I was born in the Pacific Northwest, and throughout my childhood I went on numerous hikes throughout the region. My father was an avid mountain climber when he lived in Oregon as a college student and hiked most of the notable peaks in the state, so naturally he brought me and my brother on hikes whenever he had the chance. Unfortunately, I was not all that interested in hiking as a child and found the physical activity strenuous, resulting in my taking the gorgeous nature and sites I visited for granted. I moved to the Boston area when I was eleven, and only then, once I could compare the lush, mountainous wonderland to my new flat, monotonous environment, could I appreciated the natural spectacles of our region. Every summer after I moved I returned to Seattle to visit my friends, and I would always go backpacking with one of them and his father. During the second summer of this type, my friend, his father, and I backpacked to Royal Basin in the Olympic National Park. It was during this journey that I truly felt the power and excitement that nature can inspire within. For the first time I felt the raw joy of exploration in a playground of towering mountains and fertile, lush valleys. Remembering the landscape, I can almost smell the crisp mountain air that smelled as blue as the cloudless sky. Aside from the inherent pleasures of spending time with a childhood friend, there were many other aspects of the trip that were enjoyable and informative as well. My pal’s father let us choose a nice spot to camp and directed us while we pitched the tent. He showed us how to use a camping stove and cook some classic mountain dishes such as dehydrated spaghetti and other personal recipes like Swedish pancakes. I learned valuable lessons like how you can’t drink water from seemingly crystal clear streams because of malicious microorganisms that will drastically worsen your experience. So, our mentor showed us how to use a water purification pump. I’m incredibly grateful for being taught the ins and outs of sojourning in the wilderness, especially because my friend’s father is an environmentalist that works for the Suquamish tribe: a reputable source. We were lucky to witness a rockslide on the face of a distant mountain; the sheer enormity of the event and its resulting sound made me overwhelmingly ecstatic. This excursion solidified my intent to return to Washington as a university student, as well as my adoration for the outdoors.

Since this excursion, I’ve made an effort to experience the world in all its facets, although particularly the natural ones, as much as possible. I’m a proud ecotourist that would much rather be trekking in Nepal than throwing down at a nightclub in Spain. In the past few years I’ve become passionate about rock climbing, which I see as the perfect hybrid between experiencing nature and having fun. From huge, exposed vantage points, you can see incredible geology and ponder the processes that occurred over millennia to create such gorgeous landscapes. Although undoubtedly essential regarding my affinity for the outdoors, the anecdote I describe above is just one of the events that shaped me into the tree hugger that I am. And here, nestled in between national parks and stratovolcanoes, I am sure that Washington is the place for my outdoorsy side to flourish.