Personal Narrative: The Ash Creek Deer Trail

The sun was glistening through the tall, swaying pines. To the right of the trail, a gentle river flowed softly down towards the mouth of the lake. Walking across the rickety wooden bridge, I inhaled a deep breath of refreshingly crisp mountain air. The sun beat down on me as I made my way across the bridge and back onto the well-used hiking trail. The ambient sounds of chirping birds, babbling water, and the croaks of several frogs filled my ears as I made my way around the bend. As I entered the mouth of the forest, I could see my father standing in the middle of the path, glancing upwards, taking in the beauty that had began to engulf us. “We better get going.” he said, looking back at me. “There’s still many miles to go.” I smiled and turned, taking in one last view of the beautiful creekside. Then, with determination, we set out to finish the challenging trek we had started.

I leave my home and only able to pack what the army will allow, it is almost winter.

long, and final scream of despair. I felt that I tottered upon the brink- I averted my

During the summer before my Freshman year I went to hell and back, and by hell I mean Philmont scout ranch. Just a little background, Philmont scout ranch is 140,117 thousand acres of big rugged, dry, mountainous terrain. I knew what I was getting into, Ever since I joined boy scouts Philmont was regarded as the ultimate scouting experience, so of course i was pressured into that. Eventually summer rolled around and before I knew it I was on a train to New Mexico.

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.

When people are on winter break, most want to go out and play in the snow, but who knew that the snow could be one's worst nightmare when stubbornness comes into play. Most people go out on an enjoyable snow-white day to sled down snowy hills and fling semi-hard snowballs at each other. No one would think that maybe sledding down the snowy hills could be so dangerous when they are having fun, and trying to show off. I certainly did not think that it was dangerous, but boy was I so wrong. Normally being a Los Angeles girl, going up to Big Bear is such an amazing experience, because down in the Los Angeles region it does not snow at all. However, I was not ready to face what was slowly going to change me in the mountains of California.

It would be quite ridiculous if I was not to write down my experiences as I go through this trip. You do not see the tallest trees in the world everyday. Although, if I want to get even remotely close to seeing them every day, the least I can do is keep track of my adventures inside of a journal so I can read them later on in my life and remember the time I had on this trip. I went to Redwood National Park and I experienced a true, American national treasure

For two years I worked as a camp counselor for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA). In this time, I have worked day camps, inclusion camps, social program,s and even an overnight camp for children, teens, and adults with special needs. My responsibilities were to plan crafts and activities that were inclusive to the various needs and abilities of the campers. Most of all, being a camp counselor meant creating a safe and fun environment for each

In this strange, new land, I do not know how to carry on with life

Life can be pretty stressful, and at times I feel the need to escape. When life’s pressures build to a critical mass my favorite place to go is Collier Township’s Panhandle trail, with its long hiking, and bike riding path, the more secluded hiking trails set deep in the woods, and fossil cliff it’s the ideal place to escape this mad mad world. I begin my journey at the start of the trail that stretches from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. The sound of tiny stones crunch under my feet as I walk, birds fly through a vibrant blue sky, and come to rest perched high in the trees that frame the walking, and bike trail. I continue down the trail for a quarter of a mile reading the small signs placed on the edge of the path set there to inform you of

The most exhilarating thing that I have ever experienced was last winter when I shot my first deer. To some, this may seem like a simple task. Deer hunting takes a lot of time and patience. Although, it can get boring and aggravating, it can be a great experience if one takes these three steps. The first thing I did to shoot my first deer was find a good location to hunt at. Luckily, my boyfriend has land in Cheraw, South Carolina that I had access to. One must prepare for a good spot to hunt during the preseason. A person can hunt all they want, but if they are not in a good hunting spot, they will never shoot a big buck. One thing to keep in mind is that not every spot will have deer in it every hunt. One must be consistent and wait for the

One glorious morning my grandpa and I got up bright and early. We got ready and headed into the woods to prepare for our deer hunt. We walked through the brush as quiet as possible so that we would not spook any animals in the area. On our way to the hunting spot, we stopped in a couple areas to take in how beautiful the view was. Once we took the view in we kept moving toward our hunting spot. Finally, we reach our hunting blind and we get all set up for the hunt. My grandpa and I sat in the blind and talked quietly about how we hoped a deer would come by soon so that we didn’t have to hunt all day. About twenty-five minutes into the hunt I hear a faint noise come from behind me. My eyes lit up with excitement hoping that when I turned around

My heart was thumping heavily, as the bus took a turn towards the mountains. I didn’t know why I had agreed, but it was too late to turn back.

It was a warm fall day in early October, a day that I recall quite vividly. The smells of the transition from summer to fall were in the air, accompanied by the sounds of birds singing and the wind blowing through the trees. It was on this beautiful day that my existence was almost terminated. A quick hunting trip could have ended my life.

The smell of wet woods hit my nose, I welcomed the friendly scent by taking in a deep breath. It was a relief to smell the fresh air of the mountains rather than the city fumes that burned at my lungs day by day.