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The first time that I came to the Telluride Mountain School I did not really know what to expect. I was nervous, especially when I learned that our first day was going to be spent hiking up to Trout Lake. What kinds of things were we going to talk about? Was there going to be a particular learning plan? And was anyone going to be interested in talking to me? I was worried that I might be all alone, walking a trail that I didn’t know. 

But the day was not like anything that I expected. In fact, it turned out to be an amazing day.  One that showed the spirit of this school. 

The air was brisk and cool when we first arrived. The sun felt like a gentle caress and the sound of the wind in the leaves seemed to give the day a brisk energy and excitement. Everyone seemed to be in the same mood of being--  excited to learn about everything and happy to be alive. We were then divided into groups of two and given different prompts. Some involved differentiating flowers and others consisted of discussing perspectives of the world, dreams, and values. We also talked about what kind of school we wanted to attend in the future and our view on our beliefs such as religion.  It was incredible to hear what everyone had to say. 

We discussed what we were studying in class and the why behind many of the actions taken throughout history. For instance, the class listed the dates of Japan’s involvement in World War II and considered why certain events took place. Everyone was so engaged in the class. That helped to clarify many of the questions that we had about this particular subject. It also gave me a hint of how learning at this school was going to go-- so much better than my last school experiences. 

When we arrived at the lake, I could see the mountains reflected in the water. The lighting was stunning. The mountains looked like something I wanted to paint for in that way, I could engrave not only the landscape but the emotions I felt during this trip.

The clouds were constantly changing much like the processing of thoughts that were going through my head. 

On our way down, it started raining. Everyone took the change of weather in a way that seemed as if they were celebrating the rain’s arrival.

This too made me excited for the year to come. Some would have been angry about rain falling. However, the rain did absolutely nothing to dampen the mood. Everyone rejoiced in it and that we were together. It was going to be a great year.