Personal Narrative-Sazzling National Forest

    When I was around 6 or 7 years old, my family decided to go to Yosemite National Park over the summer. We went on Saturday and during the morning so we could get there early. After about 30 minutes on the road, we stopped at a resting area. We ate there for about 15 minutes and used the restroom. My dad told us that if we wanted to get there early, we had to go right then. My family and I were back on the road and arrived there in 2 hours. I slept the whole way so I couldn't watch the environment as we passed by. When we got there, we entered the park and ate. I was so excited that I ran ahead of my family. I could feel the cool breeze and smell the fresh tree like scent as I ran. My brother asked if we could split into groups and my dad agreed. We split into groups and we started our adventure. I was with my grandma and my sister. The other group was my dad, my mom, and my brother. We also decided to meet at the a certain point at sunset.

While we sat in our rambling tan and yellow cabin among the trees at 416 Spencer Falls Lane at Big Bear Lake, we watched the gloomy rain fall all morning long. Finally, the storm passed and the dark gray clouds passed over, the sun shone brightly on the wet grass. Yes, the day soon was as pleasant as any other august day, of course we knew it was frequently the case with a warm summer rain. This time, however, the rain had swelled the river washed away our small wooded bridge. Elaine my youngest sister sat beside the washed out bridge, she was so unhappy because it was loss. It was then that a shiny blue convertible drove up beside her, the four of us, our names are: William, Martina, Ella and David, watched as the car approached, it was around

One summer my parents informed my brother Ben and I we were going on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. I had never been so excited for anything in my life. I had a passion and love for nature, and being that Yellowstone had some of the most beautiful and interesting geological features on Earth, I knew I would have a blast. They said we would be going in a few weeks, and I literally couldn’t wait. I kept asking questions upon questions, and finally, my dad just got annoyed. “Go research it, Juliette.” He said. “The internet will know more than I do.” I took his advice and went to research Yellowstone.

Humans are animals. Even as developed, personalized, and intelligent as we are, we share a deep connection with every living thing. However, many of the problems in the world result from the human belief that technology is more powerful and can replace the serene, perfect essence of nature. I believe that a connection with nature can heal wounds and help humans find balance in their lives.

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

One cold, dreadful winter day in November, the wind was biting at our faces, high in the Ouachita mountains at Ash Creek deer camp, I would have to face my most dreaded fear. I would be faced with losing the person that means the uttermost to me.

I live in a small town that goes by the name of Lafayette. The population is 4,500. Everyone knows where everything is, when everything is, and what everything is. As a child, my mother and I would go to a beautiful waterfall on a small back road when the sun was shining, when the trees and rocks were just right, and when it was damp and perfect for four wheeler rides. The Union Camp waterfall is majestic. The scenery makes a person speechless. We would always go when the weather was perfect. The waterfall is one childhood memory I will always remember. The activities my mother and I would do were always a blast. My trips to Union Camp waterfall are memorable because of the scenery, the weather, and the activities.

When I was in 7th grade, the whole entire grade suggested that we should go on a camping trip. We had many places to choose from, but we all agreed on going to Yosemite. The reason we chose Yosemite is because we wanted people to stay away from their video games and electronics for a couple of days and actually enjoy what beautiful things God had made and what the outside world has to offer. It was an amazing trip and we did have many unforgettable memories. But one memory I had was on the second day of the trip, it was the day we started to do activities with our group leader. We hiked up a waterfall, played some games, and also took lots of pictures. It was a very tiring day and when we were finally done for the day, It was

Just this past summer, under the hot, and sticky sun, we pushed our car to the limit, on our 1,000 mile journey to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, although in actuality we might have pushed our fears to the absolute limit. Flipping through the Colorado vacation brochure proved to have posed some interesting vacation destinations, such as "Big Bear Lake" and Trail Ridge Road. With the intent to get high in the sky, our family headed out the next morning to Trail Ridge Road, which is a road that takes you up to a staggering height of 12,000 feet. Although optimistic, we imagined of the vast fields of green, the glacier-topped mountains, and the valleys that undertake the them. As we climbed up to the peak, it seemed apparent that there

Chirp! That is a sound often heard in the wilderness, while camping. This outdoor activity is enjoyable for many reasons.

Crammed in a 1992 Ford truck that is supposed to seat three people, my brother, sister, dad, and I surprisingly arrived at my dad’s favorite park; it just happened to be over an hour away. This mini trek felt as if it lasted for hours. At first, I dreaded piling up to listen to my family complain about having each others’ elbows touching for more time than I would have liked. I soon discovered the uncomfortable ride would be worth it. Once we reached the winding road where we significantly decreased our speed from the highway, my siblings and I grew with excitement to finally be able to stretch our legs and go hiking. We unloaded the truck to spend a couple hours at what we called Great Falls Park.

After the GPS jumping around, trying to find the cache's coordinates, we located the geocache in a crack in some boulders. I know there were pictographs and petroglyphs in the canyon so we continued hiking a bit to try and find them. We didn't go far before high up on the canyon wall I spotted a pictograph. While I knew there was more rock are further into the canyon but we were running low on time and I had another panel I've been looking for the past couple of years. The rest would have to wait for another trip.

    For my Ecology Action Project, I went to the Morongo Preserve on September 30, 2017. While at the preserve, I pulled weeds and hiked on an educational nature walk. Removing unwanted plants allowed native plants to grow in the park. To avoid hurting my hands, I wore gloves, and then I found areas with pink flags that represented areas with weeds. Next, I pulled them out as close to the ground as possible. After pulling weeds, I went on an educational walk where I learned about different desert plants and their uses. Being educated on these topics increased my awareness about the world and enabled me to help the environment. By completing these tasks at the Morongo Preserve, I was able to generate a cleaner environment

Sometimes in life you need to get up close and personal to see things as they actually are. The presence of the summer sun in the forest canopy flickered in and out of existence with the gentle breeze. This one was a relaxing day, filled with serene landscapes of nature, as I hiked with two childhood pals. A trek through the forest on my uncle’s two-hundred acres was a natural occurrence during the summer, Josh and Norm, two fellow adventure enthusiasts, usually came along. After a few hours of making our way through dense brush and muddy creek beds we reached the forest’s edge. We gazed upon the clearing ahead, an empty field that stretched as far as the eyes could see. Norm noticed it first, “look at the size of that deer!” he shouted,

It was a calm, overcast day, and I found myself resting at the side of a large oak tree, admiring the beauty of the woods that surrounded me.