Wyoming Spring Creek: The West Stole my Heart

It has been almost two weeks since returning from the Wyoming Spring Creek trip, and I can confidently say it was one of my most favorite trips ever. Before leaving, my friends mom said something to me along the lines of – “you are going to learn so much, and learn a lot about yourself.”…

Wyoming Spring Creek: Postcard to My Past-self

A letter to past myself from your present (or future self?),  When you used to look at a map of the US, the state of Wyoming would barely register as a blank rectangle floating in the middle of the country, however when you get back and scan the poster on your bedroom wall you can’t…

Wyoming Spring Creek- How Much Can Six Weeks Really Change You?

When we had our pre-departure meeting back in April, our program coordinators and instructors joked about the culture shock we would experience going from the east coast to Wyoming and back again. I couldn’t imagine then that I would feel much of a difference at all. It’s all the same country, I thought to myself,…

Wyoming Spring Creek: A Short Six Weeks

After you return back to normal life in West Virginia post-Wyoming, you’ll look fondly on your adventures out west. I know you don’t have too many expectations going into it, but just know this field study was honestly a perfect balance of academic and personal growth surrounded by individuals passionate about the same thing you…

Wyoming Spring Creek: a Letter to Myself

To Sophia from Six Weeks Ago– Years ago, Wyoming captivated your five-year-old eyes when you saw Old Faithful for the first time. It enchanted your twelve-year-old heart when you came back in the family RV on a yearlong road trip. I remember you thinking Yellowstone was all the natural wonder Wyoming had to offer. How…

Wyoming Spring Creek – A Final Love Letter

My Dear Wyoming, Thank you for reminding me how small I am, Wyoming. Accepting our insignificance on a greater scale is really difficult, and understanding that the world does not only revolve around us is even harder. It is something complex, alive, and working on such a larger scale that none of us can fully…

Trip Around Wyoming: A Day Off at K-Z

After a long, rainy, day before, we were given a day off to catch up on sleep and to explore the homey K-Z. The morning of the 5th Day on the trip around the state started off strong with a delicious home-cooked breakfast. The warmth of the food was a welcoming change from the typical…

Wyoming Spring Creek: Hot Springs, Bison, and People

Throughout the course, we’ve used a combination of geological, ecological, and human-centered perspectives to understand the world we live in, and we continued to take this interdisciplinary approach in Yellowstone on day 7 of our 10-day road trip across Wyoming. Our first official stop of the day was an overlook at Yellowstone Lake which formed…

Wyoming Spring Creek – Thermopolis and Museum Ethics

Thermopolis, or “Thermy” as I have dubbed it, was the second stop on our trip around the state. The day started not in Thermopolis, but at a gap between time. We had visited a site just off of the road where we stayed for quite a bit. We were let loose onto the rock face…

Wyoming Spring Creek: Trip Around the State Day 1

Up early on a Saturday morning we shuffle out the door and heap into vans ready to embark on our 10 day road trip around the state. First stop: Independence Rock. A weathered feature of the Granite Mountain range, this outcrop was originally named by Native American tribes across Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains as…