Saturday, Sara and I enjoyed some bonding time in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We originally set out to do the Hidden Falls trail Alana told us about, but we had difficulties finding the trailhead. Granted, we did not look very hard – there were cars parked up and down along the road near where my GPS said the trailhead was, and trying to find parking, plus get out and walk in the hot heat to find the trailhead, just did not sound appealing. So, instead, Sara and I decided to do Donut Falls. I have hiked Donut Falls once before when there was still snow and ice on the ground (you can read about that fun adventure here), and I had hiked half the trail before with Josh and Ella after another misadventure (which you can read about here). However, I had not hiked the full Donut Falls trail when there was no snow or ice on the ground. This time around provided me with a much better view – in addition, I was much more welcoming to the cool water. The temperature was in the high 90s on Saturday afternoon when Sara and I made this trek.
This may seem unrelated, but it is not (keep reading – you will see). I have been indulging in an excellent novel lately. It is called All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Shout-out to my dear friend Sammy who lent this book to me and to my former high school English teacher who recommended I read it. It recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (which, for those of you who are unaware, is a very prestigious literary award in the United States). This historical-fiction book takes place during World War II and tells the stories of two individuals living during the war: a blind girl who lives in France and a German boy. Since this is not a book blog, I will not go into detail about the story and give a deep literary analysis of what I have read thus far. I am just mentioning this book because I delved into several pages of this novel before departing on my hike, and this is one of the last sentences I read before I left: "Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever." That line struck me as I read it, but it touched me even more when I was at the falls, staring at the beauty surrounding us.
We are only given one life. One opportunity to breathe, feel, and immerse ourselves in this mysterious, yet remarkable, planet. We must use that life to see; not only with our eyes, but with our entire being – to see the world around us through touch, smell, and emotion.
This may seem unrelated, but it is not (keep reading – you will see). I have been indulging in an excellent novel lately. It is called All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Shout-out to my dear friend Sammy who lent this book to me and to my former high school English teacher who recommended I read it. It recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (which, for those of you who are unaware, is a very prestigious literary award in the United States). This historical-fiction book takes place during World War II and tells the stories of two individuals living during the war: a blind girl who lives in France and a German boy. Since this is not a book blog, I will not go into detail about the story and give a deep literary analysis of what I have read thus far. I am just mentioning this book because I delved into several pages of this novel before departing on my hike, and this is one of the last sentences I read before I left: "Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever." That line struck me as I read it, but it touched me even more when I was at the falls, staring at the beauty surrounding us.
We are only given one life. One opportunity to breathe, feel, and immerse ourselves in this mysterious, yet remarkable, planet. We must use that life to see; not only with our eyes, but with our entire being – to see the world around us through touch, smell, and emotion.
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