Colorado

College At 15

Careening down a mountain at what seemed near mach speeds, flying around sharp turns, and skirting the edges of fifty foot drops. This is how one of my best travel experiences started. It was during this heart-pounding, mountain-biking thrill ride that the event I remember most happened. Everything on the ride had been just fine, until…
 

I was in Colorado for a five week Summer Study Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I took a college credit course in Astronomy, because it’s my dream to be an astronaut. This class required a lot of studying and hard work, but I passed it in the end. I also took an SAT prep course.
 

To take a break from the work, Summer Study offered many different activities, like ultimate frisbee, trips into Boulder, and staff versus student games, as well as nightly concerts, movies, and theatre. We explored new activities on weekend excursions all throughout Colorado, and even a rodeo in Wyoming. There was the altitude-sickness inducing ride up Pike’s Peak to the amazing lookout at 14000 feet, the nerve-wracking walk across the Royal Gorge on the world’s highest suspension bridge, and the fun and beautiful white-water rafting trip down the Arkansas River, getting soaked all the way. There was also the mountain-biking trip…
 

he Summer Study group mobbed through the town of Vail, rented our bikes, and headed to the mountains. It was a long, steep climb up to the first trail when not using gondolas, too steep to ride our bikes up, so we walked up the mountain. This leisurely stroll took about an hour and a half; and by the end we were laughing and talking without trouble, practically running up the mountain. Not really. Our lungs and our legs were burning fiercely; so, gasping for air, we decided to stop and head back down.

I tried to turn right, but I turned too sharply and my bike slid out from underneath me. I flew through the air and landed on my forearms, shredding my skin. The rest of my body followed in a barrel roll that left my side cut up; and when I finally stopped rolling, I was only six feet away from the edge of the cliff.
 

This trip has taught me that even if something seems scary, it can still be beneficial to you and you can have fun. You may get bruised and battered, but you will come out the other side. This is how it’s going to be for me at college, and as an astronaut. I may not succeed at everything, I may not be the best, but I will come out the other side having learned from my mistakes, and hopefully on top. The spectacular beauty of Colorado, the lasting friendships I made, and the knowledge I gained have truly made this the best summer ever.