View of the top of Mt. Si.

Me, Abby, and her two coworkers climbed it yesterday. It was about a four mile hike. It seemed like it took forever, but once we were at the very top, it felt amazing. My legs were shaking and I was dehydrated, but it was worth it, especially knowing that I could endure that much pain for something so beautiful.

There was something so calming about being in nature. I was around other people, but I was able to reflect on my own personal thoughts. I was thinking of Emerson and Thoreau, and how they both look to nature as means of personal inspiration and therapy. I found the same effect when I was hiking.

There was something so healing about being silent for three hours, only hearing my own breath and the sound of birds. But the forest was so silent, but not in a haunting way. It felt serene and accepting. The industrialized world did not occur within these woods. No such idea has passed. Only people who marvel at the grandeur of nature.