When the pandemic hit, I was living in Minneapolis, MN and working as a corporate copywriter in the healthcare industry. I slowly realized that I needed a change. A year and a half later, my life could not be more different. I never thought I’d be working in the outdoor education industry with...
During the last day of the eight- to twelve-year-old camp, Outdoor Explores, we took the Campers to the Ice Caves nearby campus. Taking a large group of this age group into a pitch-black cave with slippery ice as flooring, meant we had to be absolutely positive that everyone had all the necessary...
This summer I truly feel like I’m the lucky one - I get to go to camp all summer long!After a very isolating past year filled with many uncertainties, I feel very grateful to be constantly surrounded and supported by a cohort of fantastic co-educators and campers. Getting to temporarily call Trout...
Although this is my second year serving as an AmeriCorps intern at Mt. Adams institute, this is my first experience working here at the camp, in-person with the campers and fellow counselors. I began my time with the program last summer, right in the middle of the pandemic. In-person summer camp...
Howdy! In late May, I packed up nearly all of my belongings and traveled 2,200 miles to the Pacific Northwest. Little did I know that I could flourish and challenge myself in this new environment to develop different strategies to help campers get a better glance at our big, beautiful, and...
Summer Camp 2021 is happening!! Day Camps for Summer 2021 will run Monday through Thursday 9am – 3pm. Check out the dates here! Cost per week: $325 | Shuttle Option: $50 | Scholarships Available Register Here! If the camp you are interested in is full, please sign up for the waiting list. If you...
I grew up just outside of Portland, Oregon. Despite living in one of the most beautiful and accessible places to nature, I didn't get into my hobbies of hiking, backpacking, and road tripping until I was a young adult. I decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail when I was 22, feeling like I needed...
Below are some important updates for Cascade Mountain School summer camps. First, the million dollar question . . .will summer camp happen this year? In these ever changing times, we unfortunately cannot provide a definitive answer just yet, BUT we can tell you how we plan to proceed: May 15th is...
Over two years ago, I sat in a Caffè Nero in Istanbul, Turkey, overlooking the Bosphorus Strait, writing my AmeriCorps application to work at Cascade Mountain School. I measured time by the number of barges that passed, shipping goods from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm. I...
Cascade Mountain School extends a huge thank you to all our community partners who support our programming year round by sharing their knowledge and practices, homes and trades, experiences and inspiration with our participants. YOU make our programming rich, deep, and grounded in the Columbia...
There is a certain personal power that possesses me and I believe it has propelled me through most of my bold, ill-advised, far-off and ultimately life-shaping experiences. That spirit goes along nicely with a sentiment from T.S. Eliot that I’ve come to own privately, “If you aren’t in over your...
In August, I was tagged in a Facebook post by Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center celebrating their 10th anniversary of summer backpacking trips. Through the expanse of social media, the program coordinator was commemorating the growth of the program and curious about where the original cohort of...
Increase in Wildfires Sparks Exploration of Fire’s Historical Effects on People and Place. March 20th, Sense of Place event.
Sense of Place launches it’s first Pop-Up event at Gorge Discovery Center. It will feature wildlife biologist Jocelyn Akins in conversation with SOP host/curator, Sarah Fox.
Heraclitus once wisely proclaimed, “Change is the only constant in life,” and at Mt. Adams Institute, we've embraced this truth throughout the recent transformative years. As our founder, Brendan Norman, bid farewell, and the pandemic brought an onslaught of changes,...
We had the privilege of delving into the thoughts and experiences of Aaron Stanton, our new Executive Director, whose commitment to the success of Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) has been unwavering over the past decade. This conversation is not just a glimpse into his...
Unprecedented Momentum: Miles Johnson, Columbia Riverkeeper, to Speak on the Path Forward for Salmon Recovery Hood River, Oregon - Sense of Place, will feature Salmon at a Crossroads on January 17th, 2024. This event will be offered in-person at the Columbia Center...
Laura Linn recently announced that she has accepted a new position and will leave Mt. Adams Institute (MAI) on January 5th. Laura has been with MAI for 9 years and was our first program coordinator. Over the years, she took on ever-increasing responsibility and...
The first time I met Homer Yasui was in Seattle. It was the fall of 2016, and like so many momentous things in life, I never saw it coming. I’d been hired to create something called a podcast. Unlike today, podcasts had yet to explode into the mainstream, so while I...
Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Native Plants in the Columbia River Gorge: A Celebration of Biodiversity and Environmental Stewardship Hood River, Oregon — Sense of Place will feature Mountaintop to Backyard: The Beauty of the Gorge’s Native Plants on December...
With just under a month left of my Forest Service internship with the Recreation Department on Mt. Hood’s East Zone, I feel hopeful about my natural resource career path. I feel I have a better understanding of recreation management and the work it takes to keep a...
SOLD OUT! Last week’s Sense of Place, Beaver Power: Teaming Up With Nature’s Engineers to Restore Our Watersheds, packed the house (and the livestream)! Speakers, Jeanette Burkhardt and Margaret Neuman, took us back in time to uncover how beavers have shaped the...