$15
Eastern Iowa, you’ve been asking us for years to bring Bite Sized Adventures to your neck of the woods, and we’re so excited to start offering some events this year!!!
Join us for a golden-hour hike as we venture into the woodlands of Hickory Hills Park in Iowa City in search of spring’s most fleeting treasures—ephemeral wildflowers. These delicate blooms are nature’s way of celebrating the changing seasons, emerging briefly to soak up the sunlight before the forest fills in. On this easy-going hike, we’ll wander the trails of Hickory Hills, do our best to identify as many blooms as possible, and learn about these fantastic blooms that bring the forest floor to life.
As our second eastern Iowa event, we’re excited to bring Wander Women Midwest’s spirit of connection and exploration to a new corner of the state. Whether you’re a seasoned wildflower enthusiast or simply curious about this seasonal phenomenon, this hike promises to leave you inspired by the beauty of nature and reconnected to the magic of spring.
About your guides
Carolyn
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago but spent my weekends exploring the hollows of my family’s land in Driftless Wisconsin. I’d show up to school on Mondays smelling of campfire smoke, with burs in my hair, and with deer mandibles for show-and-tell.
After college, I earned a JD and Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law and my first job post-law school took me to Fairbanks, Alaska. I met my husband in Fairbanks, and we adventured under the aurora and the midnight sun with our sled dog, Ayla. In 2011, we moved to Iowa City, my husband being from eastern Iowa, and we’ve since had two kiddos. I’m in-house counsel for a large transportation company, I occasionally write about water quality issues in Iowa, and I’m an Iowa Master Naturalist and Iowa Master River Steward.
When not lawyering, I enjoy spending time with my family outside, particularly at our off-grid cabin northeast of Decorah. I have been an active board member for several conservation organizations, and currently serve as President of the Johnson County Conservation Board.
Louise
There is nothing I love more than spending time outdoors and sharing that experience with fellow nature enthusiasts. I was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and moved to Iowa almost 5 years ago. Being fairly new to the area, I've enjoyed getting to see some of the critters we don't have up north including crayfish, pelicans, and turtles. I try to regularly find mini adventures outside my backdoor here in Eastern Iowa including ice skating on the nearest creek, paddle boarding on the Cedar River, or discovering a new early morning birding spot.
I have a degree in Enviromental Education from Western Washington University and spent my summers after college working as the assistant director of Camp Habitat, Fairbanks, Alaska's longest running children's ecology camp. I spent a little over a decade working at the Alaska Department Fish & Game's Arctic Marine Mammal Program doing stomach content analysis on ice seals. Since there are no marine mammals here in Iowa, I now work for the State Hygienic Laboratory limnology department doing all things fresh water.
I find equal excitement finding cranefly larvae in creeks as I do finding Sandhill cranes in the sky. I look forward to sharing that enthusiasm with all of you.