Backpacking is extreme exploration. It is taking everything you have in your life, stuffing it into a pack, and heading out into the natural world to experience its wonder. The goals of packing can be at times contradictory. Because you have to carry everything with you, there is an extremely strong incentive to pack as…

Teaching is everything all at once. It is giving back to the world and a way of navigating it. It is a microcosm, but it is the platform on which reality is built. Teaching is a way of changing minds for the better. It is giving information but getting it back as well. It is…

Leaves are the magical generation of food from light. Photosynthesis may be one of the most magical things in the real world. The ability to use light energy to create food out of water and air is simple and simply astounding. The green associated with leaves is the hallmark of life. It is proof that…

The Grand Canyon is a wonder. Not only is it one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it is full of surprises and beauty. It is the size of entire countries, and it covers the majority of northern Arizona. It features billions of years of rocks, it has a section that is missing…

Fruit is nature’s candy. It comes in a plethora of shapes and sizes from even the most unlikely of plants such as thorn-covered vines and even cactus. Uniformly, it is sweet and that makes it most often delicious. The variation of flavors then come from varying amounts of citric and malic acids, how edible the…

Seeing a friend after a long time is renewed joy. All of the memories from the time you had spent together come rushing back, and there is the immediate, comfortable feeling of familiarity. There is a slight sense of nervousness as you wait to meet. You wonder irrational thoughts of not being able to or…