West Glacier

A couple of summers ago, I went to Glacier National Park with an odd assortment of family. Glacier is a beautiful park on the Montana-Canada border. I would highly suggest going for the scenery, the hiking, and the pie.

We hiked every day, and it was always exciting. Sometimes we could see a certain weird shape on a mountain while on one hike and see it again at a different angle on another hike. The most impressive scenes, to me, were the glaciers. Standing next to one was like standing next to a singing, marble tower. Singing because the glaciers were melting, and streams from them created pools at our feet.

This was one of my favorites. We hiked here from a chalet, and it was terrific. We were the only hikers at the time, and it felt as if only each other existed in the world. When we got back to sea-level, we saw pictures of this same area a couple of years ago. There was little or no water in them, just glacier.

At times like these, it's hard to think about the future. Will my children be able to hike to this spot and see the beauty I did? You can't always be sure. As we spoke, the glacier was shrinking.


Global warming is defined as a theory. I've seen statistics saying that most scientists don't believe humans caused any of it, that it's just natural, and I've seen others saying the opposite. There are things that are true, though: the changing temperature of Earth, the difference in air composition, population disruptions, and these melting glaciers.

I usually have a hard time explaining this. I'm an outdoorsy sort of person, I love to walk barefoot, swim in muddy ponds, and surround myself with trees. Not everyone is like that, and it's hard to explain to others what it means. I have been called a Tom-boy, and sometimes just a boy, but for all girls out there, it's not so uncommon to like the outdoors. It's just uncommon enough. Bear with me while I attempt to explain.

I've walked among such wondrous sights, all exhilarating and empowering. It almost felt as if that's what it should be. Almost. All around me, what was most astounding, most thrilling, was decaying. A slow, almost undetected decay made all the more dangerous in its steady prowl. There seems to be an explanation for this, a terrible explanation. I have using the world's resources, and giving back what's not only unneeded, but counter-productive.

I obviously believe in global warming. For those who do not, I would like to point out that something unnatural is going on. It may not be global warming, but something is happening. No other known species has been so prominent on Earth, and that's something in itself.

My goal here is not to create an argument on global warming. I wanted to relate an experience that recently occurred. At home, where lawns are mowed and bred flowers bloom, global warming seems so far away. Sometimes, experts say we see it close up in the form of hurricanes and other storms. I just want to express what could be, and that we can change that. Not that change is easy, but more people are thinking about change, and change as a group is easier than change alone.

School Coming

Within the next couple of weeks, sons and daughters everywhere are packing their bags full of books and pencils and heading to school. If your school does not have a bus, I would just like to suggest a carpool. Not only will you save money and gas, parents will also have just that much more time while someone else is driving for them.

Gas prices are skyrocketing. This is an incentive for everyone to use less gas. While your conserving your gas, you are also being kinder to your environment.

Years ago in US history, the Native Americans showed the settlers this weird black goo gushing from underground. At the time, we lit our lamps with whale oil. Whale oil was getting increasingly expensive as demand rose and availability decreased. When the sample of the mysterious goo was sent to Yale university, a professor found that it had oil properties, and it was an instant hit; it cost much less than whale oil items.

At this point, our gas is so expensive, joyrides are next to none. This seems the perfect opportunity for a discovery of an alternative source.

Shower and Teeth

One suggestion for conserving water (of which I never understood) is to brush your teeth while in the shower. I can't see how exactly that works if your taking the time to brush your teeth anyway, but now using the rate of water in your shower instead of the sink.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine, and she said she completely agreed with me. She wets the toothbrush while she initially enters the shower, pauses the shower to brush, and rinses while washing out her hair and face. I suppose this might actually conserve water because you actually aren't taking any extra time to brush your teeth.

If you just brush your teeth in the shower, I do not believe you're conserving water, but actually using much more of it. Think about the rate of the shower and the rate of the sink.