Personal Narrative: Niagara Falls

When I crossed by the snow covered sign that read “Welcome to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness National Park” and looked at what surrounded me, I was beside myself. I didn’t know that trees could ever be so beautiful. The towering trees were the perfect shade of dark emerald green, and the way the snow piled on them looked like painting. I thought I was living a fairytale. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on.

Growing up in rural North Carolina was both a blessing and a curse. My hometown, Fallston, North Carolina, is a tiny town way off the beaten path. Most people speak with a southern accent, are devout christians, vote Republican, think camouflage is a normal fashion pattern, and adore country music. But while I was a child, none of these things were a problem. I never realized how close-minded everyone was or how there were no opportunities for success; I was too concerned with the three most important events of the year: the Fallston FunFest, the Belwood Tractor Pull, and the Cleveland County Fair. However, as I grew older, zeal wore off and reality set in. I started to realize how conservative and restrictive it was. What little Fallston offered,

After an eight hour drive we finally made it to Yosemite National Park. We were minutes away from starting our camping adventure and none of us could hold in our excitement. As we pulled into the parking lot we instantly noticed that the whole place was completely abandoned. We were puzzled as to why the park was closed. Annabelle was the first one to break the silence. She turned to Wyatt and said, “there is no way in hell that I’m leaving this place without going camping.” The furious look on her face made us realize that she would be impossible to reason with. Wyatt tried explaining to her that it might not be safe to camp at a deserted park but she grabbed her backpack and marched over to the fence. She promptly threw her gear over the fence

Times Square in New York City, Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., and Denali National Park in George Parks, Alaska. The moments I spent in these places are characterized by my ability to roam for hours and just explore. Whether it be meeting street artists who are creating caricatures of tourists, running into John Kerry, finding grizzly bears in their natural habitat, these moments weren’t just mundane hours; they ushered in the notion of mindfulness. Every instant during these trips, I thought of living in the moment and not dwell on the past or the future. The unknown experiences that awaited me as the day progressed in these places correlate my ability to finally embrace one idea:

I participated in my first Krell Adventure Games earlier this year and loved the concept and challenges and have been looking forward the Hudson Valley event as I live less than an hour from the venue, so it was a nice treat to be able to run an event that was close and convenient to home. I was also looking forward to running this event with my OCR friend Brain Kellogg who I had gotten to know at a few other OCR's over the past year plus.

Have you ever been to the Great Lakes? The Great Lakes are huge. I went there before. I had to go there to drop off a piece of equipment. We went to The Great Lakes. We spent some time there and played for a little while. Then we had to leave. They won't allow people to swim in the great lakes because there was a crocodile in there. My most favorite place is The Great Lakes.

Two months later Rachel had a little girl, Ava. She was beautiful, born with a full head of dark hair just like her mother. Noah had been overwhelmed by the sight of her that he had fainted. Luckily, Logan had been there to keep him up before he passed out in the delivery room.

My heart raced with fear and nervous anticipation as I drove to Lake Pleasant in the rear of a stranger’s car behind my mother’s back. I knew this was not the right thing to do, I knew she was going to call me, but I still went anyway because I had a huge crush on one of the guys who I knew was going to be there. I had the story all planned out; I was going to go to dinner with some friends, spend the night at Cami’s house, and go to a late brunch at Arriba Mexican Grill. Little did my mom know that I was actually going to camp in the middle of nowhere with my best friend, a handsome acquaintance, and two guys that I had never met before.

It was last summer around July when my family and I woke up around 7:00 A.M to drive to Mackinaw Island. Preparing for this trip was extremely hectic because we had to pack all of our clothes and food that we wanted for the car ride. We were all in the car around 7:45 with all of our things packed. We locked all the doors up and turn all the lights off. The drive took us about 4 hours to get to St. Ignace. My sisters and I watched a movie during the car ride, read and did homework so that we were occupied during the long car ride. My favorite part when we were driving was probably when we went across the Mackinaw Bridge because, it felt like our car was driving on the bright blue lake which was cool. My mom was frightened to look out the window

Have you ever been to Mackinac island? Well I went this summer, it was the summer of 2017.

Despite being surrounded by beauty and the amazing scent of my lotion, the trail in the Amicalola Fall was a good idea ,but there where some down sides to this trip. It all started like this we woke up early got dressed and put on my favorite smelling lotion . We started walking on the trail it was so beautiful but the insects where everywhere the worst ones where mosquito and gnats it was infuriating, then I remembered it was my scented lotion. I saw one try and land on me but I slapped it before getting bit and that signaled them, there where insects attacking me from left and right I was helpless the only thing I could do was to scream and I did

We got out of the bus after a two hour trip of loud music and talking at a trail that lead into the towering green trees covered in drops of rain from the recent downpour. We unpacked the seventy pound bags and strapped them on. The first day of hiking was exhausting. We traveled over ten miles over slippery rocks, steep hills, and thick woods. Though tiring the sights were amazing. But none of the views were as spectacular as the one at our campsite. The site had a beach on the shore of Lake Superior. The beach was a steady slope of flat rock descending into the frigid water and the lake was a complete spanse of only water except for one gigantic rock about a fourth of a mile from the shore. The sun was just setting and the view was amazing. I was astonished by how amazing nature can be. Another time during that trip that I was amazed at the beauty of nature was when we began our hike along Big Carp river on the fourth day. The trail lead up a steep cliff and to the direct right about 50 feet below was the roaring river. This alone was amazing but when we reached Rainbow falls my mind was blown. I had seen waterfalls like these in picture but seeing it in real life was a whole new level. The moment alone was amazing and I tried to take as many pictures as I could but nothing could truly capture its real essence. Thinking about this I realized some of the most amazing things on our planet were made by nature and that many times we take advantage of them. This realization helped me to respected and never take nature for granted. Making the decision to change the part of me that may have not cared as much about nature has helped me become a better

Fall is in full swing here in Kansas. The leaves have changed colors, the nights are crisp, and the days have a brisk chill. This is a whole new experience for me. Growing up in California our seasons consisted of cool summer and hot summer which could vary day to day, all year long. I have never experienced a true season of fall until now. Since the day I first noticed the trees beginning to change I found myself completely mesmerized by it all. As each passing day would become a bit more cold the leaves would change more and more and eventually let go of the tree. In a way I couldn't help but relate to what I watched the tree going through.

It all started on a sunday evening in Germantown, Tennessee in the Smith’s residence. The Smith family was having a nice family dinner when Ethan Smith the father of two 13 year old boys put out the idea of going on a vacation. Ethan said to the boys, “You know your mother and I have been thinking and we have decided to go Colorado and rent a cabin next week.” The two boys were wondering why they weren’t going down to florida as they have done for the past 9 years in a row. So Jimmy asked that question to his parents, “Dad why aren’t we going down to Florida this year.” Ethan replied, “Well son we have done that to many years in a row and I want something new. Jimmy and Cooper our flight leaves tomorrow so you both better start packing.” Jimmy

A perfect fall day would take place on a cool, Saturday evening in October. Preparations would start early in the afternoon with a visit to the store. Like a kid in a candy store, I would go through the Kroger aisles buying popcorn, s’mores supplies, and hot chocolate. I would carefully check that each white, fluffy marshmallow was not squashed and I would buy whip cream to top off each mug of rich, creamy hot chocolate. Final stop would be the big, shiny Redbox kiosk for a movie. My kids say I take forever picking a movie!