Benni's Transcendentalist Essay

Benni Solomon

I live in a town full of adventurous, athletic, nature-loving people, but it seems as if none of us can do any outdoor activities without purchasing excessive amounts of clothing and equipment. For example, each skier owns a couple jackets, maybe a few pairs of skis, and every other accessory one could purchase. One would think by purchasing more accessories and equipment it would enhance the experience, but this is deceptive. This goes for nearly every outdoor activity, and not just in Telluride. Although I have fallen victim to such materialism, I myself have spent time alone with nature, outdoors in the wilderness, connecting with the environment around me, and doing so has taught me the most important lessons my life. This is something everyone should do in his or her lifetime. Thoreau would agree, he said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Nature is the best place for someone to truly find themselves and seek direction in life. Only in the calming silence and peacefulness of nature one can pursue happiness. Thoreau also stated, “I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.” I agree that when someone is alone they are their true self, and being fake to try to accommodate society camouflages one’s true self.  However, too much solitude is not necessarily a good thing either. It’s just to seek some direction in life. Once this is achieved, then success is found and happiness is attained. “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.” That’s Thoreau’s philosophical 17^th century way of saying what I indicated. Sometimes being a “loner” is healthy; too much influence from other people hides one’s true personality, or ego. Everyone in the world who calls themselves adventurous could learn from this and apply it to life. Once a person finds their true calling, then their options are limitless. “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” What Thoreau meant by that was we are limitless, and we can take our lives wherever we feel necessary. Emerson emphasized, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail,” Originality is key, “you were born an original, don’t die a copy.”

            There are certain days and moments in my life when I feel so involved with whatever outdoor activity I’m doing that all of my materialistic desires disappear. I often bike with my dad, or ski with my team or friends. One day in particular my best friend Jake and I decided to wake up early and go skiing.

            It was the first day of Christmas break, we were twelve years old, and it was unusual that I didn’t have ski practice, so I called Jake the night before and we planned to meet up early. We got lucky because it had snowed the night before and it was sunny all day. It was the perfect ski day. Year after year we talked about the best place to build a big jump onto a powder landing. That was our mission. We both had a spot in mind. It was on a closed run under lift 12. If the ski patrol caught us our passes would be confiscated, but if not, we would have a glorious day showing off for the tourists on the lift. I grabbed two shovels from my house and we were off. That was the first time I can remember when I was living in the moment and loving the outdoors more than ever. Nothing could kill my mood, not even how wet and freezing my feet were all day because we had to walk across town to the gondola, not even losing a glove and having to buy another pair. I was happy. Truly blissful.

            Our journey to the jump site began with a few laps in the terrain park to warm up. Then we rode lift five to get into prospect bowl, then scoped out the jump site while on lift twelve. After one glance at that perfect powder landing, our red snow-covered chubby twelve-year-old faces lit up. We both had a shovel in one hand and our poles in the other. The ten powder turns down to the knoll assured us of how awesome this day was going to be. We scoped out the area for about ten minutes, and then anchored our skis into the snow to create a platform for the jump. It took about an hour of backbreaking shoveling, but we eventually had a satisfying pile of snow. I put my skis on and stomped out the transition and in-run while Jake stomped out the jump. After 30 minutes of letting the jump harden, we couldn’t wait any longer. After another five minutes of arguing who got to go first, we did a best two out of three rock paper scissors for it. I won and Jake stood by the jump with a camera. I was sweating and my goggles were too fogged to see out of, so I left them by the jump. Jake gave me a wave, and I was off. My eyes were tearing up and I couldn’t see the jump. I didn’t care because I knew how soft the landing was. I relished this moment, as I took in the silence and surreal feeling of nature surrounding me and my best friend, nothing else in the world mattered at that moment. The jump took me by surprise, and I was swinging my arms in circles and running through the air. I must’ve looked like the biggest spaz in the world. For that split moment in the air, I felt weightless and blissful. I felt like one of those guys in a ski movie. I punched into the snow to where only the top of my helmet was visible. As I emerged I heard cheers from the chairlift and Jake looked at me with an ear-to-ear grin. My face was frozen and caked in snow, but I could care less. Although I only shared it with my best friend and some strangers, this was the best moment of my life, defined by nature.

            We trekked through the snow and arrived back on the ski run.  Entering the lodge was somewhat of a shock to my system. As I re-entered civilization, our special experience in the woods by ourselves became a mere memory. All of our friends and a variety of tourists were dressed in their colorful outfits, on cell phones, eating excessive amounts of foods. I noticed that all these people were just there to ski and eat and not gain experience with nature necessarily. I was starving but didn’t feel like eating. I wanted to go back to woods and be alone in nature with Jake again. But, my freezing toes and hands got the better of me, and I opted for a hot chocolate with marshmallows.  As I contentedly sipped my cocoa and absentmindedly burnt my tongue, I smiled inside and realized I could enjoy some material benefits of skiing at a World Class ski resort, but still be myself and enjoy nature alone or with friends whenever I desire. From that point forward, I had confidence in myself that removing myself from my regular routine of school, soccer, friends and material possessions is good for my soul, helps me obtain harmony and makes me happy.