Somewhere Along the Way

The nights are getting cooler now, and the air has that crisp feeling that tells you fall is coming. I'm still waiting for the mountains to fully change color. For now, I'm trying to get in the last hikes and maybe another afternoon sitting by the lake at Smith and Morehouse before the season changes completely.

I grew up in Minnesota, and there are things about fall there that I still miss. Everything is so green, and then the leaves turn these incredibly vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. Even after all these years, my heart still longs for that sometimes.

But somewhere along the way, the mountains became home. The thought of living without them now feels foreign to me. I've gotten used to looking up and seeing them there, but I've also fallen in love with what it feels like to be at the top looking out.

I have a spot that I call my favorite place in the world. You have to take a Can Am up the mountain to get there, and when you finally reach the peak, the wind always seems to be blowing. It brushes across your face like a gentle hello. You can look as far north as you want and then turn and see just as far to the south. There are only a couple of houses in the entire view.

I like to sit quietly up there with my thoughts and take it all in. You would think being somewhere with so few people around might make you feel alone, but somehow it doesn't. I feel connected to everything around me.

When I sit up there, everything in life feels like it's exactly as it should be.

Maybe that's why it's become my favorite place in the world. I will probably always miss Minnesota in the fall and the vibrant colors I grew up with. That will always be a part of what fall feels like to me.

But these mountains are home now too.

— Suni