A nice, warm, partly-cloudy morning at the KOA in upstate New York. I woke up to the smell of dead campfires and bacon- and the sound of birds chirping and tent-zippers slowly opening. Camp was beginning to stir as I got up and took a breath of the freshest air I've had in awhile. Camping on any summer morning has always been my favorite- I love everything about it. I love waking up to the peace- to all of those sites and smells. On this particular morning I enjoyed waking up, opening my eyes, and looking through the tiny window in the top of my tent at an extremely blue sky. This morning, I was prepping for an all-day hike in the mountains. Not just any mountains- some of the highest peaks New York has to offer. The day was planned by AJ and Jared- they looked at the maps and came up with a few different options for the hikes we would be able to do. All of the numbers and statistics and time-goals were rattled off numerous times, but they all pretty much rolled over me. The highest mountain I've probably ever done was Sleeping Giant (CT) so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I only knew that the Adirondacks were AJ's favorite place to be- and I was completely prepared to be a part of whatever brought him that joy. He knows what I can handle so I completely trusted him- he got my pack ready with trail mix and water, we packed the camera and he handed me a rain-jacket. We then joined our friends Jared and Kasie in their car for the ride to the base.

I've decided to become a blogger. It's something I've always wanted to do but never felt eloquent enough to sustain it. I've never had enough passion for something to keep writing about it. One day in those mountains and I knew this was what my blog needed to be about. One day in those mountains has completely changed my outlook on life. One day. It changed all of the plans I've had for myself and makes me want to re-write my future. I felt like I was plucked off of Earth and transported to another planet- like I gained access to this entirely different world. Just as quickly as I was there, I was taken away... and I haven't felt the same since. I don't just want to go back- I HAVE to go back. I purchased a book by James R. Burnside (entitled "Exploring the 46 Adirondack High Peaks") who wrote about his own journey. He lists varying degrees of hiking difficulty, sights his own journal entries that he wrote along the way, and talks about the general history of the parks. With his help and my experiences I would like to do something similar for myself. I want to document how I feel, the people that I meet, those that I journey with. I also want to educate my readers about the history of the parks, the training it took to for me to get there, and the equipment I'm slowly learning that I need in order to survive more of these treks through the woods.

For fun... I'll also post pictures of the bear figurines AJ and I have decided to collect.

If you read this blog for no other reason than to look at the pictures, I'm perfectly fine with that also- because I've personally stared at each one for lengthy periods of time. Sure, the feeling isn't quite the same as actually being there- but it sure is beautiful. So please, help cheer us on. AJ has already completed over 20 mountains with the help of his father and his twin sister, Cara. They've been hiking since they were 10 years old. I'm so glad I've been able to start and document my own journey from the beginning- you need to document and send in pictures to become an official part of the '46-r' club. I will be writing entries, for the most part, one peak at a time. I actually intended my first blog post to be about our entire first hike, but quickly realized I had way too much to say about every moment that I just wouldn't be doing it justice lumping it all together like that. I still remember laying eyes on my first mountain as we drove up to the campsite through Keene Valley. I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped to the ground- AJ could do nothing but smile and laugh at me as I stared out the windows of the car with my nose pressed against the glass- twisting and turning trying to take in everything before we rounded the next corner. Well, here we go!