Heidi Thorne

During family get-togethers when stories arise about mine as well as my siblings childhood, there are always humorous tales of our time spent in the great outdoors. Having been born and raised in a relatively small town in southern Idaho, I partook often of nature year round as a child. In fact one of the stories (or legends) in my family is of me on my very first birthday having thrown my pacifier into the campfire, thus forcing me to be through with "binkys" forever more. Ha ha! I like to think of this story as a symbol of me crossing the bridge into toddler hood, or my initiation to "lil camper" status.

I come from a relatively close knit family who yearly bonded during vacation in the Sawtooth mountains of scenic Idaho. I was blessed to have not only my immediate family but also my extended clan show me the
importance of making time in our lives for camping, fishing, hiking and all other things attributed to being in Idaho's Sawtooth mountain range and glacier lakes as well as Yellowstone National Park. The summer was always the most highly anticipated time of year for me because I would get to see "the cousins", (all of my extended family that I only was able to see during out yearly camping trips).

My life currently is very different from the carefree days of my childhood years, though in many ways more rewarding. For a good amount of the year I attend Southern Utah University and major in Outdoor Recreation with and emphasis in Tourism. This major was not always so with my initially having started as a History major, then moving to a Nursing major, and finally finding what I believe to be my true passion in Outdoor Rec. I came to this after realizing that my biggest reason, along with wanting to help people on a daily basis, for being a Nursing major was the paycheck. My realization of my motives led to a rethinking what I was doing with my life. This time of reflection awoke my opinion on worldly wealth and the lack of importance it holds in my life, and around this time I thought often of my background in nature. Outdoor Recreation was a transition of ultimate ease and I am ecstatic when thinking about where it will take me!

Every opportunity that I can find to explore is one I usually find myself taking. In most circumstances I would choose a big dill pickle over ice cream, I LOVE to gut laugh as well as make others do the same (my friends say that my laugh is what usually triggers their laughter but I feel like its my genius comedic skills). I am always in the middle of a book and wishing I had more time to read. Literature I enjoy ranges from authors such as the Bronte sisters to the ever beloved Dr. Seuss and anything and everything in between. The culinary arts continually draw me in and I look forward to a time when I have my own kitchen where I can construct masterpieces within. For now I use my resources and try to be creative when cooking for myself in my oven less apartment, which is probably more fun anyway because it calls for creative thinking.

Zion National Park is not comparable to anything that I have ever known, and it is CONSTANTLY keeping me in awe. This opportunity to be part of the ZAC staff is just incredible and I look forward to the rest of my time here!

Best,

Heidi