Views from Altitude...My Favorite Places

I feel most alive among the mountains, especially in these places!

The Rocky Mountains, Colorado: I spent every summer of my childhood in my family's cabin up in the Arapaho National Park. While I was much too young to hike up fourteen thousand feet, I would sit in the cabin with my Grandmother painting and solving puzzles. As I grew older we would venture out of the cabin on our own small hikes (we would bring a cardboard box and I would slide down the "mountain" I had climbed at the age of six). Upon the decline of my Grandmothers health, summers became a time spent in the Texas sun with her and my Grandfather. As I reached an age I could climb and hike, life had other priorities for me. With that said, once I was 18 years old my childhood dreams of hiking to the top of those grandiose mountains with my friends and family became my passion. Here is a picture of my first hike after my break from the mountains (12,000 ft).

(First Hike: Photo by Camille Fichera)

 This was the view at the very top of the mountain!

(The Top of the Columbine Trail: Photo by Camille Fichera)

Alaska: If it was not for the slim 6 hours of daylight in the Winter, I would be packed up and ready to move to Alaska already. I visited Alaska with my family the Summer of 2018. The weather was phenomenal and the views were even better. There is also an abundance of "mountain air" (basically when the air noticeably smells pure). While we were in Alaska we traveled all over the State by boat, plane, train, and sometimes a car. The joke in Alaska is that to get to most of the cities you either get there by boat, plane, or birth canal. The places you can visit in Alaska are untouched beauties. Filled to the brim with mountains, wildlife, and vegetation. Alaska contains part of the Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rain forest in the world. This is the big show stopper of Alaska, Denali, the largest mountain in North America (20,310 ft):

(Wonder Lake and Denali (original Flickr title: Reflection Pond): From Wikimedia Common)

This was my favorite hike in Alaska. We hiked nine miles to Mendenhall Glacier and then strapped on crampons to hike on the glacier itself! 

(Mendenhall Glacier: Photo by Camille Fichera)

(Exploring the Crevasses: Photo by Camille Fichera)