Personal Narrative: The Appalachian Trail

Taking on a journey stretching well over 2,100 miles, covering fourteen states (from Maine to Georgia) by foot is no simple stroll where at the end of the day a comfortable bed and hot meal would await you. Instead, hiking the Appalachian Trail can be an endless battle with all the elements of mother nature: whereas in one state spring would have sprung already with wildflowers dressing the forest floors and insects buzzing through crisp air, on other parts of the trail it [the weather conditions] would be smothering heat, but meanwhile a few states north the rain would fall endlessly with gusts of cold wind, and snow would blanket the pathways of the trail and more than likely blizzards

To return to nature and learn while doing so, is to live purely. A pure lifestyle is my ultimate understanding of happiness. This past summer, I was able to achieve this state of bliss by attending a fifteen-day backpacking course with the Colorado Outward Bound School where I explored the Elks Mountain Range. I was gifted with the amazing opportunity to meet ten like-minded individuals who came from all over the world and experience a way of life away from our typical lifestyles. Living out of backpacks, sleeping under the stars, and cooking meals for one another at the top of mountains were just a few of our daily activities that allowed us to come to know each other, our surroundings, and ourselves. A core aspect of this program is participation

It was a warm summer afternoon in 2015 near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. My family decided we needed to get some exercise on our vacation. So my parents thought it would be a fantastic idea to go on a hike. We ended up going to a popular trail called, the Hanging Lake Trail. At the top of the mountain there are beautiful waterfalls and a large lake with extremely eye appealing scenery, hence the name “Hanging Lake”. Cayden and I were not excited for this activity at all. Both of us were complaining and saying the same exact thing, “It is vacation and we are doing physical activity? No! We should be relaxing.” My parents did not care what we were saying; however, They had their minds set on the fact that we were going to go on a hike.

My stomach wasn’t growling at me anymore, and my family was in a better mood. This was until we got on the back roads. I tried to withstand the bumps from the road, but they never seemed to go away. Trying to ignore the bumps as much as I could, I stared out the window. I was in complete shock! Staring back at me was the broad and fascinating mountains of Colorado. The large white cap mountains were one of the best things I had seen in my life. Also, there were mountain sides full of green trees and wildlife. I felt as if I could stare at these for hours, but that was not the case. After around 15 more minutes of staring at the mountains, I was feeling sleepy again. I rested my head on the black headrest behind me in anticipation of being able to sleep until our final destination was

Today was the last day of school before spring break and already knew what i was going to do. It was a long day today because i was so anxious to leave. The bell rang for the buses and i was the first to leave. I got on the bus and was headed home. Mom and dad were already packing my bags and i couldn't wait to leave. All the bags were packed and that's when we got in the car and headed for the airport to go to Mt. Everest,

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

That place was very cold. All I wanted to do was to get to my destiny. I was with my comrade Henry and our 6 dogs. I remember we were taking the coffin and tried that nothing will happen to it. The same day, I camp with Bill. We started eating and talking and we realized that there were 7 dogs. We counted again and we had 6 dogs. We were confused. At the end, we had 5 dogs. I was sad and worried because Fatty was gone. Anyway, we follow the trail. I remember we lost another dog. So I tied the remaining dogs up with leather thongs and sticks. But it did not work because another dog disappeared. We made our way and we noticed the wolf. We tried to scare the she-wolf but we realized that it did not work. By following our route, the sled got stuck

The day started early, six am, in fact. My family and I woke up in our Airbnb at the foot of Mount Rainier knowing we wanted to explore the area, but having no solid idea in mind. After grabbing some coffee at the local cafe and chatting with the locals, we decided to go to Mount Rainier National Park. My family loves the outdoors, and my brother and I especially love hiking, so we had high hopes. We arrived at the park, walked to the information office, and asked what the best trail was. A pleasant lady with slightly graying hair, told us that the Skyline Trail could be difficult, but the views were worth it. After much convincing our parents, we decided to begin our escapade up the Skyline Trail.

One day I decided to go on a hike with a couple of my friends. We made the decision to go deep into the wilderness, and we didn’t think about our decisions. We arrived at the area where we could set up our supplies. After we set up our campsite, we made food, and explored the area. After we all arrived back to camp we ate, and hung out for a while. After about an hour or two my mom called, and she said I had to be home by five, and it was four, I was five miles away. I then told my friends goodbye and I left. At first I was doing fine until, I didn’t know what way to head, so I decided to just keep going forward. I soon realized I wasn’t going the right way, and I called my friends. After I called them, I started to head back and met them near

The year was 2016, it was a hot and humid Georgia June and I had just turned a man. I have many years of in woods and survival skills. This was the ultimate test to all my knowledge learned so far. Living off the wilderness and having to survive isn’t as hard as many people think, it’s very methodical and tedious work.

As Madison and I left my house to take a hike on the crescent trail, I never expected it would start the way it did. We were going on the Mason Valley Area trail, and it was pretty easy to find. All we did was walk up the street and there was the sign labeling it as the crescent trail. As we headed in, I decided it would be fun to try and run down the mini hill that was at the beginning. It turned out to be a bad idea because as I was running down the hill, I nearly fell. There were a ton of trees and huge roots from the trees that were in my way and I almost tripped and fell into a tree. Thankfully I made it to a stop in front of a big tree and got to steady myself.

Everything was black, my body still, and my eyes shut. Am I in a dream or in reality? I am not moving and my mind is in another place. Everything is still black, my eyes still shut, and memories play over and over. I lay in the bedroom my father grew up in. I took a glance at the pictures around the room. My mind fills with countless memories.The one that plays first is when my father and I were taking a walk on the nature trail every nice day we got the chance too. The nature trail is a place for people to take their family and enjoy the nature surrounding the river and the animals all around. Everyday in Boise, Idaho we would walk on the nature trail next to the Boise River. This led us to the fish and game center they had there. My dad really

All I remember is I was running through the woods and this guy was chasing me. Now here I am in this person's house. Blood dripping from the gash on my forehead. ‘’Why am I here!” I pleaded. Then blank.

In our lives, opportunities come and go; however, they leave faster than they stay. When I was ten years old my parents would plan hiking trips. We would mainly go to Virginia. I despised them. The endless walking and short breaks made my twig-legs suffer for hours. On several occasions, I would complain about going, but the next moment I’m on my way to Scotts Run to enjoy the woodlands.

It was a great night to play hide and go seek. Getting a mysterious email from your best friend, Amber, about the game and knowing only one other person there was not usually one of my favorite things to do. The email said, go to the pumpkin patch at nine pm and bring warm clothes as it might last a while. It also said that the only people there would be people playing this game.