John's Journeys

    I was so upset I could not go on the paddleboarding excursion with the class this semester, so for a blog post I thought I would reflect on my paddleboarding experiences in the past. I have always loved being around water, ever since I was a baby. My childhood home had a pool in the back, my family would go to the beach once a summer, and our family friends lived in a lake house. Every Summer Olympics I would be obsessed with Michael Phelps and the professional divers to the point where I would swim laps in the pool for hours trying to perfect my breaststroke. If I forget how to swim one day, I will sooner drown than remain dry.      Whenever we read from an Edward Abbey exert, I always compare his love for the desert with my love for the lake (kind of ironic since they are drastically different terrains). When he was explaining how the national parks are becoming overcrowded and filled with unnecessary motor vehicles, it struck a chord w...

       I enjoy living on the edge, both metaphorically and literally. In the picture above, it is quite literal as my feet were dangling above a great cliff. Was it risky? Yes. But was it worth it? Absolutely. The sky was complete overcast providing a crispness to the air and shelter from the sun. The trees below were gently swaying back and forth, and the birds were weaving in and out of them, singing their chirping songs. There was a vivid blue river winding through all of this billowing a low hum of rushing water. This was why it was worth the risk. Some of the most enjoyable things in life require a risk: learning to ride a bike comes with the risk of falling down, going on a date with a pretty lady comes with the risk of being rejected, and having a lovely house plant comes with the risk of them dying--which mine inevitably do. To experience life, you have to risk it first.      After leaving the cliff and the many thoughts I pondered on it, I str...

      I take pride in growing up in Arkansas; it has become somewhat of a defining characteristic of mine. It calls itself "The Natural State", and while it might not be the first state you think of when discussing mountains, camping, or hiking destinations, it definitely lives out this title in its own unique way.      A high school friend and I went hiking in the Ozarks to see the beautiful Arkansas in all its glory, and it was beautiful. The first thing to note about this excursion are the trees. They cover the land for as far as the eye can see; the entire mountain range looked like rolling waves of forest green. We then entered the trees to meet them in person, being greeted by their shady leaves and woodsy cologne. Our legs took us forward through the trees, then a left through the trees, then up a winding trail through the trees, and then we got lost in the trees. We got lost in the trees--on purpose. Their leafy arms gave us directions so wherever t...