- Expedition: Oct 14-19, 2012
- Andrew
- Boys and Girls Club of Merced County
- Stanislaus National Forest: Emigrant Wilderness: Leopold Lake and Granite Lake
I am in a place of endless beauty. I am in a place where I feel safe and at home.
Today was our first day of travel. We hiked 6.2 miles to a beautiful lake. I am where I want to be. People in society nowadays are so attached to material items that they don’t stop to realize what they would do without them. I am here with only what I need, and feel free. The way the sun reflects through the trees and how clean and fresh the air is up here makes me so happy and grateful I went on this trip. I feel so amazing. I feel as though I am one with all my surroundings like I could almost melt in to the ground and become nutrients for the soil and vegetation. I don’t need anything but what I have now. I thank JAH for everything that he has given me.
Everyone has their own definition of Wilderness and some differ greatly. As I spend more and more time in this wide open space of complete beauty, the more and more I fall in love with it. The Wilderness is like a mother who nurtures her baby so they can grow strong and be independent and self-reliant one day, later in the future. The Wilderness has enriched my view on life and quality of life emensly. The Wilderness is an escape from reality in which there are so many rules and things we worry about such as the clothes we are wearing on our back and if we are going to get harassed because of what we look like. When I am out here I feel as free as a new born baby taking that first gasp of air which begins its lone and meaningful life. The way the morning sun sets the tips of rigorous mountains on fire with a tasteful palet almost as though it is a masterpiece of an artist.
The days go by slow with no worries in my mind but about where I am going to place my foot when I walk. Being out here makes me feel significantly small compared to the other beings and life forms that exist in this world.
Being out in the Wilderness also makes me feel like a significant being who can possibly have an impact on someones life or on multiple people’s lives. I have been struggling with finding meaning in this world for me and I think I may have found where I am supposed to be.