Full Circle Proposal TheCircle: opportunity to embark such a throughout journey will Full A journey in whichonI venture not naturally only allow serene me continue to do and experience the Intermountain West t o what I love, it will also and allowfoundation me to comethat full reconnect w ithbutthe people circle.meI am at a place in my life where I am made whofinally I am today. able to return the favor that my father once gave mePeople: - one of companionship, love, and simply The adventure. As memorable as my trips have been in the ypast, journey shallofbea no different. It will Family - all this the descendants common ancestor. represent a culmination of life experiences that we willdnever forget.whom one knows and with whom Friend - a person one has a bond of mutual affection. The Foundation: Tradition - the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. Nature - the phenomena o f t he physical w orld collectively, including p lants, a nimals, t he landscape, and other features and products of the earth. Exploration - the action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it. These components culminate into my 2017 XREF Proposal. Enjoy!
“The mountains are calling and I must go� - John Muir
Purpose : Tradition Documentation
Mt. Rainier NP
Given the opportunity Throughout my life, to I have embarkfollowed on this journey, a familyI tradition will gladly - one return introduced to recount to memybyexperience none other with than my father. HMC. I will document At the ripe thisage journey of 4, by way he took of photo me camping, and videowhere as well I found as through my firstlogging love - Yosemite my daily National Park.and driving and hiking statistics. My expenditures goal here is to show my fellow peers as well as my During gradeat school, colleagues HMC the it truly reward felt and like sustainability an addiction. During of seeing January, our itnation’s was theNational snow trip.Parks During- April, that it was the ourselves immersing Easter trip.in During Nature July does and not have August, to beit awas difficult the Summer or costlytrip. task. And if we were lucky enough to find the time in October or November, it was the IFall willtrip.also Thiskeep wentaonjournal, year after in year, whichalways I loggiving daily me something accounts of mytoexperiences look forward along to and theteaching journey and me what ourabeautiful perhaps few sketches. planet and Mother Nature have to offer. My father took me on my first backpacking trip when I was 6, and we climbed Half Dome in Yosemite together when I was 7. I learned how to set up a camp, make a fire, tell campfire stories, read a map, navigate highways as well as trails, name peaks, waterfalls, rivers, and animals, and immerse myself into Nature and share that experience with others.
Yellowstone NP Yosemite NP
Since then, school and distance have all but severed my relationship with Yosemite. And worse yet, Yosemite is nothing but a memory for my father now. What was once tradition almost seems forced for me and impossible for my father. Fortunately, I have been able to revitalize a version of this tradition amongst my peers and friends. Whether it is backpacking 80 miles through the Sierras, or simply taking my girlfriend to Yosemite for her first time, I’m always trying to include Nature and adventure in my life the same way my father did. But for the longest time, there has been something missing from this tradition - my father.
Zion NP
Above: Atop Half Dome in Yosemite with my father at the age of 7 years old. Left: The annual January Trip as a 5 year old. Top Left: Climbing the cables on Half Dome in Yosemite at the age of 7 years old. Top: Atop Eagle Peak in Yosemite on my first backpacking trip at 6 years old.
Purpose : Nature Ever since my first time seeing “milk” along the highway in Lake Tahoe, I was destined to be a lover of Nature. Of course this “milk” was in fact snow, but my fascination never faded. Accompanied by dozens of trips to Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, and numerous ski resorts throughout the Sierra Nevada, Mother Nature has never ceased to amaze me. From growing up in the picturesque beachtown of Santa Cruz, CA with a population of 60,000 to studying, working, and now living in the densely populated city of Los Angeles, CA with a population of 4,000,000, I have gained an unprecedented appreciation for Nature. Whereas I lived steps away from the beauty of Nature in Santa Cruz, in Los Angeles, I often find myself going far out of my way to feel the same sense of escape and freedom I once felt growing up in Northern California. This has only helped to reinvigorate my love for Nature, forcing me to dream bigger and see bigger and newer places. On a typical weekend, my idea of a good time is a nice dayhike or a quick camping trip either with myself or friends. It provides the ultimate sense of relief, recomposure, and escape from the hustle and bustle of life, especially in a big city. Santa Cruz taught me that Nature was a privilege, but Los Angeles has taught me that it is also necessary. Although Nature constantly surrounds us, whether we know it or not, the National Parks are the gems of what our country has to offer. Yosemite is at the heart of what I know, but I know I’m missing so much more out there.
Above: Day 6 of a 80-mile backacking trip along the John Muir Trail Right: Descending the Pacific Crest Trail in August 2017 Top Right: Preparing to summit Mount Whitney Far Right: Descending Red Peak Pass in Yosemite in June 2016
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks� - John Muir
Purpose : Exploration One thing that undeniably gravitates me toward Nature is the sense of adventure, exploration, and the unknown that comes with it. In my 27 years, I have explored 16 countries while living abroad in Europe, been to Yosemite nearly 100 times, backpacked upwards of 400+ miles in the Sierras, cycled from Monterey to San Francisco, climbed peak after peak throughout California, and camped my way up and down the vast region of the Sierra Nevada. With the exception of Europe, the one thing my adventures have in common is complacency. The boundary of my experience has more or less been the California state border. Outside of an 8th grade field trip to Washington DC and New York and a high school baseball tournament in Hawaii, California remains the area of a majority of my exploration. As crazy as it sounds, sleeping at 14,505 feet above sea level atop Mount Whitney, climbing Half Dome in Yosemite 6 times, backpacking across the entire Sierras, or backcountry snowboarding in the summer have become routine. And while there is always room to explore the beautiful state of California, my exploration if begging to go elsewhere. Living abroad in Europe truly awakened my desire to explore, forcing me to discover other scenery, landscapes, climates, and wildlife throughout the continent. I was forced to realize that the world is much bigger than California but small enough to explore anywhere I wanted to. Although Europe was my home for a year, the United States is my permanent home, and to this point of my life, I have yet to really step out of my bubble here in California.
“Not all those who wander are lost� - J.R.R. Tolkien
Destination : National Parks
Glacier National Park
This journey will comprise of a road trip throughout the Intermountain West to explore the natural phenonema our nation’s National Parks have to offer. This trip involves the journey just as much as the destination. Therefore, the specific National Parks that I will be visiting will not be decided until the trip is explicitly planned. The general route will start in California in my home town of Santa Cruz, CA. I will then venture north through Oregon and Washington, then east through Idaho and Montana, then south through Wyoming and Colorado, then west through Utah, Arizona, and back to California. The National Parks along this route I will visit at minimum are as follows: Arches National Park Crater Lake National Park Death Valley National Park Glacier National Park Grand Canyon National Park Grand Teton National Park Mount Rainier National Park Yellowstone National Park Yosemite National Park Zion National Park I have chosen these specific National Parks because I have dreamed about and envisioned myself visiting them for years, but I have yet to make it a reality. I endeavour to see as much of these Natural Wonders as I can. I plan to camp wherever and whenever possible, and my travel companion(s) will vary throughout the journey. My father always dreamed of going to Crater Lake, and my best friend has always wanted to visit Glacier National Park, for example. This will not only allow me to see and experience everything I want to see, but it will also feasibly allow me to experience these places with the people who I have shared similar journies with in the past, all in a new place and on a new journey.
Mount Rainier National Park
Yellowstone National Park Grand Teton National Park Crater Lake National Park
Arches National Park Yosemite National Park Zion National Park Death Valley National Park Grand Canyon National Park
Documentation
Mt. Rainier NP
Given the opportunity to embark on this journey, I will gladly return to recount my experience with HMC. I will document this journey by way of photo and video as well as through logging my daily expenditures and driving and hiking statistics. My goal here is to show my fellow peers as well as my colleagues at HMC the reward and sustainability of seeing our nation’s National Parks - that immersing ourselves in Nature does not have to be a difficult or costly task. I will also keep a journal, in which I log daily accounts of my experiences along the journey and perhaps a few sketches.
Yellowstone NP Yosemite NP
Zion NP
Crater Lake NP
Death Valley NP
Grand Canyon NP Grand Teton NP
Glacier NP
Above: Atop Half Dome in Yosemite with my father at the age of 7 years old. Left: The annual January Trip as a 5 year old. Top Left: Climbing the cables on Half Dome in Yosemite at the age of 7 years old. Top: Atop Eagle Peak in Yosemite on my first backpacking trip at 6 years old.
Arches NP
Full Circle The opportunity to embark on such a journey will not only allow me continue to do and experience what I love, but it will also allow me to come full circle. I am finally at a place in my life where I am able to return the favor that my father once gave me - one of companionship, love, and simply adventure. As memorable as my trips have been in the past, this journey shall be no different. It will represent a culmination of life experiences that we will never forget.
“The mountains are calling and I must go� - John Muir