August 2019 Photo Round Up!
Youth Leadership Adventures: Final Trips & Visitor Days
Another season of Youth Leadership Adventures came to a close. This summer, we served 36 students, and almost every student was awarded a scholarship to increase access to these transformative 12-day backcountry experiences to young people who otherwise couldn’t afford them — thanks to our generous donors and funders. A lot of strong connections, deep learning and reflection took place in the wilds of the North Cascades this summer, as the next generation of conservation leadership takes shape.
I learned so much about myself and about the environment of my home, going back from Native Americans to the present of climate change…
Youth Leadership Adventures changed me to become a better person for this obstacle course called the real world, I saw that anything is possible no matter your size, shape, color or height.
One of our favorite moments from the summer was when a student shared his big takeaway from his trip: realizing that there are other people his age who have similar values surrounding the environment and climate change. The students said his group had many long conversations in the backcountry sharing ideas about what they can do to take meaningful personal actions.
If you missed it, Youth Leadership Adventures was covered in the Skagit Valley Herald and our summer instructor, Urvy, wrote about their experience leading these summer backcountry trips on our blog.
Field Excursion: Night Photography at Artist Point
Some shots from the recent night session at Artist Point. Andy Porter instructed the group to point their cameras skyward and adjust their settings to capture the elusive yet numerous stars in and around the milky way.
See more photos from staff and participants on our Flickr page
Field Excursion: Waterfall & Stream Photography
All water in the Cascades — each creek and each falls — has a story that connects glacial history to the 10,000 years of human activity in this region. Photography evokes the feeling of a place like nothing else. Under the tutelage of Juan Aguilera, a group of photographers rambled east and west on Highway 20 to capture the essence of moving water. Photos below are by Carson Yach and Evan Holmstrom.
See more photos from staff and participants on our Flickr page
Summer Base Camp
Summer Family Getaways
We love this photo from a recent Family Getaway sent to us by Hannah Sullivan — what a stunning place to host an outdoor watercolor class! One of these young artists came all the way from Salt Spring Island in British Columbia.
Mary Allen’s family joined our early August Family Getaways to celebrate a 45th anniversary! Their photos and more from this summer’s Family Getaways can be found on our Flickr page
Skagit Tours: Newhalem at Night
It’s hard to describe exactly *what* you’re in for when you visit Ladder Creek Falls in a “Newhalem at Night,” but here’s a sneak peak. While most Skagit Tours are done for the season, you can add this to your bucket list for next summer!
Another shot of the changing colors on the creek and falls by our Admin Assistant, Darcie Lloyd:
Group Retreat: Wilderness First Responder Course
Our Conferences and Retreats team hosted Wilderness Medical Associates’ Wilderness First Responder (WFR) in August. This is the definitive course in medical training for outdoor educators, guides, SAR team members, and others who work or play in remote areas. The curriculum is comprehensive and practical, including all of the essential principles and skills required to assess and manage medical problems in isolated and extreme environments. Participants from Washington, Idaho and Oregon — including a couple of our Fall Mountain School instructors — traveled to the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center to get their WFR certification.
Group Retreat: Sarva Yoga Therapy Teacher training Retreat
While technically a July retreat, we saw some great photos shared by Sarvay Yoga Therapy on Facebook and wanted to share a great group photo of the group during their Teacher Training retreat at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. What a fun way to end a course. Thanks to Yoga Circle Studio for bringing your lovely group here!
Book your yoga or wellness retreat here
Group Retreat: Wim Hof Instructor Training
Another group we hosted at the Learning Center in August was a Teacher Training course for instructors of the Wim Hof Method. This method is based on three pillars: cold therapy, breathing, and commitment to unlock a multitude of benefits. As the summer comes to a close, if you’re a bit too hot, remember to cool off and chill out in the lake or river!
Looking for a venue for your next group retreat or conference? Get more info on our website
Graduate Students: Summer Leadership Tracks, Headed for Bellingham
Our Graduate M.Ed. students are transitioning from their summer Leadership Tracks to the campus portion of their studies, moving from the North Cascades to Bellingham to attend classes at WWU.
Outreach & Events: Tabling at Heather Meadows
Did you make a visit to Artist Point this month to see the North Cascades Institute pop-up shop? Over two August weekends, we were fortunate enough to be able to set up shop in the Artist Point parking lot to share opportunities to learn with us, teach folks about North Cascades wildlife, and sell some excited North Cascades merch. Keep your eyes out for us next summer!
If you haven’t heard, we are now operating the Heather Meadows Visitor Center which is open from July through September.
Our “Moneyshed” team (Marketing and Development) enjoyed breakfast at Joy’s Bakery in Sedro Woolley to celebrate our new Grant Coordinator’s birthday.
Staff Adventures
Just in time for the August Round Up, our community is welcoming its newest member!! Congratulations goes to Lucja, one of our wonderful Food Services staff, who delivered River on August 23! Welcome little one!
Darcie Lloyd, our Admin Assistant — who you’re likely to reach when you call our office — backpacked with her family over Cascade Pass to Stehekin with her family. The kids jumped on the bus shuttle after the bridge crossing, however, she and her husband hiked 32 miles in total!
Additional sights from around the North Cascades include beautiful alpenglow on mountain peaks, mushrooms & monotropes, goats and more!
Here’s a note about Photography from our very own Evan Holmstrom, Program Coordinator at the Environmental Learning Center:
Photography is a compelling form of the creative process. It’s neighbors with many other visual art forms and compatible with them too, such as with collage and other mixed media. What it offers that others don’t is a reflection of visual principles in the world around the photographer. It provides a search for these elements, and the rush of their discovery. For me, with a background in drawing and painting photography is like exercise for my eye. It helps to remind me of what arouses the creative spirit and it transcends my verbal and logical thinking by connecting me to harmony, proportion, color, texture, and drama. It can also grip our imagination when exactly none of those things show up, teasing us into a fertile visual zone where something really exciting might happen.
Modern creative photography is also intricate, tech-heavy, and expensive. It is not accessible to many creative individuals who can’t afford the equipment or don’t have the luxury of time to learn it thoroughly. This is something I want to see change. Think of all the mind and heart expanding images we could see if we were able to share point of view with a wider array of artists.
Christian Martin, our Marketing and Communications Manager, traveled to Harts Pass for the first time and was amazed at the vast expanse of mountain peaks and wildlife sightings!
Thanks for coming along on this very fun, very full photo round up of August 2019. As always, if you’d like to share something from your own adventures, please reach out to us at photos@ncascades.org.
Happy adventuring!
Thanks for capturing the essence of summer — time spent outdoors with friends and family, exploring some place new, discovery known favorites with new eyes. I really enjoyed this photo round up!