happily ever after

Do you ever just look around and think "I have the most amazing life"? That's pretty much the state I've been in since July of last year. An entire year of epic awesomeness. Life is so good it is hard to believe that this is really my life.

My feelings of awe have been reinvigorated by my arrival in Colorado. The town of Boulder is basically paradise on Earth. Everyone is fit, friendly, and environmentally conscious. No matter where you are in the city, all you have to do is look up and you are graced with a view of the mountains that lools like it is straight out of The Sound of Music.

Since my thru-hike of the Colorado Trail isn't officially starting until Sunday, I have a few days to bask in the glory of all that Colorado has to offer. Yesterday I stayed at a small state park in eastern Colorado and I saw a jackrabbit for the first time! Jackrabbits are basically mutated Indiana rabbits. Their ears stand straight up at all times and are longer than the height of their bodies. They have the most bizarre profile I've ever seen. Unfortunately due to Roxy's over-eager personality I wasn't able to get a picture of one, but hopefully I will catch one without her around. I've also seen a plethora of crazy-looking plants that I can't wait to learn more about.

In addition to discovering new plants and animals every day, I also climbed the tallest mountain I've ever been on. The Appalachian Mountains are old, and have been eroding for millions of years so they are relatively small. The mountains in Colorado are much younger and subsequently provide a much more stunning landscape. Rocky outcrops and snow-covered peaks abound, and even the "small" mountain I climbed today was over 11,000 feet above sea level.

An added bonus about Colorado is that the sun is up by 5am and doesn't set until 9pm = maximum time for exploration. And even if the sun does set it stays warm and the sky is filled with more stars than I have ever seen. Words can not describe how amazing it feels to be out here. On top of that, I now have job security and know I can come back every single summer!

Time for a cliché motivational statement: work hard, believe in yourself, and never give up. If you had asked me 3 years ago where I would be today I would never have envisioned anything like what I have achieved. With a little soul-searching I figured out what type of life I wanted to be living and I made it happen. Your life is yours for living; go and make your happily ever after!