Just two months into the new year, I have heard from countless people who have marked traveling at the top of their to-do lists this year. I happen to be one of them, as I have never been out of the country. Whether it is Italy, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Morocco, it does not matter. I want to go. I am ready to be out in the world on my own and see how beautiful it can be. The first week of this year, I planned and purchased a plane ticket to spend two weeks in Italy. I cannot even explain how excited I am to be on the plane with new people and new things only a day away. Since booking my flight, I have been addicted to searching for cheap tickets to absolutely anywhere and planning trips I most likely will never go on.
There is something about being in a place completely unknown to you, with people you never imagined meeting, that transforms you as a human being. The food, infrastructure, and languages are a whole new world outside of our bubbles. You see that the world is painted in many different shades of the same palette. Especially being from the U.S. where it believes it has it all, being in a new place with opposite features and contrasting wonders, truly humbles and inspires you as a human being. At least that is what I hear from people who have been to another country.
Being from a small Pennsylvania town covered with Amish farms and chain hotels for people who come to see the Amish farms, I would say I am extremely qualified to discuss the beauty in this world. Although my town doesn’t seem like Earth’s most beautiful landmark, and that it is not, you haven’t experienced a sunset unless you have seen one over the hills and valleys of these Amish farms or the cliffs that line the Susquehanna River. Sometimes the most beautiful sights to see can be the most unexpected and the hardest to find.
There isn’t a whole lot to do during the summers in my town, but I, along with everyone else, spend all my time outside. There are endless lakes and hiking trails that beg to be visited. I visit one particular trail quite often in the summer. It is about 2 miles of walking through the trees to get to a cluster of cliffs that overlook the river. The cliffs alone are fascinating as they stand hundreds of feet above the river and have paths leading down to the edge of the water. Spending the day walking, swimming, and then walking again is a fairly enjoyable day itself, but there is a hidden beauty along the trail that my friends and I came across last summer.
We must have walked those trails and swam in that river more than 20 times last summer, but it wasn’t until the 21st time that we encountered the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It took climbing through a fence, almost being struck by barbed wire, climbing up a practically vertical hill, and weaving through fallen trees, but we found the most gorgeous lake.
It amazes me how many times we walked right on the other side of the trees and never knew it existed. As we emerged from the trees between the lake and the path, I was speechless. White rocks created a path from the entrance to an island in the middle of the lake. The water on the left was a leafy green with hints of aquamarine blue that blended into the majestic teal water to the right. The water was so clear, you could see hundreds of rocks, bright green algae, and orange fish four feet below the surface. The grass surrounding the lake was the brightest green with not a single piece of trash. It was obvious we were some of the few people that knew this place existed. The monstrous white rocks and bright green trees were the most beautiful backdrop and could only be beaten by their reflection in the water. The image is just as clear in my brain today as it was that day. It was our own personal sanctuary. We left for college a few days later, with a plan to visit any chance we get this coming summer. I am almost more eager to visit my sanctuary than I am to go to Italy.
Although the bullet point at the top of my 2024 bucket list is to travel, the second one is to find every wonder in my hometown. This unknown lake is proof that you don’t have to leave home or spend any money to see the beauty this world has to offer. Finding the beautiful wonders where you call home can truly be the greatest adventure.