Pupils dilated and fist clenched, my heart palpitating as we make our way up the prominent Rocky Mountains. All I am telling myself is “I can’t believe I’m here, I can’t believe I’m seeing this.” Coming from the hustle and bustle of Houston, Texas, I am now transported into the clouds. I am on top of the world, I am in Colorado. I glance at my two cousins, who are too, in awe. We see the earth in an unfamiliar light, we are seeing everything we have in a sense been deprived of. The enormous mountains, radiating power and strength, send chills running down my spine. For the first time in a long time, I feel human.
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What propelled us to embark on this impromptu trip was the yearning to live, a lust for adventure, and our youth to justify it. With little to no preparation, we started this endeavor, and did not look back. Our eyes were fixed on the prize, we knew what we wanted, and that was to fly among the birds. After the treacherous car ride up the mountains, sliding past cliffs that lead to an abyss of mystery and secrecy, past many isolated towns, and a slight anxiety attack, we reach our destination.
We are now hiking up the trail, one with many twists and turns, and an unforgiving incline. Nevertheless, we maintain our resilience and continue. We run and skip, as we are still waiting to be woken up from what we believe to be a dream. Everywhere we peek is filled with the elusive riches of the earth. To our left are mountains that fear no man or animal, that stand to be a motif of nature’s beauty, and to our right is a waterfall that claims all purity and bliss. We marvel at the waterfall’s grace, her excellence in how each rock is aesthetically positioned just right, and how each crash of water sounds like a symphony. I am in love. As we continue our path we are then struck by the lake, the unquestionable base of the glacier. It hits me like a freight train going one thousand miles an hour. I was not ready for the sight that now refuses to leave my inner psyche. Right in front of me is everything I have been waiting for, the tranquil lake that seems to have never met man’s wrath and the snowcapped mountains that envelope the lake, making for a picture that is more than Instagram worthy. Although we made it to our destination, however, we are still not done. We continue up the glacier, up the ridge until we are truly on top of the world; everything about this is ethereal. The crisp wind that carries the sweet scent of the pine cones, the bright sun that kisses my face ever so gently, and the view that will never cease to inspire me.
As I sit in paradise I feel more in touch with myself than ever before. Without the distractions of the outside world, I was able to appreciate all nature has given us. Whether it be the bare, naked midnight sky of the New Mexico desert, or the enchanted rivers that carve eternal scars, this trip proved to me that everything is a gift and I must take advantage. I yearn to one day witness every ocean, hill, river, and city that this earth has to offer, and this was just another chapter in my story. My journey did not end in Colorado, it was merely getting started.
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