Sargent Center Love

So I hope everyone's Valentine's Day went well. As for me, I think I can honestly say that for once in my life I was definitely, most assuredly in love.

Remember this? Okay well, that froze over completely and turned into this:

Frozen lake at sunrise.

Instead of the shore, I'm standing on the lake this time (or lying down to be precise). It completely freezes over in the winter and there's no danger in walking on it; the night before, we were told that the ice was around 23 inches thick. This and the picture below were taken Saturday morning when four of us went out to watch the sunrise.

Deep reflection.

Our actual first time on the lake though was Friday night after our arrival, and as gratifying as it is to watch the sun rise above the trees, there was nothing more breathtaking and awesome (in the purest sense of the word) than seeing the stars at night. Even if I could have taken a picture, nothing would have compared to what we saw. Being able to lie down in the center of the lake away from the camp lights (few as they were) allowed us an even clearer view of the sky. The constellations were fully visible and circled above, hovering over us in a perfect dome. A few of us observed that it was like being in a planetarium, but you must imagine what it must have felt like to know that this time, it was real.

Anyway, after watching the sunrise and eating a hearty breakfast of eggs, potatoes, pancakes, muffins, et cetera, we headed out to go cross country skiing. It was a little hard to get used to at first, but once we started on the trail, I picked up the form (sort of) and was able to move pretty naturally. We went on a long and relatively flat trail with a few inclines (and one ridiculously huge one that everyone fell at); I fell over a lot throughout the whole thing, but it was definitely one of the funnest things I have ever done, not to mention a great workout for your entire body too.

Afterward, we came back for lunch which consisted of chicken, bread, and other foods, though I was still pretty full from breakfast. Then after lunch, we went to feed the chickadees that are in the woods, and they were so trusting that they would perch on our fingers for a few moments to take a seed out of our hands before flying away. They're very cute, and I was happy to have had one of my childhood wishes finally satisfied (hah).

Chika-dee-dee-dee-dee.

Soon after that, we headed out on a snowshoeing adventure. It wasn't as fun as skiing in my opinion (and when going uphill, somewhat more exhausting), but it was less demanding on the body as a whole and so it gave us a great opportunity to just take in the sights. And naturally (no pun intended), they were beautiful:

Along the river.

And I took the following picture with my cell phone:

In the woods.

When we concluded the hike, we were given a few hours to do whatever we wanted before dinner. Most people napped and did work for an hour or two, but after a long rest another girl and I headed out to ski again. Unfortunately, I fell down that really steep slope again and bruised my finger this time around, but even though it hurts to bend it, it didn't swell or anything so I think I'm good (if it still hurts I'll visit Student Health later in the week... hah).

Anyway, we came back right in time for dinner, the highlight of which was the main entree--salmon and shrimp. I had one piece at first, and despite feeling full after finishing the rest of my plate, I still went back up to get another piece. It was delicious, and I wasn't about to pass up my one chance to have not only a good meal but good fish while away from home. Then there was apple cobbler for dessert with homemade whipped cream, and of course I absolutely had to force a big bowl of that down despite my already filled-to-capacity stomach. I was bloated for hours, but it was worth it.

Then after relaxing by the fire and letting ourselves digest, we went out to the meadow for a basic astronomy lesson. One of the camp people pointed out several constellations, and they also set up a big telescope for us and zoomed in on Sirius (I think, or some other really bright star). What's pretty interesting though was that after a number of people went, the star would move out of the telescope's focus. We thought it was because we kept knocking into it or something, but in reality, because the telescope was so zoomed in on the star, the earth's rotation was causing the star to shift out of sight. Pretty cool, right? Anyway, we were also told a few other things, such as where to find Venus. A few of us went out to the lake after to check for it, but we kept mistaking planes for the planet, and the sounds of ice shifting was unusually loud so we left soon after (even though it's supposed to be normal and we knew we were completely safe).

After returning to the cabin, most people were doing work, and aside from the people who left to go out on a night hike, the rest of us crashed between 12 and 1. We were actually so tired, that this morning none of us could get up, and it took us all a while to make our way to Northern Lodge for breakfast, which consisted of eggs, sausages, potatoes, french toast, et cetera. Then after breakfast, we were allowed to do whatever we wished, and so the majority of us went skiing again (during which time I fell again and scraped my wrist, ouch). The group I was with also went out to feed the birds again before heading back for lunch consisting of various breads, meats, and cheeses for custom sandwiches and wraps.

But yeah, that's basically it. After lunch we headed back to our cabins to pack and then return our equipment. We were all sad to go, and it felt horrible to think that such a wonderful place could possibly be closed down and... empty. But we all agreed that we would do whatever it takes to return before August 31, and personally, I feel more invigorated about saving Sargent Center than I did before.

Because as humans we are in love with what makes us happy, and it's important to preserve that with which we are in love.

And here is where my heart lies.