One rainy day two girls named Lisa and Erin were driving to Colorado because they rented a cabin for the weekend. When they got to Colorado they stopped at the gas station for so gas. Lisa asked the cashier if they were going in the right direction to the cabin? The cashier said that they were going the right way but would take a will to get there. They spent three hours driving and then they see a sign that says Summer Lake Forest on it. Erin checked her phone to see if they where in the right spot and it said they were.…
I have gone to Camp Sierra Vista for the past eight years of my life. Camp has taught me many things. How to be myself, how to work well with others, how to have fun, and mainly how to be a leader. I was never really one to be a leader of a group at school, but at camp, I was.…
This spring I spent two-weeks in New York visiting my daughter and her family. I spend a lot of time in the city, and I love it, not only because my daughter has chosen to create and raise a family in Brooklyn, but also because of its walkability. I’m not much of a shopper, but I do like to watch other shoppers, particularly those who dress as if they’d like to be watched.…
When the second week of February arrived, Kayla and I left Sioux Falls around six in the morning. Arriving in Brookings a hour later, we were driven to the campus and taken to a building with a large gathering room that held other schools whom had already arrived before us. We were assigned seats in specific sections—ranging from Bass, Tenor, Alto, or Soprano. Hours of practicing went by, and we had reached the last few hours of the day. Driven to a performance hall; we ran through all the songs once more before the final…
I remember the day vividly: the sizzling of food frying, children yelling, my tears running, it was the first time I adventured to Six Flags. The uneasiness of my stomach while swaying tens of feet from the ground on the Texas Giant petrified the adventurous spirit out of me. However, I did not realize that moment `would shape the next eight years of life, emerging in my memory at every unfamiliar experience I faced. It was my senior year when I declined an invitation to go camping with my friends an epiphany struck me. How many of these opportunities was I going to skip out on due to my reluctant manner?…
I live in DeMotte with my Mom and Step-Dad. My real father lives in Ohio. I only get to see my actual dad three times a year. I see him in fall, spring, and summer. Obviously, I saw him this summer, and this time I was staying with him for a week. This was the first time I stayed this long at his house before. Although he lives in Ohio, and is only two hours away from Sandusky, he’d never experienced Cedar Point either. We didn’t explore the roller-coaster portion of Cedar Point, we went to the smaller segment called Cedar Pointe Shores. That’s just the highlight of the trip, though.…
Isolated. How else was I supposed to feel? Lost maybe? How was I supposed to cope with a decision I knew I wasn’t a part of. The sound of the rolling tires against the highway asphalt fused with the sound of the humming from the car engine. I had just spent a week in Yosemite as part of an 8th grade trip and had come back to realize that my parents had bought a brand new house. It was all excitement and happy smiles until my dad told me the location of this new house... “Fremont.” The words rebounded off the walls inside my brain as the echoes became more distant, my heart moved into my mouth as anger swelled from my stomach and bubbled to my throat. Cupertino was all I knew. I labeled it as my home city, even though I wasn’t born there. What…
As a student I find myself seated in front of a computer screen for long hours at a time; likewise, it is my obligation as a student to use technology as a resource to further my comprehension in my degree. In my opinion a good excuse to be seated in front of a computer for long hours. It is easy to say that I find a lot of inspiration form online sources, blogs, and social media – which I do – however, I feel most inspired when I step away from the computer screen. I find inspiration in the ordinary; I love to travel and see new things, in this case this is where I found my inspiration. Along my travels to Whistler Mountain in previous winters I saw a portion of land that was clear-cut, but one tree stood alone covered in snow. This piece…
“In the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” said Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road. Many people live the way he describes, just doing everyday activities all their life. I want to do something memorable. Because of this, one of my dreams is doing a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.…
“ Come and eat.” Joe,the leader of the trip, struggled to say because he was so tired, “Breakfast is going to be light this morning because we have along day head of us.” We all struggled to get out of our tents considering it was 5:30am and there was a mountain we had to start climbing in a half hour. All thirteen of us stood in a line like we did the morning before while we packed our lunches. The options available to us were an apple, cheese stick, peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches, but only 2 per person, yogurt and 2 bottles of water. All of that would have to fit into a back pack with us the would be stuck to our backs for the rest of the day. “Time to load!” Joe shouted. We all got into the van that seated 16, single file until very seat was filled.…
I was getting ready for my trip at blue john canyon I was getting all my stuff packed. My water, ropes, carabineers and my knife every thing that I needed for my trip, I went out got in my truck and left It was going to be a decently long trip but I was ready. It took I few hours but I finally made it to blue john, it was late so I went to sleep. Saturday morning I went for my long bike ride to make it to the big drop where I wanted to go. It was a seventeen mile bike ride that’s pretty far and it was tough with the cross wind plus carrying fifteen pounds of supplies. When I arrived i started hiking and admiring the beautiful sites. Then I heard two voices which was a surprise because not many people come here. There were two women…
It was just a boring day in my hometown, a traditional, weak entrance a lot of narrative stories use to try to get the attention of the readers. This story, however, isn’t one of those traditional stories; this one involves a day that had been exciting up to that point already. The memory that resonates daily throughout my mind would have to be the time when I went to Six Flags for the first time in my life. Before I jump into my story, I should tell you my friends mess with each other a lot, almost to the point where we get into fights with each other.…
I’ve always wanted to be good at something. Writing isn’t one of them. Hiking however, let’s say I’m confident that I hover somewhere above the line of Intermediate. Good enough to survive high elevation glacier treks and overnighters at least. As a hobby or extracurricular activity, it’s probably my biggest passion. So much that I found that writing of them is like having the opportunity to do each one over again. Once upon a time I set forth a book project, a story telling, you might say, of all my treks including the ascent of five mountains. However, I lacked the confidence of presenting a way to share my stories of me being the key subject. Eventually the project lost steam and fell to the wayside. Even so, I enjoyed reliving each one while writing of them, and, I continued to set goals and hike. Putting myself out there in high open meadows or deep forest of the Cascades has given me a fresh perspective of my everyday world. Forget about football, baseball or sports in general. Forget about housework, yard work or for that matter work itself. Actually, my accommodating career generously facilitated this hobby that at times takes ample time and expense. Therefore, we can’t forget about work. Nonetheless, the introduction to hiking has gotten me off the couch and into the…
I conquered Mount Le Conte at the age of nine, the 3rd highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains. It intersects with North America’s longest hiking trail - The Appalachian Trail - with over 2,200 miles of mountains, rivers, and pure wilderness. Ever since learning about the Appalachian Trail, I have wanted to hike it. So that’s what I did.…
The sound of the ocean is a form of relaxation but for me, I like to call it home. Ventura is a small county located in the southern part of the California and for the past twenty-two years it has been my sanctuary. The other two years of my life I spent in a smaller town called Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. This was my birthplace and home to my parents until they made the decision of migrating directly to Ventura County. Within Irapuato City, there are small ranchos or ranches, located on the outskirts of town and at our rancho, we would raise pigs, goats, cows and, sheep. Surrounding our rancho there are acres of land, where we plant fruits and vegetables to consume and sell to our little community. Life in Mexico is much more rural than…