Featured Writer: Isabel Thottam

There is nothing like a long shower after camping and hiking for two days. The dirt stays with you long after the trip is over and after two weeks here in Port Angeles, I think I’m going to be carrying this dirt all the way to Denver. Maybe even Ohio.

The weirdest part about camping is definitely the return to society afterward. The past two nights, my friends and I have hiked up to Hurricane Hill and camped there over night. We slept under the stars without a tent and it was pretty much my favorite decision ever. I love star gazing. I saw 6 shooting stars, which was incredible. The sky is really brilliant at night, I don’t know how else to describe it. We watched the sun rise each morning. The first time we camped there, I woke up, rolled over to see the sun rise, then immediately fell back asleep. But the second morning, the clouds were just incredible and unreal with the perfect amount of pink and orange.

Waking up to this view on the mountain is something I could live with:

Another great thing about camping is the food. Everything just taste so much better when you cook it over a camp stove or a hand made fire. I don’t know why, but it just does.

The past few days in Washington have almost felt unreal. I’ve just had the most wonderful journeys discovering new places and seeing just how incredibly beautiful – and powerful – nature really is. I am in love with it. I am in love with the meadows and the grazing deer. I am in love with the trees that shoot up toward the painted sky. I am in love with the stars and the grass at my feet. Even though the mosquitos and flies have deformed my body, I still love it all because it just feels right.

I need to get better at jumping into cold water and off cliffs. And not being afraid of doing so. But I have all the time in the world to do so. River rapids are fun to swim in though, so I think I would enjoy trying white water rafting sometime soon. Oh and that photo is of the Elwha River near the Goblin Gates (unfortunately, there weren’t any goblins there); where the rapids were strong and the cliffs were crazy.

And there was something totally magical about it all.