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mountain
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2020-05-08
Scaling Mountains - Overcoming Obstacles (and New Englands peaks) During the Covid-19 Pandemic
During the pandemic, I was lucky that I didn't lose anyone close to me. I know many people around me and in the world who watched their loved ones die from COVID-19. It has also had long-lasting health effects on many people as well. It is an ongoing conversation because people are still contracting the virus daily. Lockdown was a surreal moment for many in our ordinarily fast-paced world. The entire world stopped, and for once, we couldn't rely on our usual entertainment and schedules for distraction. This led to the development of new habits, which, unfortunately for me, were not just board games and binge-watching Netflix. Alcoholism had been at my doorstep since my senior year of high school, with my dependence on the substance worsening as the years passed. This is a genetic condition, and I have had countless family members struggle and die because of substance abuse, mainly alcohol. When the pandemic hit, I drank nearly every day, and this continued during lockdown with my roommate and a few friends. Not only was this dangerous because of the spreading pandemic, but it also worsened my mental health. Soon, my college shut down, and I had to move back home, where my substance abuse continued. My relationship had fallen apart when my ex moved back to India as he was on a student visa. The drinking and emotional isolation/strife led to a breakdown wherein intrusive suicidal thoughts plagued me. Something had to change; one night, I quit all substances and contacted my PCP about a mental health evaluation. I know my diagnosis was wrong, but it got me on the medication I needed to forget the intrusive thoughts and piece my life back together. My saving grace was my father and, eventually, my friends, who decided to pick me up and give me a distraction. This distraction became hiking mountains, a shared hobby of previous substance abusers. The chemicals released in the brain during these hikes and the physical exercise filled the void alcohol used to. It served it and began to heal the void left by years of mental health struggles and abuse. Like in this picture, the world's problems and my own seemed small when I was on top of a mountain. Not only that but also hiking is a very social-distance-friendly activity. The love for hiking fostered in my childhood was rekindled during the pandemic and remains one of my favorite things to do. My father and I are attempting to walk up all New England's notable peaks. -
2021-06-09
Professor Vanlife
In the summer of 2021, I accepted an adjunct job at a college back East. Rather than spend half the salary on rent and in order to socially distance from others, I fixed up a Toyota Sienna minivan so I could live in it for the summer. This was the first trip I had taken since the late winter of 2020. On the drive out from California, I stopped to climb a mountain in Wyoming and had the trail to the summit mostly to myself. Here's what I wrote about it on Facebook: "View of Laramie Peak (elev. 10,275) in present day Wyoming, an important landmark on the Oregon Trail. For those emigrants not from Appalachia or northern New England, it was the first really big mountain they’d ever seen and it loomed in front of them for several days as they approached it from the plains. Mark Twain passed by here in 1861 and recollected later, speaking about the mountain in the third person: 'Looming vast and solitary -- a deep, dark, rich indigo blue in hue, so portentously did the old colossus frown under his beetling brows of storm-cloud. He was thirty or forty miles away, in reality, but he only seemed removed a little beyond the low ridge at our right.'" -
2021-01-25
An atmospheric river could dump 10 feet of snow in California’s Sierra Nevada
This article from the Washington Post discusses the possibility of snowstorms in the Sierra Nevadas at the end of January 2021. The article specifically mentions that the Sierra Nevada could see up to ten feet of snow. The article also forecasts the possibility of 80-mile-per-hour winds in California's eastern mountains. These storms turned out to be real and damaged Camp Wolfeboro's infrastructure. -
2021-05-26
Boucke Campsite Debris
This is a photograph of the Boucke campsite at Camp Wolfeboro in 2021, before camp had opened to any Scouts. There is a variety of natural debris on the ground, including pine needles, pine cones, and branches. This debris had to all be cleared off of the ground before camp started because this is a campsite used by Scouts and Scouters. The week of May 26 was "Chainsaw week #2", where volunteers went to camp and helped prepare camp to be ready for Scouts to arrive. The photo was taken during the week of May 26, 2021, and was submitted to the Camp Wolfeboro Shutterfly site by Chris Chapman, who is on the properties subcommittee for the Golden Gate Area Council, which owns Camp Wolfeboro. -
2021-07-23T16:08
Forest Service Burn Pile
These are three photos of a set of logs, located between the archery range and shotgun range at Camp Wolfeboro. In all of the photos the Handicraft building is visible on the left in the distance. According to the in-camp president of the Wolfeboro Pioneers, the pile of logs was created as a burn pile by the Forest Service. At the 7:30 Pioneer meeting on Monday evening, July 19th, 2021, a Scout proposed clearing the burn pile as part of the Wolfeboro Work Party, an hour-long work party running from 7:30 to 8:30 on every Tuesday night at camp where each Scout troop helps clean up part of camp. He didn't know the pile was made by the Forest Service, so the president said so and said the camp couldn't clear it. The photographs were taken on Friday, July 23, 2021 at 4:08 PM. -
2021-02-22
My day
My first half of spring break was pretty great. On Saturday, I went to Big Sky, Montana to ski. I brought my friends Brett, James, and Patrick with me. My good friend Brandon was also up there so he stayed with me. My family has a house up there, so we go once during the winter and once during the summer every year. Sadly there is not a direct flight to the airport in Bozeman Montana. That place is about an hour drive to Big Sky. We flew Delta Airlines and had a connection flight in Minneapolis. In the New Orleans airport, we had chick fil a. The airport was very crowded. Then in Minneapolis, we had about an hour layover. We then arrived in Bozeman Montana at around 8:15 at night. We then went to Dairy Queen and got ready for the hour drive ahead. During that drive, I basically just listened to music. We then finally arrived in Big Sky. We were all pretty tired so we went to bed. The next morning we woke up and then ate a big breakfast. After that, we drove to the Ski Rental shop. We then got our skis and began skiing. We started off with a blue to see how everyone would do. James was not the best and kept falling. After about 2 runs we left my dad and met up with Brandon’s older sister. We then went to the other side of the mountain and skied there. There was a new chairlift that had like a bubble you would pull over you. It also had heated seats. -
2021-02-16
Desert Mountains in Late Afternoon, Tucson, Arizona, USA
This photograph of desert mountains in Tucson, Arizona, USA, shows the beauty and the power of nature. The image is associated with our creation of an Environment collection in the archive. We seek to collect stories about the environment: how it has been impacted by the pandemic, with changes in pollution levels, increased levels of trash, and alterations in human interactions, and how humans have interacted with the environment during the pandemic, using it decrease stress, get out of the house, grow food, and gain a greater knowledge and appreciation of it. -
2021-02-07
Nature Endures
This photograph shows the imposing Catalina Mountains (Babad Do'ag to the indigenous Tohono O’odham) to the north of Tucson, Arizona, USA, with a majestic saguaro in the center front. The rocks in these mountains record millions of years of history. The multi-armed saguaro has stood for at least 75 years. Viewing these natural phenomena has always been a favorite pastime of mine, but during this time of pandemic, contemplating these forces of nature reminds me of the endurance of nature and the long stretch of environmental history. The pandemic and our current difficulties will pass just as other the saguaro and the mountains have seen many other calamities pass. -
2021-01
Beautiful Things
This picture was around the time of winter break. To many people it will just be a picture of the mountains covered in snow. However, to me it is a picture that represents the change in my life since this pandemic. Before the pandemic all I was able to do was focus on my studies and sports with no time for myself, but now, even though times are stressful I am able to breathe a little more.. I guess. Before these mountains were covered in snow I went up there a few days before to check out the view with the Christmas lights, but nothing could have prepared me for what would happen next. Even though these mountains were already beautiful before, after the snowfall they’ve become a masterpiece. These mountains show change, in fact they encourage change within ourselves, for the better of all of us. -
2021-01-17
Spending Time in Nature Will Get You Through the Pandemic
My story and photographs talk about the beauty and power of nature and how spending time in nature can help us get through the pandemic. -
2020-08-20
Get Out!
Even in a global pandemic when everything is shut down, there are still a million things to do and see. This was our family’s trip up Kennebec Pass, which is only an hour from our hose. Covid is the perfect opportunity to explore your own back yard, provided you do so safely! -
2020-08-23
What Protects You?
This story is very significant for me as its something that I never thought i would have lived, a pandemic. I was very lucky of passing this past six months in my home with my family where I have learned to value everything a lot I spend most of the time in my home. What I have uploaded is a video from a very recognized mountain called el Avila which happens to be my every morning view from my balcony. El Avila represents protection to our city, the same way the mask is protection for us in these very critical moments. -
2020-07
Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Colorado Landscapes
These are all images from our drive through Colorado. The first two images are a landscape scene and a photo of a mountain goat from Independence Pass, a mountain pass in Colorado that is only open in the warmer months because it gets very treacherous in the winter. It was still quite scary when we went in July, but the views were breathtaking. The last photo is from the Colorado Monument. We chose to drive up to experience it, as there were a lot of people there without masks and we felt safest in the car. All of these photos were taken from the safety and comfort of our car. -
2020-07
Finding Beauty in a COVID World: Dog Lake Hike, Salt Lake City, UT
In mid-July we decided to travel to Salt Lake City to visit family. Downtown SLC was pretty shut down due to the pandemic so we chose to find some outdoor activities that we could participate in while still remaining safe. These two images are from a beautiful hike we did called “Dog Lake,” a dog friendly hike with a lake (shown in picture 2) for the dogs to go cool off in before heading back down the mountain. -
2020-05-16
California Coastline
March 13th was the day we were sent home from the office. Working remotely was not something I had experienced before. For the first month, I started re arranging my days. Instead of commuting for 4 hours a day I was working out in the mornings and reading more in the evenings. One day I dusted off my old film camera that I hadn't used in over 10 years. I purchased film and I started to take one photo a day. I would try to capture a photo that summed up that particular day. After two months of being on locked down I decided to drive from Orange County, CA to Big Sur. My cousin lives on 8 acres on the back side of Big Sur. I camped out on his property for a month, I ate off the land, cooked outside everyday and didn't get back into my car until the day of my departure. After a month, I decided to leave mid afternoon so I could catch the sunset on my six hour drive back home. I pulled off thirty miles past Post Ranch Inn and waited about eight minutes to click this shot in. The colors in the water, the length of the cliff and the dirt between my Red Wings and the ground made this the best photograph of the last six months. This pandemic has allowed me to slow down. To admire the little things in life and re introduce old hobbies into my life. My camera and I are one again, she comes every where with me. I will blow this photograph up one day, frame it and remind me of the times. It was fitting that I'd started reading On the Road: the Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac before my month long trip. I finished it in Big Sur. There are many great quotes by Jack in that book. However one reigns supreme..."Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." -
2020-04-30
& the sun stays shining
I hiked up this mountain full of a burdened heart. I climbed up the mountain through all the treachery and made it to the top. I felt God’s power and holiness, and most importantly His goodness that gave me hope. The uncertainty, fear, restless, and helplessness seemed to lift and I saw the hope come shining through the heavy clouds. -
2020-03-05
Skiing in Big Sky, Montana
Life goes on in the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave."