Register to read the introduction…
I begin to feel like a kid and daydream about all of the hiking adventures I experienced with my family when I was younger, earning me the nickname “mountain goat.” Though my mind is elsewhere, the trail I am walking on is cutting through new landscapes. This area has fewer trees and more grass and chaparral. Birds still sing and fly around, and other animals like deer and coyotes have left behind droppings that we studied together. The trail separates an area of fortunate green vegetation that is nourished by a spring from a dryer, browner section to the
…show more content…
One such plant, the “resurrection plant” will go from a grey or brown color to a brilliant green with only the slightest hint of moisture. This plant and others persevere through the summer and then bloom gorgeously in the wetter winter months, remaining alive with the hope that rain will come.
Finally, we reach the top of Poly Mountain, and our view is spectacular. The neighboring mountains are almost completely covered by fog, yet we can see the peaks. Turning around to take in the whole panorama, I see rolling hills on the other side of me glistening in the morning sun, lightly blanketed with some small strips of fog. In the distance, I hear cows mooing, the hourly Cal Poly bells, and vehicles on the highway. The campus is just down the hill, and though I can hear it, I cannot see it at all. It is such a strange feeling to know something is so close but feel so disconnected from it.
We begin to walk down the mountain through the foggy unknown to return to our ordinary lives. I reflect on all I have experienced today. I no longer think of this land as ugly and boring; it has a more hidden and mysterious beauty. Perhaps jewels like this that one has to work to discover are more
One such plant, the “resurrection plant” will go from a grey or brown color to a brilliant green with only the slightest hint of moisture. This plant and others persevere through the summer and then bloom gorgeously in the wetter winter months, remaining alive with the hope that rain will come.
Finally, we reach the top of Poly Mountain, and our view is spectacular. The neighboring mountains are almost completely covered by fog, yet we can see the peaks. Turning around to take in the whole panorama, I see rolling hills on the other side of me glistening in the morning sun, lightly blanketed with some small strips of fog. In the distance, I hear cows mooing, the hourly Cal Poly bells, and vehicles on the highway. The campus is just down the hill, and though I can hear it, I cannot see it at all. It is such a strange feeling to know something is so close but feel so disconnected from it.
We begin to walk down the mountain through the foggy unknown to return to our ordinary lives. I reflect on all I have experienced today. I no longer think of this land as ugly and boring; it has a more hidden and mysterious beauty. Perhaps jewels like this that one has to work to discover are more