The Moments of a Memory

Wild, untouched, majestic. These were the words conjured in my mind as I stared ahead at the vast expanse of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. The colossal mountains dotting the horizon appeared even larger as the pristine water reflected their facades. Late summer’s pleasant weather was in the air, and white billowy clouds dotted the spacious blue sky above. Truly breathtaking was the lake itself, possessing a dark blue hue and completely untainted by humanity’s often cruel hand. Never before had such pure, natural beauty graced my 13-year-old eyes before, and I was in complete awe.

With a degree of trepidation, I made my way down to the water’s edge and onto the dock extending past the shoreline. My family and I boarded a small motorized boat that seemed further dwarfed in size by the sheer grandeur of the lake itself. As we pulled away from the dock, my slight unease quickly morphed into a swell of excited anticipation for the escapade ahead.

We set out, venturing into the unexplored realm of this fantastical aquatic world. Our little vessel skimmed over the surface, turning the glassy calm into a churning whirlpool in its wake. I was spellbound; the moment was enveloping me and time seemingly stood still. The air so crisp it hurt to breathe; sunlight beating down and warming my skin; cold water rushing over my fingers as I cautiously stuck my hand over the side of the boat. This one spectacular moment was all that existed.

My rapture broke as a sound shattered the calmness. My whole family had heard it. Feeling like detectives, we began scanning the forested shoreline, hunting for the elusive culprit that was the source of this disturbance. Then I saw them. Two deer, so perfectly disguised in the surrounding growth that for a second I believed it was an illusion. For a brief moment they looked up and locked gazes with their floating audience, only to quickly return to their grazing. The sun was beginning its celestial descent, and so we turned our backs to the mighty mountains and began our return trip to shore.

Inevitably, even the greatest moments of our lives must cease in existence, and so my day at Lake McDonald came to a close. But voyaging along in that little boat through the dreamy allure of nature will forever remain ingrained in the confines of my mind as one of my fondest memories. It serves as my own personal reminder to completely succumb to the present moment wherever I am, and allow myself to get lost in the little joys of life.