la vida
3 years ago i started the college adventure with la vida, a 10-day backpacking trip in the adirondacks with a group of soon-to-be freshmen and two sherpas. it was an incredibly challenging experience, but i am grateful for it because it introduced me to good friends, showed me a breathtakingly beautiful part of the US, and pushed me physically, mentally, and spiritually.
i wish i could say that i loved every minute of the experience, but that would be a lie. the first few days were pretty rough for me - particularly because of the rain that followed us for the first 2-3 days. carrying 25 pounds on your back as you walk through muddy terrain and try to keep as much of your body and clothes dry was not my idea of a fun & exciting trip in the wilderness. but, things got easier as the days went on...i became a competent water pumper, cooked and enjoyed delicious foods like freako butter (=peanut butter + M&M's + secret ingredients i can't give away), and successfully didn't look at myself in a mirror for 10 days (seeing my face in the mirror of a car when we got back was a little frightening unfortunately). my backpacking skills are still very minimal...i was never able to tie knots correctly when we set up for camp (which made the "solo" part of the experience a problem since i set up my little tarp incorrectly and was dumped on by a thunderstorm in the middle of the night), but i saw spectacular mountains, got to know fun people who encouraged me especially during the first few weeks of adjusting to college life, listened to hours of lord of the rings from the boys in my group (it was a great distraction as we hiked the days away), rock climbed at one of the most beautiful peaks in the ADKs and saw more green than i had ever seen before (california woods are very different than the East Coast - but both are equally beautiful).
all in all, it was an awesome way to start off my freshman year of college.
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