Introducing Nora Woodworth
Nora Woodworth - she displays a real zest for life!!
And all things nature. Nature is a constant source of inspiration for us. Her love and appreciation of the “little things” is so very refreshing. Nora’s genuine passion for looking at animal tracks and poo on a trail is sincerely something to observe and experience. If ya wanna talk about mindfulness and gratitude in nature - hang with Nora.
Not only is Nora a great friend of ours, but we’re lucky enough to have her as a Retreat Leader and Wilderness Canoe Guide at our annual Adventure Awaits Yoga Retreats on the edge of the BWCA.
Also, Bryana struck the jackpot (BIG TIME) when Nora and Bryana decided to start going on an annual BWCA trip 7 years ago, with just the two of them and their dogs. This tradition has been so transformative!
Lastly, Amanda and Bryana both talk frequently about the nature facts we learn from Nora’s instagram account: @neaturenora. Check it her out!
Without further ado, we give you: Nora!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your training, and how you got started?
My name is Nora Woodworth. I work for a small nonprofit called Happy Dancing Turtle, whose mission is to grow good stewards of the planet through education, programs, and experiences for youth and adults that inspire wonder and empower change.
I am a nature nerd at heart, through and through. I’m fascinated by all things nature - from trees that are hundreds of years old down to the tiny turds on the trail. Everything in nature has its own story to tell and I love learning the story behind what we can see. Having a job where I get to share my passion with people feels so lucky. I spend most of my free time out in nature - hiking, canoeing/kayaking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowboarding (if I’m lucky enough to be somewhere not flat), camping, taking pictures, hammocking, bird watching, or working in my yard. I think my enthusiasm for all things outdoors started when I was kid. We had a large yard with a pond, a big vegetable garden, birdfeeders, and we weren’t allowed to watch TV. As the youngest of four, I followed my siblings around on whatever neighborhood adventure they were headed off to. When I was older, I double downed on my love for nature when I attended summer camp at Camp Olson YMCA. From there on out I was hooked! After bouncing around at least 6 different nature-related majors, I stuck with Conservation and Resource Management and was bound for some sort of desk job with the DNR. Except, after I graduated, I realized I’m terrible at sitting still and wanted to be outside, so I turned to environmental education instead. Getting kids riled up about the outdoors was definitely a better fit for me! I went back to school for my Masters of Science in Education and here we are!
What aspect of your work are you most proud of?
It sounds really cliche but I like to think about the work I do as if I’m a forester. I’m planting seeds and one day, those seeds will be trees. Research indicates that children who are exposed to nature at a young age and are involved with nature throughout their childhood are more likely to grow up to be environmental stewards and make decisions with the environment in mind. Each time I get kids outdoors or involved in a nature lesson, I’m planting little seeds. These little trees may not have a huge impact now, but when they’re grown, they’ll provide so many benefits to our ecosystem.
Working with adults is a whole different opportunity. Two of my favorite passages, one from Rachel Carson and one from Sigurd Olson, both speak about the innate sense of wonder and curiosity that we have as kids, but we lose somewhere along our path to adulthood. Rachel Carson wrote: “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in.” I’ve realized this is as true for adults who have lost their sense of wonder as it is for children. I like to think my job is to rekindle this sense of wonder by using nature. My one and only strategy is to let my enthusiasm be contagious and spark a flame in someone else. The more I can make folks laugh and smile while we’re out enjoying nature - the better. That feeling of pure joy in the outdoors, when you’ve let the rest of the world slip away, is powerful. It will keep calling you back.
What advice can you offer those of us that want to gain more outdoor skills?
This is a really tough question - it’s going to be so different from person to person. My first inclination was to go with a “just get out there and do it!” For me, part of the adventure is when things go wrong. I love problem solving and finding creative ways to get out of a pickle… but I realize that is NOT going to bring everybody joy, especially if the outdoors is not a place you currently feel very comfortable in. Even if you do enjoy nature, I’m not advocating you walk out into the wilderness on a whim without experience. So I guess my real answer is to find a buddy. Find someone who relishes outdoor time and feels passionate about sharing those skills! Outdoor groups are becoming much more popular and so many organizations are working hard to give populations that have historically been excluded from the outdoor setting (essentially everyone but white men) the tools they need to feel comfortable outdoors. Look for nonprofits in your area, community clubs and organizations, school/university clubs, and programs through the DNR or local parks.
Same question- but more outdoor education about the natural world around us?
The first step is just observing what’s around you and letting it spark your curiosity. Spend some time out in nature where you’re not distracted by other things - your phone is away, you don’t have headphones in, you're not deeply immersed in a conversation with a friend. Observe the little things. Get all your senses involved. Let your focus drift to whatever is calling your attention and come up with some wonderings about it - How did it form? Why is it there? Who uses it? What’s its relationship to other things? Treat yourself to finding out the answer. Very little of my nature knowledge has come from a professional setting. Most of it is from following my own curiosities down internet rabbit holes, through pages of books, and continual observations until I discover the answer on my own. I find it deeply satisfying to know that I will never know everything there is to know about nature - the experiences and learning opportunities are infinite!
Can you tell us one of your favorite outdoor adventure stories (maybe funny, maybe crazy) ?
A year ago, I was in the last couple weeks of a 6 month sabbatical I had taken to live the RV life with my husband for 6 months. We were slowly making our way back home and I made a last minute decision to add a short 2-night backpacking trip to our itinerary. Let’s just say I did a lot less prep than I normally would have, anxious to squeeze in one last adventure. My husband and I both have experience backpacking, most of which is in flat ol’ Minnesota. AllTrails told us the Eagle Rock Loop in the Ouichita National Forest in Arkansas was 25.6 miles and was labeled as “hard,” but I figured with 3 days, that’d be plenty of time - no big deal. I literally knew nothing about Arkansas or the area we were in. It was March, so it was a little chilly still with snow on the ground in some areas, but the weather looked like it’d be above freezing with a chance of some rain on day 2. I read that we’d have to do some river crossings, which was sure to be a thrilling new experience, but at current conditions - which of course I checked - expect quick crossings in calf-deep water. The largest crossing also said it had a rope to hold on to overhead to help you cross in higher water. Cool! Let’s go!
To make a very long story short, things turned against our favor on Day 2 when we got to our campsite and it began to pour. It rained all night. The next day, we had the two largest river crossings left. They were no longer calf-deep and they were moving crazy fast. There was no sign of a safety rope to hold on to. I honestly felt like I was playing the Oregon Trail and it seemed like any minute I’d see all my items floating downstream and get a message about what I’d lost by deciding to fjord the river. The water came up to my hips and felt like it was trying to pull me under with each step. My husband, who is much taller and heavier than I am, offered to take my pack and I was honestly afraid I’d float away without the extra weight. Our dog ended up nearly 150 feet downstream from where we exited, having been swept downstream by the current. Did I mention the water was freezing and my whole lower half was numb within a couple minutes of entering the water?
When we finally made it back to our car, needless to say I was relieved. It had been a much bigger adventure than I thought we were getting into. As we were changing into dry clothes in the parking lot, we watched a man from Texas getting ready to do the same loop (but backwards) that we had just done. Dude was in shorts, sandals, and had a pack half the size of my own. He asked about our experience, we told him, and he yelled “Whoooooooweeeeeeeee, let’s go boys!” and proceeded to let a pack of 4 dogs out of the car before legit skipping down the trail towards the first crossing at sunset. I smiled at the adventure he was about to have.
After we were back to town, I re-checked the conditions of the river. After an inch and a half of rain in those hills, the river had risen about a foot and went from 80 cubic feet per second to 700 cubic feet per second! I learned a lot about planning a backpacking trip including river crossings with rain in the forecast in a “mountainous” landscape and about my own capabilities to stay calm when you’d rather panic. In all honesty, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
You have been instrumental in helping women gain confidence and courage in outdoor skills at Birchwood. Can you tell us more about what that means to you?
Prior to Birchwood, I had a lot of hesitation about helping with an all ladies yoga retreat. I’ve always gravitated towards male friends and I found large groups of women to be completely overwhelming. I remember journaling about how nervous I was on day one and by day three of the first Birchwood retreat, I was celebrating an incredible group of women that had floored me with their grit, determination, levity, humor, wits, and all around bad-assery. I realized how lucky I was to have grown up spending a lot of time in nature, with opportunities to be outdoors, camp, hike, canoe, and so many other things that were more often reserved for boys. In fact, I had even been a Boy Scout in Venture Club, after refusing to be a Girl Scout. I had attended summer camp and learned skills many girls are never exposed to. I had become a camp counselor and taught these skills to other youth. Until then, I had felt it was my passion to share nature with kids. I realized I was ignoring an entire portion of the population - the adults, especially women - who needed the reprieve nature offers just as much, if not more, than kids. Women tend to be caretakers, giving so much of themselves to their families, their children, their parents, their friends, and their communities. This was an opportunity to teach women how to care for themselves, how to boost their confidence in areas where they could disconnect from responsibilities and enjoy simple pleasures of life, and how to rekindle that connection to nature that we all long for and we all deserve.
