Summer Review

I have returned to South Bend, IN, and am just a few days away from beginning a new semester of classes, football games, and Glee Club events.  This is all tremendously exciting stuff, but before I turn to that I want to review the past few months, the summer.  This is my second to last vacation summer, and I hope that I took ample advantage of that fact.  

The season started with a couple of weeks in South Bend, waiting first for graduation and then for the Central America tour to start.  President Obama gave the commencement address and, although I agree with him on many issues, I can say that I was very impressed with his speech.  He spoke on the issue of abortion, which many people, myself included, thought he would avoid for more commonplace topics.  He did so in a thoughtful and clear manner, and deftly handled a tense atmosphere inside the JACC.    

After the graduation I spent a fun week in South Bend with Robbie and Steph's house right off campus, during which we criss-crossed South Bend on two bikes, enjoying the freedom from deadlines and tests.  Then it was time to take off for Guatemala, at least after we did two concerts in Chicagoland.  

The first portion of the tour was largely a tourist-type trip through Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Honduras.  I had never thought of visiting these sights, but I am very glad I was able to.  The sheer size of the towers was incredible, especially in Tikal.  The artwork was also surprisingly good, particularly the book-like pamphlets that I saw in a Guatemala City museum.  The second portion of the tour included our concerts.  Two of these took place in cathedrals, one in Antigua and the other in Guatemala City.  Both were among the most amazing concerts I've ever sang.  The cathedrals were literally packed to their limit, and every crevice was filled with standing listeners, who seemed happy at getting in rather than disappointed at not having a seat.  The audiences were also very friendly and patient.  My favorite moment at either concert may have been when we sand "Luna de Xelaju," a song with immense importance to Guatemalans.  As soon as the song was recognized applause would ripple through the crowd, and we received passionate standing ovations just for singing.   It was truly a special moment at both concerts.

After the concert I was finally able to return to Rawlins and see my family after a 6 month time span that included trips in 4 countries.  Although I was very happy to be home, there isn't too much to recount from those times.  I relaxed, caught up with local friends, played croquet, and just lived day to day.  After a few weeks of this I left again for Hawaii, where I spent a brief week on board a submarine as part of my Navy ROTC training.  I also was able to spend 5 days on shore in Hawaii, which is a beautiful state, albeit an expensive one to live in.  There was plenty of sun and sand to enjoy, as well a couple of well-done museums in Pearl Harbor and a beautiful day trip up to the North Shore.  

After that I returned to Rawlins again for a few more weeks.  Then in late July I went down to California to see Robbie, San Francisco, and Yosemite.  I took the Greyhound down to the Bay Area, a 24 hour trip though Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.  It was long and sometimes frustrating, but I'm glad I experienced it.  Somehow, perhaps because I didn't really expect to go fast, it didn't seem to go as slow as I thought it would.  Anyway, I reached Martinez, where Robbie lives, and met many of his family and friends.  They were all warm and welcoming, and seemed truly glad to meet/see me (I had met some of them earlier during graduation).  Yosemite was awe-inspiring, especially the view from Cloud's Rest, a lesser-known companion to the trek up Half-Dome.  I was also able to go underneath Bridalveil Falls and  swim in the pool at its bottom.  It was freezing but exhilirating, and made me feel really alive in my body, in a way that being comfortable never can.  

Robbie and I went up to Portland to meet Jessica, and the three of us went east.  Along the way we went to Crater Lake, another great national park, and hung out with the Mannen family, who thoroughly dominated me in Nertz.  Then we took off for Rawlins, where Jessica and Robbie were kind enough to let me entertain them for a day before they continued on to Notre Dame.  

After the return from California there isn't much left to write about (except the backpacking, which I already posted about).  I came home, said my goodbyes until Christmas, and prepared to start another school year, one of my very last.  And that's where I am now.  So good night (day, morning, evening),  hope everything is going well with you,  and thanks for reading!

Wind Rivers Backpacking

I just returned from a 5 day backpacking trip to the Wind River Mountains, one of my favorite places on Earth.  My family and I did a 50-odd mile loop that encompassed the Cirque de Towers, Lizard Head Plateau, and Washakie Pass.  It was one of the most challenging trips I've taken, but also one of the most rewarding.  The entire range is littered with sheer drops and pristine lakes, leftovers from the glaciers which carved the valleys.  

As always, backpacking involved its share of unpleasantries, most of them the result of being denied the conveniences of everyday life.  This was most apparent in the early morning, when I would huddle down in my sleeping bag, dreading the various chores required before we could hit the trail, or even eat breakfast.  Of course a nice hot shower was simply out of the question.  But once the sun finally rose things began to look a little brighter, and I could realize anew what a  wonderful place I was in.  

Going to the Wind Rivers also reminded me of how great it is to live in Wyoming.  On the trail I met people from every corner of the nation: Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Washington, etc.  For them just getting to the Wind Rivers must have been an adventure and challenge of its own.  On the other hand, all that was required of me was to spend a weekend preparing for the trip, and then drive 4 hours to the trailhead.  Of course every state offers sites that people travel thousands of miles to see, but it was nice to feel a special connection with such splendours, and think of them as part of one's own homeland.  

Backpacking also puts me in a state of mind that is difficult to produce in my everyday life.  Perhaps it is the lack of communication with the outside world, or the greater attention that is demanded to obtain food and shelter, or the fact that one is exercising most of the time.  Whatever it is, on backpacking trips the problems that usually seem troublesome to me become quite trivial.  Even problems that normally assume huge proportions (such as finding a career that is enjoyable, contributes something to the world, and allows for some financial stability and free time) shrink into the background.  On the trail I am better at realizing that there is very little I can do about those things at the moment, and I should trust that I will be able to survive any future crises when they come.