Punctuating the end of freshman year was the annual four day Mammoth Lakes trip
The trip not only developed an appreciation for the natural world but also a profound discovery        
            within me 
Fortunately, time hasn’t affected the clarity of memory
Rather it retains Mammoth’s irrevocable effects on me
It began at the second stop, Fossil Falls

The bus rolls to a halt before taking a minute to park
Outside the tinted window lies an array of varnished basaltic rock,
            speckled with sea green stout shrubs
Descending the bus proves a challenge
          the sun shines mercilessly, leaving me visually impaired
Breathing becomes difficult
           dust-disturbed air fills my lungs
Sweat condensates on the planes of my exposed skin from the day’s blistering air
But above hangs the purest azure skies
           and slowly, my grimace turns to a wary smile
Standing, alone, has procured an uncomfortably comfortable disposition
How beauty could disguise hell’s heat
I’ll never know

A rigorous, scorching rock climb over ancient lava shrouds me in fatigue and lethargy
As the sun repents its wrath, bidding a golden farewell over charcoal mountains
           the urge to preserve this incredible moment becomes insatiable
But a spreadsheet of white emptiness mocks all attempts of personal lyricism
Inspiration eludes imagination while perspiration restrains expression
By nightfall, restlessness envelops my consciousness
A vision of majesty demands absolute attention
Twinkling constellations, distant glowing planets, a solitary luminescent orb hangs
           suspended in black onyx, overhead
My outstretched arms, grasping hands dare to reach for a piece but fail; and instead settle over an              open canvas
Moonlit thoughts of the day finally unfold as words, into song
A dreamless slumber seizes my body, for tonight’s dream rose as reality
My bewitched mind and soul have captured this mesmerizing moment for eternity
 

Mammoth instilled a passion to write for the sanctity of self-expression, within the conscience of my            being
Now an arduously intimate practice
Writing lays bare all fears, tears, aspirations, rejections, consequences, successes, stories, cheers
             all memories concealed
                                 for confrontation.
Compelling emotional recollection, logical recognition of every happening,exhausts me
            into sensitivity and vulnerability.
But this state releases me into a sea of tranquil freedom, where waves of weary satisfaction sway               in finale
When shore is reached I step, stripped of the heavy oppressive ornamental shell,
Striding into self-explorative growth,
            erect

Trivial matters evaporate from the contours of my shoulders
Breathing becomes serene
Fresh sweet air cleanses my lungs
Ascending the beach celebrates conquest
           honesty, maturity, benevolence; independence and perspective have been harbored
Bestowing a wreath of laurel leaves to crown upon my brow
Writing, alone, has achieved this abundance of riches for the well -being of my mind, body,
           and soul