Where Are They Now?

Former Gulch trekkers out in the big wide world

By Brad Jeffrey

Name: Zoe Risley-Smyth

Connection to CGE: Trekker, 2021 Paleontology Trek

Hi Zoe! Great to hear from you. Congratulations on embarking on your paleo journey! Thanks, everything’s been going really well!

What are some of your favorite memories with the Gulch?

Oh, man!!! One of them would be camping near Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness. By that time, we all knew one another really well, and it was so fun just goofing off and looking at the stars.

You mentioned that your Paleo group has stuck together since 2021. Tell us a little about that!

We’re all in a group chat, and we’ve been keeping in touch, especially on holidays. Some of us even visited one another, at a museum! We’ve been talking about paleontology and other projects we’ve been working on.

How did your time with the Gulch impact your life today? It definitely has! It provided me with a first-hand experience of what paleo really looks like, both in the field and the lab, thanks to Dr. Axel Hungerbuehler. I already really loved paleontology, but that really helped solidify what I wanted to do in college, and this summer with applying for internships in paleontology.

Take a moment to place yourself back in time when you were on trek. Describe that moment. Hot and dry! But it was such a great time, and that it makes you forget about the gnats or the cacti, just having a great time sitting on rocks and getting to enjoy the environment and hanging out with my friends.

Do you have any advice for future trekkers?

Don’t be nervous. Be ready to have a bunch of unique experiences that will stick with you for the rest of your life. In the beginning, don’t be afraid to talk to people and break the ice, because you can make really long-lasting friendships. Even if you feel under prepared or under experienced, just go for it anyways!

Zoe is a former trekker from the 2021 Paleontology Trek, which this interviewer co-led with Dr. Axel Hungerbuhler from Mesalands Community College. Zoe recently embarked on a journey to study dinosaur fossils in college in Canada, and is anticipating an upcoming summer internship in field paleontology.