Western Colorado: Letter from Alex
Dear parents and guardians,
From the outdoor education camp Balarat to Blue Mesa Reservoir, this trip has been nothing short of an adventure. In the first few days of the trip, we were surrounded by towering pines with limbs reaching out to different soaring and thicker ones. The tall grass parallels every path we trek through, creating an organized highway of trails through a chaotic yet beautiful wilderness. The sunrises we watched the first mornings had us believe we could not see anything as beautiful, but our minds shifted as the sunsets captivated not only our eyes, but our hearts and imaginations. The yellows, reds, and orange sunsets that painted the sky were remarkable, but the stars that quickly came soon out of hiding and emerged one after another were ever more amazing. One night some of us layed out in a field surrounded by Birch and Pine trees. The tall grass danced in the wind as the breeze kissed our cheeks. We laughed, told stories, but most importantly we connected. From strangers from around the country, we quickly became friends, fused together by our interest in the environment and wanting to better the world.
For some of us college is only a year away and our thoughts of where we want to go and what each one of us wants to do continue to become more expansive, but one thing remains constant. The desire to change the world has become a fire that deeply burns in each of us. As we learn how farmers and ranchers rely on the soil to feed the cattle or grow the wheat, the want to do more and create a world where the concept of too many humans and too little food is nothing but a fear of the past. The fire has only grown more and more through learning and communicating with the local people where the earth they stand on, where their fathers and grandfathers once stood on, is the most important thing to them. The land here is not just a destination or a place to drive through, but a breathing, living body of creation and survival to the inhabitants of this beautiful place.
We miss our family and our friends. We miss your laughs, hugs, and advice. We miss our dogs, cats, and birds. But we do not miss the safety of our comfort zone. The thought of returning home to our beds and phones does not stay far from our minds, but we could no longer sit and do nothing or put off making a difference. We miss and thank you for trusting us to go on this voyage that already, five days in, has changed so many of our lives.
Sincerely,
Your loving, learning children.
Written by: Alex D.
