When I was 17 years old, I watched a BBC nature program about Yellowstone in winter. In the program, a woman ranger was kneeling down next to a dying bison. She said that Yellowstone National Park is not a zoo. It’s not her job to save dying animals. She works to protect the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so that nature can thrive and be the way it supposed to be. The park is half the size of Shikoku, an island where my mom grew up in southwestern part of Japan. I was struck by the idea that humans are just a witness of whatever nature takes place and there is a park to let that happen in the world. 

After watching the show, I wanted to see Yellowstone and to be a ranger just like her. Since then, it became my dream to move to the United States to study environmental education and work in national parks. During my sophomore year in college, I took a year off and came to the US for the first time. I wanted to work as a volunteer at Yellowstone but the visa situation was complicated and my English was at the survival level. So, I enrolled at a community college in Rock Springs in Wyoming and studied English with a major in geology for a semester. I bought a bike, toured around Yellowstone and experienced the large scale nature for the first time: geysers, wildlife, camping, friendly Americans, vast landscapes, and huge lakes are all still part of my memory. Years later, I  made a milestone move to the US.

I attended the environmental science and education graduate program at Teton Science School for a year then began my career as a NatureBridge environmental science educator at Golden Gate National Recreation Area. With NatureBridge, I grew as an educator and took other responsibilities including the most recent role as the Director of Equity and Inclusion until last year. 

Yellowstone played a significant role in my life. It inspired me to dream big. It pushed me to immigrate to the United States and exposed to the world of new challenges, adventures, friendships and social justice. Although I didn’t become a ranger in Yellowstone, my dream came true- connecting young people to nature through hands-on science in our National Parks. 

It’s a long life story- kind of like the CDT. Since Yellowstone was critical in shaping  the course of my life, I was looking forward to hiking through the park. But the excitement faded away after two days of my own drama- dropping my phone in the middle of wilderness. Although the miracle happened and I found the phone with the incredible help from my friends Shawn and Beth, when I resumed my hiking, I was feeling out of it- perhaps the first time since I hit the trail. I was disappointed and embarrassed mostly. But after a day of hiking and when I saw the sign of “Entering Yellowstone National Park,” my mind shifted and my rhythm and sync with nature came back. I’m in Yellowstone, the symbol and icon of my American dream! What’s cool about it is that I made it here on foot!! 

No matter how I feel, nature is in cycle- the sun rises and sunflowers always face the sun: the attitude I admire, teaching me to begin my day facing the sun with a hope and purpose, and get ready for a new day and the new beginning. I just have to remember the teaching of sunflowers and it’s easy to practice the lesson when I’m completely immersed in nature on the CDT

I passed the 2,000-mile point yesterday and was on my way to Old Faithful. The day was going well until I made a mistake of negotiating with a down-tree.

There are a few rules of thumb that I always keep in mind to follow. One of them is to never step in where I can’t see my footing. One of the most difficult challenges, if not the most, is to be mindful of every moment on the trail. I was distracted by the Sandhill Crane’s alert calls. The bird was walking along me, calling nonstop and I kept telling the bird its okay and I would be out of the area soon. I stepped over a  down-tree and put my foot on the branch that still had leaves. My foot went right through the leaves and I felt pain in my lower leg. My pants and leg sleeve had no sign of puncture but I saw blood coming out profusely. I walked to a place under a shade and pulled over my clothes to check out the damage. When I saw it, I was like, oh no, I have a hole in my leg! I knew I would need stitches and worried about infection. I had about 11 miles to Old Faithful medical clinic. The faster I get help, the less chance of getting infection. After 8 hours, you’re more likely to get infected in deep puncture wounds. I knew I may have to cross rivers and muddy marshes on the way, which would dramatically increase the chance of infection. 

I took a deep breath and focused on wilderness first aid- irrigated the would, cleaned as best as I could with my drinking water, put a moist gauge into the hole and applied pressure, put a bandage on, covered it with one of my food ziplock bags, taped around to decrease the chance of exposure to mud and river water, and jogged for the next 3.5 hours.

When I made it to Old Faithful Village. The medical clinic was the first place I saw and I walked right into the clinic. The nurse looked at the wound and he said yes, it needs to be stitched up or stapled in. The entire staff was so friendly and kind. They even let me take a shower before the NP put staples in. Two hours later, I was fixed and made it to the post office to pick up my resupply! 

There is a saying in Japanese language that what happens twice happens three times. Last week, I lost my phone. Today I put a hole in my leg. What’s next? A bear attack? A terrible infection? Then, the NP said, “This is the third one. You had frost nips in Colorado. That was the first. You’re done. You will be fine.”

That’s right! I totally forgot about that frost nip on my right hand fingers when I was caught in the snow storm in San Juan Mountains. Whether I believe the saying or not, I felt much better. They instructed me with how to keep the wound clean and gave me antibiotics. For the next 7 days at least, I need to pay attention to the wound to avoid infection and meet my daily calorie needs since it impacts the speed of healing.

I walked out of the clinic feeling optimistic and remembered the sunflower’s teaching. Face the sun with a hope and purpose. A new beginning is starting now! Look around and see how beautiful place I’m in. People from all over the world are here, waiting for the Old Faithful to erupt. Many other geysers are also surrounding me. They are telling me we are all alive!

I sat to watch Old Faithful geyser eruption in the beautiful evening light.
I even made new friends from Mongol-Bobby family. They were curious about my hike and at the end of our conversation, they wished me the best and donated $100 for whatever I need on the trail.

I couldn’t believe how things unfolded today. Remember no matter what, always face the sun just like the sunflower for a new beginning. 

Life is a journey. 
Life is beautiful.