Only you can prevent forest fires

For the past 5 days I have been in sunny Virginia gearing up to complete the first step in my goal to visit all of the national parks. I went to Shenandoah National Park on the way to my friend Amanda's house. It wasn't going to be an epic day of hiking. We were just going to be seeing some sights and enjoying skyline drive on our way to Lynchburg VA, but that didn't matter to me. It was my first National Park and that was all that mattered. 

After 5 hours of driving we entered the park and I got really excited. I had Amanda pull over and we snapped a few pictures in front of the welcome sign (I figured its a good habit to get into as I pursue this goal). And then we proceeded to the friendly ranger station. 

We pulled up, and the good Ranger said, "I'm sorry, but this portion of Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park is closed right now due to a forest fire"

We just blinked at him for a few moments. WHAT? Thats right folks. So close but so far away. Denied entrance while I could almost smell the trails. 

As we sulkily turned the car around and took the road basically parallel to the park we could see (and smell) the smoke from the fire. It was kind of crazy to drive through. We looked it up later, this fire has burned over 2000 acres of land in Shenandoah. While I was sad to not be able to check off my first park, I was able to keep things in perspective and laugh about my situation. After all, in the end the memories made while achieving such a goal as this are more important than the end result, so what better way to kick the whole adventure off than with a crazy adventure?

Its Raining its Pouring...

Today it is raining.

YES!

That means that it's NOT snowing. In fact that means that the large puddles I am stepping through (and not getting wet in because of my gore-tex boots) are not just rain but also MELTED SNOW!!! Thats right folks, it's 53 degrees here today, and it feels oh so beautiful.

Also, it is thursday before Winter Break. Which means that only three more classes, two hours of tutoring, a microbiology quiz and a microbiology lab stand between me and a delightful week without class.

Side note: if you ever want to make fondue while camping try this method from Backpacker.com... its mess free and won't burn. I tried it out this past week while melting chocolate for a valentines party. In the absense of a double boiler (like while camping or in a college dorm) this does the job! Not to mention how excited I was to use the skill and tell everyone nearby that I learned it from a backpacking magazine.

And now he always leaves a note saying where he is going...

Tonight I watched the movie 127 Hours. 


Picture this: 9:55 showing, Tinsel Town movie theater, empty theater except me and my close friend Christine... watching this movie.....

This is my new favorite movie. 

I recommend that you go see. Are you squeamish? go anyway and close your eyes. This is something worth seeing. There are so many levels to why I love this movie. It shows you the human will to survive, it is excellently filmed, and it's a true story. It's human psychology through raw suffering. It's a story about human emotion. It gives you perspective on life.

If possible I recommend you see it in a huge empty movie theater with your best friend. If that isn't possible, you can settle for just seeing it.

I need to go to bed and think through this some more. Soon I will give some more coherent thoughts on the movie. Just know for now that this has impacted me.

A Different View of the Familiar

I am a summer person.
I love summer and all the activities that go along with it.
Did I mention it's snowing outside?

My winter blues have prompted some thoughts on an adventure I had in warmer days gone by...

Two important Ideas:
1. You don't have to travel to find beautiful wilderness adventures
2. We all to often say we are bored without really exploring all the possible adventures

I live in Corning; I went to West High School. So many kids from my school called Corning a small boring town and wanted to escape. The thing is, Corning is not a boring town. Far from it. Corning is rich in natural beauty and cultural beauty. There is a lot to appreciate in this area. I think that saying "I'm Bored" is more a reflection on the person than the situation.

So here is one way to get a fresh look at Corning. Hop into a Kayak and paddle down the Chemung river through Corning. Its sure to be a fun adventure and it offer's a whole new view on something oh so familiar.

My brother and I hopped in at the launch site in Kinsella Park on Canada Rd in Painted Post and traveled down to a launch site off of Conhocton street in Corning. We went in fall and sometimes our Kayaks scraped on some rocks. That could be remedied by choosing a time when the water is a bit higher.

There's plenty to do here, you just gotta get out and do it!

Just don't try to go on this particular adventure right now- the ice would make it quite difficult.
But the thought is still applicable: its easy for me to get get sad in winter cause I can't as easily do my regular activities... but instead of getting bored I could go try something new....

Which is why I will be trying cross country skiing for the first time this weekend at Harriet Hollister.... consider it my journey toward a more positive outlook on winter.