This past summer, a handful of my closest friends and I took a trek across the country to go camping at Saranac Lake in upstate New York, which is in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Coming from Wisconsin I was very aware of how amazing large forests and lakes can be, but I was not prepared for how beautiful New York was going to be.

For the last two hours of our nineteen hour journey to New York, the only thing visible was trees, for miles upon miles. Every once in awhile you might pass a small town, but aside from that there is virtually nothing. Upon arrival at the lake, I was nearly knocked off my feet, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Before getting to the lake my vision had been impaired from the massive trees all around, but I had finally gotten the chance to see clearly, what was around me. Surrounding the lake was a ring of mountains, each attempting to scratch the sky, but they could not quite reach. Every single one of the mountains was littered with trees, covered in leaves and pines that were a brighter green than Emma Stone’s eyes. When the evening would come, the sky would change from a radiant blue, to a vibrant mix of orange and pink, seeing the sunset was mesmerizing. In my opinion though, the landscape appeared most wonderful, was during the night. Aside from the refreshing summer breeze and the occasional bird, all would be silent. The moon illuminated the lake, and each star was shining brighter than the last. There was this fantastic feeling of calm throughout the land, and for a short period of time it felt like everything was perfect.

The most memorable aspect of my trip, was having the opportunity to hike up one of the mountains in the area. The day we went up it was very gloomy, and there was an air of melancholy surrounding each of us. About half way through our six hour hike the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds, like a kid peeking over the counter of a candy store. Until we reached the top of the mountain there was not much to see, the trees were restricting our vision once again. When we were about to reach the peak, our guide, Steven, told us to keep our head down and to look at the ground, and when all of us got to the top we could look up and experience the view together. Nothing compares to climbing a mountain with your closest friends. Forests, lakes, and mountains for miles. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen, and getting to see it with the people I love had me filled with many feelings. Feelings of love, peace, and most of all wonder. When I feel lost, I think back to the greatest experience of my life, and all those feelings seem to vanish.