Observations

This week, I have no new location to offer. Like most things in life, when it’s overdone, it loses it’s luster. In hopes of keeping my blog fresh, in light of Earth day, and mostly for my personal sanity, I’m taking a week to just write about our Earth. Write about oberservations I have made. Write about my opinions of the world from the little I have seen of it. Just write about something we spend all our time on, but rarely appreciate it for all it’s complexity. There’s more to the world than what is comprehendable, from structure, to nature, to the people who inhabit it and how they decide to interact with what’s given. It has worlds within worlds; one cell on your body is full of microscopic parts, all working together to keep your body running. Zooming out, the system is mirrored. All organisms work together to make a functioning planet to live on, wether it be through human interaction or animals relying on eachother for food. This in itself is inspiring. It proves the significance of everything, since one thing out of place effects the balance. It’s reflected in our society as well and made evident throughout history, shown in the way empires collapse because of a ruler with too much power or vis versa. A lot of things in nature or the way the world works are mirrored in the workings of society which, I guess, makes perfect sense because we are shaped by what we live on and develope behavior based on what’s tangible and observable.

A beautiful beach up north
The Needles rock formation in Isle of Wight, England

Whenever I spend a day outside, I always feel recharged. It may be a combination of the sunlight and/or exercise that’s usually involved, but I truly think that just being immersed in nature grounds me and helps me clear my mind. I would say there’s no distraction involved, but that’s not quite right. There’s just as much distraction in a beautiful mountain range than a crowded skyline, but it’s a different distraction. A calm clutter and chaos that’s completely unplanned and natural, yet everything has it’s perfect place. It’s pretty insane.

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Japan views
Venice

What is always interesting is humanity’s interaction with the world. Obviously, society is more advanced then ever. The houses are bigger, there’s more cars in the streets, cities sweep for miles and miles, and we have learned how to utilize the natural resources for every cent we can possibly earn. There’s no denying that this has positive results; a rapidly developing world leads to more wealth and comfortable lifestyles. But it’s also undeniable that we are slowly wrecking the Earth. Through deforestation, we are clearing room to put our own structures but have no recognition for the previous ecosystems and little worlds we destroyed in the process. We kill fish from our plastic, kill birds from our air emissions, and, for most, have been so sucked into the appeal of technology that we forget about the simple pleasures of just going outside. It’s inevitable to fall into these traps but it’s at least a step forward to be aware of it. Watch the sunset, not because you want to take a Snapchat of the sunset, but you just want to watch the horizon turn orange. Go outside to breathe fresh air, and go on a hike to see your world from a birds eye view. There’s so much the Earth can offer and we only have so many days on it to appreciate it. This is something I want to think about more; hopefully you will too.

Snowless Snow Trip

Hi everyone. I’m back to share with you the least secret destination ever, Mammoth. I know there is no shortage of readers who have visited these lakes and mountains to go skiing, snowboarding, or enjoy the snow. But what’s made my experience unique was the time of year I went: summer! For the past two years, I have traveled here with my friend, Mykenzie, and will hopefully continue to do so until she graduates, which sadly isn’t too far in the future:( This trip is usually the highlight of my summer and I’m excited to share some summer activities that can be done in this winter destination!

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Upon arrival this year, we headed directly to Lake George. Because of increased snowmelt levels this year, it was much more full than usual which made hiking around the perimeter a little difficult but still beautiful. Kenz and I were feeling adventurous so we decided to walk around the whole lake while the rest of her family chilled by the shore. The walk was full of little and big rocks to jump off of into the freezing, clear water and small rivers to hop over. Towards the end of the walk, we found a waterfall streaming down from above, then had to basically crawl through these very low hanging branches filled with fluttering, circle like leaves. This start to the trip was unparalleled and wouldn’t be the same if it was covered in snow.

The rest of the trip was filled with many more lake based adventures. We stayed in town, but her cousins stayed in a condo that was closer to the edge of houses. We took advantage of this by going on long hikes right from their backyard; walking to Twin and Horseshoe Lake as well as going into the village. Although it requires a half hour drive south, the highlight of the trip for me has always been renting a boat in Convict Lake. The lake is surrounded by hills on most of it’s perimeter, with one sharp, protruding peak at the far end. Being enclosed on all sides creates a really unique feel when out on the water at Convict and I could lay in the sun and watch the clouds pass behind the tall mountains for hours. The water is clear but ice cold, which usually doesn’t stop us from jumping in and swimming to shore anyways. Staying in for too long becomes uncomfortable but the warmth of the sunny boat deck usually warms me up entirely.

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Seeing this stereotypically snowy destination in summer shows what all these mountains have to offer in the warmer months. Mammoth itself is a normal sized town and has many places to eat and stay. But once you are alone on a hike up in the mountains or out on a serene lake, the air is crisp and feels completely foreign and pure. I highly recommend coming here in the summer, or even just going to a classic destination you visit annually in a different season. You may be surprised with what it brings.