Assignment 8- Thomas

Fears- heights, sharks, snakes

Annoyances- people chewing loudly, terrible drivers, tardiness

Accomplishments- good GPA, success in soccer

Confusions- people’s interest in Mad Men

Sorrows- lack of free time this year, impatience

Dreams- play D1 soccer in college, get a medical degree

Idiosyncrasies- sports fanatic

Risks- climbing a mountain in CO and running out of water

Beloved Possessions- friends, family, soccer gear, laptop, phone, etc.

Problems- staying on task for extended periods of time, organization

I am going to elaborate on the risks section. Every summer, our family goes to Colorado and meets up with my mom’s extended family at a cabin that they have been going to for 40 years. This cabin gives us a great view of Mount Sopris and its 13000-foot peak. Two summers ago, we decided we were going to climb it (we really just walked it- no climbing gear was necessary). The plan was to go halfway up, stay the night and fish, and then make the final trek the next morning. Well, being the amateur climbers/hikers that we are, we ended up not packing enough water for the trip; midway through the morning journey to the summit, there was maybe one or two water bottles left for the four of us. Realizing we had to make it halfway up the mountain and then all of the way down it, we started conserving water. I felt like Bear Grylls eating the dirty ice at the top of the mountain to stay hydrated. While the view at the peak was gorgeous, the next few hours were far from anything resembling gorgeous. Walking down a mountain with no water in midday of a Colorado summer (it is easily hotter than KY) is not my idea of vacation, but that is how I spent one of my freshmen summer days. We got through it in the end, but not without a few obscenities directed toward the mountain and family arguments. Guess we could learn a few things from the boy scouts and come prepared next time.