently residing in a mountainous area in the future, a snowboard and gear could be at the top of my "to buy" list.


The fun didn't end on the slopes - we made a trip into Denver with Heidi's friend Noah and caught a Rockies game live from Coors Stadium! Upon entering the stadium, we all receiving commemorative "National League Champion" rings that celebrated the Rockies' successful season last year. We laughed as we posed for a picture showing off our "newfound bling."


I left Colorado unwillingly, but I am still smiling about the memories created that week. I arrived at the LAX airport in Los Angeles and started another phase of my week-long adventure with my roommate, Lori. She was staying in Redondo Beach for the weekend with some college friends, so I tagged along for the fun. We spent a relaxing Saturday at the beach, surrounded by surfers and skateboarders. The hot sand scorched our toes while walking along the beach, forcing us to refresh our feet in the chilly blue salt water. After a few minutes of wading around, it hit me - "THIS IS MY FIRST TIME IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN!" I yelped in delight! It was a startling and exciting thought. :D


We ate at a few delightul eateries and enjoyed the breeze of the Pacific mixed with the hot mid-90's temperature. One of the most hilarious things I saw at a surfer venue was the following sign showed below, and it served as a happy way to end my week of traveling.


Only in California, only in California...

Spring Break (aka "Jill falls in love with Southern Utah")

Six twenty-something girls + Two cars + Dark chocolate covered edamame and oatmeal packets + Four states + 3 climbing harnesses = ONE INCREDIBLE TRIP.


Five instructors (including myself) from High Trails and an instructor's friend from Virginia all met up in Las Vegas and stayed on "The Strip" with some fellow instructors on our first evening away from California. It was a far cry from what the rest of our trip looked like. From the ritzy lights of the Flamingo Hotel, we headed to the hills of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just west of the city and started the exciting part of our trip - rock climbing!

Being my first time, I was thankful to have so many experienced climbers with me - all of the other gals had some great moves/tips! Additionally, we met up with Erin's friends from a previous job who also joined in the climbing fun. It was a great afternoon of mentally and physically challenging progress up the red rock faces. We did "sport climbing," in which there are bolts that trace up the wall and climbers use the pre-designated route to clip in their rope with carabiner quick draws.

After many moments of tense clinging to small cracks and crevices, I eventually hit the top rope of a route and felt the adrenaline-fueled joy that many climbers experience once they've conquered a climb. :D My muscles ached, but it was completely satisfied with the pain - I felt, in a true sense, that I "earned" my view from the top.


Following our afternoon in Red Rocks, we stayed with Erin's friends in a small town right outside the rec area called Blue Diamond. A small town with a sense of humor, the first thing we saw when entering the outskirts was a sign that read, "BLUE DIAMOND Population: LOW, Elevation: HIGH, Burros: ?" (Burros are similar to donkeys, roaming wild in the area.) We spent a relaxing evening talking over curry vegetables about the next part of our journey. After a good run in the morning to see the sun rise and a delightful breakfast, we drove with our sights set on Utah.

We reached Zion National Park in the mid-afternoon and found a frontcountry camping spot for the evening. Then we made a quick hike to Angel's Landing - a popular hike located in the heart of the park. Towards the top of the canyon, we had to start using CHAINS (yes, metal linked chains) to keep our balance as we precariously moved upward. [See picture below - it was CRAZY!] We made it to a perch that offered a beautiful view of the interior canyon. It was starting to get dark, and so we didn't venture all the way to the top of Angel's Landing - it would've required continual chain clinging, and we didn't want to risk coming down in the dark.



Our second day in Zion, we drove to the northwestern side of the park and backpacked into Kolob Canyon. We celebrated our 3:11 hour hike success to our campsite with a lucious meal of quinoa and chili. Our campsite was located right near the river that cut through the canyon, so I easily fell asleep to the sounds of rushing water.


We hiked out the next morning and surfaced in Springdale, UT hot and sweaty. We ate at a great Mexican restaurant called Oscar's and treated ourselves to Ben & Jerry's ice cream bars. We hopped back into our cars and found a campsite at Snow Canyon for the night, near St. George, UT. [Snow Canyon was the backdrop to such films as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "Jeremiah Johnson."] A good night's sleep energized us for another day of driving until we hit Nevada again. We drove across the Hoover Dam to a remote trailhead within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, with the hope of finding some remote hot springs. The hike was a beautiful, fairly flat trek through a slot canyon that wove its way to the Colorado River.

With only a few nights left for adventuring, we shared a campsite with some fellow climbers in Red Rock Canyon. We climbed a for a little while on our last day, but the wall we chose was packed with other climbers in town for a climbing festival. The climbing ledge reminded me of a jam-packed city sidewalk - bustling people full of gear and talking loudly! Only 3 1/2 hours from our home base near Big Bear City, we booked it back in time for a weekend of relaxation at our place.

There were many shared laughs and memories that I will not forget anytime soon. The people and scenery definitely made the trip worthwhile and exciting - everything from the rock climbing to singing in the car, camp food to crazy campground hosts!

Oh, and I have a definite "crush" on Southern Utah; I hope to visit it and its red-tinted canyons much more in the future...