08/30/2026
So much to share from this incredible trip. But for now, some reflections 😌🏔️
If my handwriting is hard to read:
“I love traveling to the mountains. It is such a beautiful, tangible reminder that even though sometimes my problems and woes can seem so big and all-consuming… they literally are so small in the grand scheme of things. The world is much, much bigger than me. What a beautiful perspective. I love breathing in the scent of the pines. I love the wildlife noises lulling me to sleep each night. I love hiking to hard-to-reach places - it feels like a little secret between me and mama Earth. I love witnessing beauty in seemingly small/ordinary things like a cool bug, unexpected mushroom, winding roots, nature existing so effortlessly and symbiotically. So often humans separate themselves from nature and trips [like this] remind me that I AM nature. Humans are nature. My veins are rivers. My stretch marks are the valleys carved in an expanding planet. My lungs are the trees swaying in the breeze. My hair is the sweetgrass on a prairie field. My anger the thunder. My grief and sorrow the rain. My joy the sunlight. I move in phases like the moon. When I’m at peace I sing like the birds. I’m like a bumblebee moving through life trying to sustain life and help others as I go. I am the scorched mountainside,but also the new buds and blossoms. I am the stars twinkling at the darkest part of night. I am the strength of a river and the serenity of Lake Agnes. I am the mountain peak AND the valley. I am nature. We are one.”
☯️🌀🪷