There are some people who are content with doing nothing. People who can live their whole lives doing the same day to day routine without realizing how miserable they are, without ever wondering if there is more out there to life besides sitting behind a desk. But, those other people, those who are never satisfied with one place those whose thirst for travel, culture and diversity out ways the thirst for money are the ones who will truly be happy.

My story starts here, I got off the plane and the smell of jet fuel and sweaty tourists and the sudden change of pressure overwhelmed my senses. I departed the plane and made my way to my family who was eagerly waiting to get on with the trip. We then got into a taxi, which drove us to our destination, Estes Park Colorado. Through the course of the week we had done a numerous amount of things including fishing, swimming, and participating in some amazing camps which I enjoyed and took part in while my brother quickly rejected, as he often did when it came to physical movement. By the end of the week we had all taken over a sense of eagerness for that one last thrill which had become a tradition in my families travels here. To hike to black lake, this hike was a 16-mile hike, which consisted of some boulder fields, rivers, and some very tight gaps. The morning of the hike we all woke up groaning knowing that it was around six and that we had a big day ahead of us. While we struggled to get our pants on, still wobbling half asleep, Mom was putting our lunches together, cooking breakfast, and putting out backpacks together all at the same time while we still could hardly get dressed. After about a half an hour we got out the door and made our way to the park and ride buss. We hopped on leaning back with the accretive weight if our bags which seemed to be filled with numerous sandwiches and water bottles. After a very scenic ride we got off at our trailhead.

We started the hike fine, fully energized and ready to go, but about halfway through we started losing all our energy and began dragging our feet. I called out to the rest of the group, “lets stop here for a break. As soon as I sat down I had realized that I had been so focused on the hike that I hadn’t stopped to take in the beauty that the mountain offered. I embraced the sweet smell of wild flowers and a breeze that carried the mist of the rapids. The early afternoon sun beat down on us as we struggled to find any sort of shade. We practically engulfed of sandwiches whole while drinking massive amounts of water. After our somewhat spontaneous break we decided to move on. We started getting higher and higher almost to the lake. Each step I took my heart burned because of the low oxygen and my legs cramped because of the sheer length and terrain of the hike. For the last twenty minutes of the hike I felt like I was dragging myself up a never-ending staircase that is until I saw the lake. As soon as I saw the lake I had my second wind. I burst into what seemed in my head a speedy run, but to others probably looked like a slow walk towards the lake. As soon as I got to the lake I dunked my head into the water. I then pulled it out stood up, got that king of the world feeling and thought to myself this is what its all about, this is why I travel.