anya learns how to write

Being grateful is a big deal for my family during Thanksgiving. We always write lists about gratitude and share them right before dinner on Thanksgiving day, while waiting for the turkey to finally finish cooking so nobody gets salmonella. I don't think my gratitude lists have changed that much over the year -- I'm grateful for my siblings, my parents, my friends, education, housing, financial stability, clean water, health, intellectual freedom, and democracy. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the giant things that make life excellent, to think about the underlying themes that you wouldn't otherwise consider. But what my family doesn't share before Thanksgiving are the smaller things that bring us joy on a daily basis. I think it's important to be able to see patterns of priviledge in your life, while also noticing individual occurences that inspire gratitude. So here's a list of little things that I'm grateful for, in no particular order and with no...

The Colorado Trail runs 485 miles continuously from Denver to Durango, traversing six National Forests and multiple mountain ranges. People can backpack, bike, or ride horses on the high-altitude trail in late summer once all the snow has melted. I’ve already hiked small portions of the CT, both from Waterton Canyon in the Denver suburbs and closer to Silverton by Molas Lakes, but I’ve always wanted to take a longer trip on this iconic trail. Last summer, I decided that backpacking part of the CT would be an amazing challenge to celebrate the end of high school with my friends and experience a longer trip before moving to college. Preparing for this trip will require lots of planning and coordination, but I’m determined to make the trip a reality. After poring over the National Geographic’s topographical maps, I decided on a two-week portion of the trail starting between Saguache and Gunnison in Central Colorado and ending in Durango, where my extended family lives. The starting ...