Wild Willow Nature Camp

I went hiking to Devil’s Den this weekend to explore. When I hike, I like to go off trail, climb the rocks, crawl into small caves, smell the plants, pick up the sand in the creeks, play with the clay, walk barefoot for a distance, see using wide angle vision all my surroundings, listen to the birds, dance with the path. One can transcend the experience of walking when using all of the senses! Use all of what we were given to deeply connect, whether it be on a beautiful scenic hike or a walk through the grocery store. This is the essence of AWARENESS.

I was at the top of the mountain when a sudden, raging lightning storm came. I did not let fear control me when lightning zapped 50 yards away coupled with the instantaneous roar of thunder. This is the 3rd time I have seen lightning so close! If you are ever exposed in this kind of storm, KEEP MOVING, and don’t panic!

PERSONAL BIO

Hello fellow nature lovers! I wanted to introduce myself and give some background to where I come from. I was born and raised just outside of San Antonio, Texas. I grew up very fortunate with a family who valued trips to the outdoors and travel. This lead me to my nature enthusiasm, studying environmental geology and horticulture in college. After graduating college, I traveled through parts of Europe, New Zealand, and Australia for 2 years working on farms and exploring new lands. What brought me back to texas was the opportunity to learn and teach children wilderness survival skills with my friend, Chris Hyde at Natureversity. I worked for a year and half leading children through Austin city parks. I then moved to Arkansas and have been working as a nature teacher at Fayetteville Nature School since.

I have my Wilderness First Aid certification and will be earning my Wilderness First Responder this March 2023 through NOLS in Idaho. This qualifies me to be a professional outdoor guide and able to perform medical procedures if unable to reach emergency services.

After beginning to really learn survival skills, I can appreciate how precious and sacred they are. It allows us to appreciate what we have by interacting with nature and finding usefulness from it. This creates a generation that works in harmony their environment, the kind of future I believe in.

Welcome to Wild Willow Nature Camp!
I am so excited to provide an opportunity for our community to become more connected with our local environment 🤩