My formative experiences in nature

I have always been very close to nature from a young age. My father would always take myself and my older brothers camping. Through camping I was able to appreciate the solitude of what nature had to offer. Growing up I was always a tom-boy. It actually pissed my mom off since I was the youngest and the only girl. haha. Anyways, my dad would take us all around Washington to camp and in most parts of Canada (near and around the Canadian Rockies). I would look forward to these camping trips every year.

As I got older, we still continued to camp but camping wasn't the only experience I had with nature at a young age. My dads mother (we call her grandma tootsie) has a definite green thumb. She could literally make anything grow, even from the worst soil. It was through her that I began to learn about flowers. A lot of them were native but I would say the majority were imported and obviously planted. Either way, I got to know the names of hundreds of flower species as I grew up. Now, I have taken after her and have become extremely invested in gardening and bird-watching. I know so many of the native birds here in Washington from bird-watching with her.

It seemed that when I hit my late teen years/early twenties I began to come distant from nature. I don't exactly know why, but I think it just had to do with my age. This stint of time lasted for about two years  until I discovered the North Cascades. For those who haven't explored this area, it is truly breathtaking. Since the North Cascades discovery, I have become an avid backcountry hiker. I have hiked in some of the most beautiful places in Washington. When I am out in nature and hiking, I honestly feel closer to myself than I could ever possibly achieve. You know when you have moments that you think to yourself and say, "right now, there is nothing wrong." Well, this is the feeling I get when I am alone in the backcountry camping for multiple days. I feel alive. I love to be able to experience the wildflowers. Wildflowers are without a doubt one of my favorite things to see while hiking. I have also been fortunate enough to see a vast amount of wildlife. Just this last summer I saw a black bear and it's cubs, and believe it or not, a mountain lion! That was actually quite terrifying.

Overall, I have a great relationship with nature. Nature is the core of who I am and when I am outside, nothing compares to it. Below is a picture of one of my favorite hikes in the North Cascades. It is a challenging hike, it's called Sourdough Mountain. Although the first two miles are straight up vertical, it levels out and the viewpoint is unparalleled, unless you also check out Desolation Peak another hike in the North Cascades. Nevertheless, here are the photos:

This was in the fall time (truly amazing colors)