Lola Kutcher's
Travel Journal , Stories, and Art
The frosty air bites the tip of my nose and little icicles are forming on the end of my hair. The sun is out and there isn't a cloud in the sky, but the air freezing as I do up my bindings at the top of the mountain. The air is silent except for my ragged breathing that makes little clouds that hang in the air as I release the air from my lungs. Focusing on the lip of the jump, I finally drop in, relaxing my muscles, and focusing on nothing except the way I feel. I bend my knees and pop off the jump. The air rushes past me and the sun shines down on me as I spin a 360. Then, I am lost. The wind pushes past me, the snow sparkles beneath me and my heart soars. Because up here, I can feel everything and every second feels like an hour. I see the landing approaching me and I bend my knees getting ready for the impact. I land softly and turn on my toe edge to look back at the jump. In snowboarding you risk so much just to feel free. But after all, it's worth it.
The sand feels soft and warm as I bury my feet in the beach. The sun is setting and the blue sky is turning a beautiful shade of orange as it sets behind the trees in the distance. The tide is out so the waves are gentle as they lapp the shore. Standing quietly in the sand, the aroma of salt water and a barbecue from down the beach fills my nose and makes my stomach growl. Thinking about the chicken over the fire makes me so hungry that I can almost taste it. Music from a party some where behind the beach fills the silent night as I breath in deeply and continue to walk down the beach. Just as the last of the sun sets below the horizon I know it's time to leave. Breathing the sweet air in deeply. I wish I had more time to stay at this beautiful beach but for now, this is enough.
Sunlight peeks through the branches of the great oak tree that looms above me. Lying down on the ground, I can hear the birds chirping in the afternoon sun enjoying the last precious moments of Autumn. Leaves crunch beneath me as I roll over on to my back and peer up at the sky. The last of the geese fly over my head heading to the south for the winter. The sound of rustling branches and laughter reaches my ears and the mildew of damp leaves swirls in my nose. There is a slight breeze that plays with my hair and makes the leaves dance across the ground. Peach orange, clementine red, and a lush green are the colours that swirl from above me and cinnamon still lingers on my tongue. Glancing back up at the sun, I notice that I can barely see the top above the trees that tower over me. Quietly, I get to my feet and watch the last of the Autumn sun sink beneath the trees
The snow swirls around me as I slowly walk through the park. I breath in the frozen air that bites my cheeks and the tip of my nose as I tilt my head towards the clouded sky. There is nobody else around me. The air is still and silent as I walk, and the snowflakes swirl around me powdering my hair and eyelashes with little sprinkles of snow. The smell of Cinnamon and christmas fills my nose and the lingering taste of gingerbread dwells in my mouth. Crunching beneath my feet, the crystalline snow shines in the light and blankets my feet as I walk. Bells and christmas carols fill my ears and make me feel light and happy, isolating my body from the cold that envelops the city. Walking the last leg of my journey, I catch glimpses of home through the powdered branches. I can already imagine the warmth of the house and the smell of cookies when I enter the door. Rounding the last corner, I approach my home. At last, I am home for christmas.
My eyes are closed. I am breathing. Or trying to anyways. I can hear the slicing of the snow from the rider dropping in infront of me. My stomach feels empty and full at the same time. The sunlight pierces my eyes the second they open and I hear my number getting called. There is nothing more scary at this moment than hearing that walkie talkie from the man beside me. " number 9 finished, one second please... ready" then the man beside me ; "Number ten ready, dropping in" High fives are given and supportive smiles of those who already went andwho are mostly just smiling because there not in my position anymore. I take a deep breath and smile just to remind myself that Im ok. I tighten my bindings once more and drop down the hill towards the wall where I need to drop in. The halfpipe is aproaching quickly and I bend my knees getting ready to drop in. I get to the edge and I am falling and nothing else matters.
The ground is dropping away and then I am up higher than I have ever been before and my heart soars even higher than my board as I reach for a grab. Suddenly, I realize that it is all or nothing. The last competition I placed 5th but if I go for it all on this next wall I might do even better. I crave for the taste of victory and In that moment I dont care about the chance of failure. I get up my back wall and do a small grab, preparing myself for my spin. I go all the way up the wall and suddenly I am in the air and I am spinning. I can feel the cool air and hear the announcer cheering and the sun and success is so close I can taste it. Then, out of nowhere I can feel myself falling and the ground getting closer. My head hits the snow hard and my body aches. I dont know what hurts more, the forming bruises and the massive headache or the feeling of failing after being so close. I get up and board right down to the bottom of the pipe because all I need is to lie down. I expect the dissapointment I feel to be like a mirror on my friends and familiess faces but they all look prouder than they ever have at my competitions and I realize that its not all or nothing. Because even though I didnt place or even make it to the finals that day I pushed myself to do a hard trick early in the halfpipe risking my ok placing but I realized then that I would rather be at the bottom because I fell than be in the middle because I didnt push myself or try hard enough. I went home without a medal that day but Ive never felt so fulfilled and proud. Ive been asked a couple times by friends why I compete in such a risky dangerous sport. Thats why. The feeling of being worth something. The feeling of happiness and hard work. Passion is an odd thing. It comes in so many formes and gives so many things. For me passion is snowboarding and it gives me more than I could ever imagine.
Winner.
Home
Free
Paradise
Autumn.
As soon as I step on to the beach and look around I am transported to a fairytale. Towel and laughing children are skattered troughout the beach and palm trees sprinkle the white sand. The water is clear blue and sail boats sway in the water. I pull on my snorkel and wade into the warm water. I can feel the soft sand underneath my feet as the water gently pulls my body. I stick my face into the water and swim after our guide who is bringing us to go see a big reef and sea turtles. 5 minutes later we arrive at the reef. The coral itself is not espeacially bright but the fish are something different. There is bursts of pink, bright orange, deep blue and many many more. The crystaline water rocks my body calmly and there is no fear in my heart. I explore the reef and find Anenomone, sea urchins, doctor fish, squid, and other cool fish. After a while at the reef I follow the guide to see the turtles. The turtles are amazing and huge. There grand shells are scratched and colored with multiple shades of green. I swim next to the turtles, watch them eat, and