Graphic designed by Evan Brooks.
I always found comfort in the woods, a home in the hills, but with each new conquered peak and blazed path, I knew I had to move on. Staying in one place for too long would mean I would never leave, or at least it would feel like I was being torn from the ground beneath my feet, because I would get attached to the landscape. Those perfect views, snow swept peaks and cloud shaded horizons. Staying would mean comfort — it is not like I would not like comfort, but — it is something that keeps me from experiencing the rest of the world’s beauty.
I do not think cities do it for me, not because they do not hold beauty to be seen, but because they outshine the stars. No matter where I travel, the stars look back at me at night, and the sun smiles something bright. I am not alone, I have my books, the characters invite me into their conversations, and they mentor me on life.
You know that crackle a good fire makes, the kind that sets your mind at ease and focuses it on the wonders of the world? Those kinds of fires are rare when the area is filled with sound, but plentiful when traveling the paths of the world.
I think it was Aldo Leopold that said something about mountains, what was it? I think it was “only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of the wolf,” or something like that. I like quotes like that; they seem devoid of any true conclusion, like you could be stuck thinking about it forever. I think its conclusion is not found when we create it, but realize that there will never be one. The wolf howls and the mountains guide the wolves echo through their valleys, to be carried and heard by only other animals.
So yes, I am a traveler. I got a little off topic back there — I am not used to newspaper interviews — would you like me to start again?
Evan Brooks is a fourth-year Business Management major with minors in Economics and Civil & Professional Leadership. EB916132@wcupa.edu