Category Archives: Passion Blog

Michigan, Maine, Colorado, Oh My!

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Hi everyone! I have chosen to go with the National Parks blog topic, and I am excited to get started by telling you a little bit about my background. As I said in my first post, I come from a family who loves hiking and travel, and I am always looking for a new adventure. This developed into a love of National Parks, and an interest in learning more about all of the opportunities for adventure that are out there.

When I was 10 years old, my family took a trip to Michigan to Lake Superior. We stayed in a cabin, went on lots of hikes, and bonded as a family. While this was not a trip to an actual National Park, it began a tradition of going on an adventure related vacation every other summer for the next 8 years. This trip showed us how beneficial it can be to get out of your day to day life and truly enjoy what nature has to offer. We went on one more trip on the East coast, to Acadia National Park in Maine before venturing out West to Colorado.

Where my love for adventure truly started was on this trip to Colorado.

We did all of the adventure related activities you could think of.

From Hiking,                                               To White Water Rafting,

        

To swinging over a 1,200 foot deep canyon,

We did it all.

(Here’s a link to the Royal Gorge Website and a video if you wanna check it out.)

These adventures were amazing, fun, and thrilling, but the best parts of the trip were the bonds we created and the memories that will last forever. If you look closely at the rafting picture, you can see that every single one of us has a huge smile on our faces. This is not just because we are doing something thrilling, it is because of the amazing experiences we have had throughout our trip that brought us together and opened our eyes to the beauty of our country and the world.

I know thrill isn’t for everyone, but that is only a fraction of the joy national parks offer. The natural beauty is astounding. There is beauty in the simple things like a stream running through the woods, or a mountain in the distance if you stop and take a minute to really look. It can be truly amazing to see the vastness of nature from the top of a mountain, and it can help you see things from a different perspective. Experiencing this with other people is a great way to create unique memories that will connect you for the rest of your lives.

That being said, there is beauty everywhere, and I encourage you to go out this week and see the beauty of nature on our campus. There is so much to see if you just take a moment to look on your way to class. Next week I am going to talk about my next two trips out West, and then I will start diving into the research of new parks to explore. I encourage you to look into a trip out West if you ever have the chance, they have been some of the best experiences of my life!

Passion Ideas

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Idea #1: America the Beautiful

We were told to write about our two favorite ideas for our passion blog. For me, coming up with initial ideas is the hardest part of the writing process. So to begin, I started with my version of happiness, as suggested. For me, happiness is adventure. I absolutely love getting out, going to new places, and seeing new things.

Fitting in almost perfectly with this view of happiness is hiking, travel, and anything related. One fantastic way to explore new places is by visiting national parks. As someone who grew up going camping, hiking, and visiting many local landmarks, it was no surprise that when we were old enough, my family began adventures further from home, in some of America’s most scenic places.

This exploration and adventure is limited since there are 6 of us in my family, and plane tickets aren’t cheap, but I have been to a few amazing places, and hope to visit many more. With this in mind, I hope to be able to write my passion blog about America’s national parks. While I realize these would not be places I could physically go visit while writing my blog, my goal would ultimately be to explore the many opportunities available, and one day visit every single one of these places.

Included in my blog would be parks I have already visited, as well as the parks I hope to one day visit. Starting off with the parks I have already visited would allow me to convey to the readers the value of national parks, and hopefully encourage them to start an adventure of their own. I would look into how travel to national parks strengthens relationships, widens perspectives, and develops an appreciation for nature.

Beginning to look into and write about places I have not been will allow me to explore all of the opportunities our country has to offer, and enlighten my readers about these opportunities as well. While I realize that all of my readers will be interested in hiking and exploring the outdoors, I believe that my posts could be valued by anyone. They will work to show not only opportunities for adventure, but also the beauty of our country regardless of what is happening politically or socially. In a country so divided, and with so many issues to resolve, it is important to remember that while we need to be working to make the US a better place for all people, it is ok to enjoy the beauty of our nation as well. There is so much to fix within our country, but through my blog, I hope to remind the class that our country does have beauty within its land as well as its people.

Idea #2: First Year Frenzy

Clearly that is my more developed idea for my passion blog, but I do have another idea. With thousands of first year students at Penn State, it can be overwhelming making friends and figuring out where you fit in. From the engineering nerds (me) to the frat boys, we all have a place somewhere. Why then, can it be so hard to find where you belong and find friends that you fit in with?

My blog would explore the logistics of being a first year student at Penn State, including university offered support, clubs, social events, friendship, and whatever you could think of. This blog would be relatable to the entire class because we are all first year Penn State students. Other readers may not have the exact connection, but likely have been thrown into a new setting before, and can relate to it.

This option would not be something I am as passionate about, but would be an interesting topic to look into and would be relatable to my readers within the class.

Thanks for reading, I can’t wait to share my adventures with all of you!