In 2013, Alie Ward’s life was falling apart. In quick succession, her relationship with her partner ended; her dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer; and she was feeling increasingly unhappy in her job.

Ward lived in Los Angeles at the time. To distract herself from her sadness, she liked to find and take pictures of her unconventional obsession (痴迷) : bugs. Sometimes, if she found a beetle or a bee that she particularly liked, she’d post it to social media. Those posts attracted the attention of a woman named Lil a Higgins, who worked as an entomologist at the local natural history museum. After seeing Ward’s pictures, Higgins reached out to her to see if she would want a tour of the museum’s insectary (昆虫饲养研究室).

“For most people in the middle of a really terrible year, question like ‘Do you want to come to see 40 cockroaches (蟑螂) in a fish tank’ is not what most people would say ‘absolutely’ to,” Ward said. “But this is my jam. There was nothing I wanted more than to see some scorpions (蝎子).”

When Higgins led her through the different exhibits in the museum, for the first time in ages, Ward felt herself light up. Higgins noticed her enthusiasm and suggested Ward volunteer at the museum for a few hours every week.

Despite her doubts, Ward decided to sign up. “It gave me this sense of purpose. It helped me reconnect with my love of science and nature that I really put on the back burner to chase those careers that were not really what I like,” said Ward.

Soon, Ward quit her job and started working in science media. She now is the host of a podcast called Ologies. Ward had Higgins on the show as her first guest. “She has caused such an increasing effect in my life. It was really because of her that I was able to reconnect with that part of myself, and do something that I really love,” said Ward.

Grand Canyon National Park is consistently rated as one of the best national parks in the US and is one of those places that are crowded throughout the year. Camping in the Grand Canyon gives you a totally different feel. You’ll get more room, more silence and more time to enjoy the wide-open spaces. Why should you camp on the edge of the Grand Canyon? The night sky is beyond compare, not to mention the sunrise and sunset.

There is a beautiful unmarked trail (小路) nearby. It meanders (蜿蜒) through the trees and along the south edge of the canyon, with the most beautiful views of the Colorado River below. I made my way to the canyon edge for both sunrise and sunset every day. Both shows were spectacular, but sunsets were pretty crowded everywhere we went. Sunrise was a different story — perfectly quiet, except for the singing birds. I set my alarm for 4:20 am, left the kids sleeping in their tent, and made my way through the pack each morning. I’m sure there are lots of beautiful places to watch the sun come up on the edge, but my favourite was Moran Point, which provided a great view of both east and west. We were lucky enough to witness the full moon setting one morning while the sun bathed the canyon in its warm light.

The Grand Canyon is a magical but busy place. If you like your wilderness experience to be wild, consider visiting in the off-season, between October and April. The South Kaibab Trail offers wonderful views and relative silence for not much effort, but be sure to pack sunscreen, snacks and lots of water. Even meandering along the South Edge Trail from Grand Canyon Village will allow you to escape the groups of visitors.