Camping

For years, my younger sister would complain because we would always spend her birthday camping at Red River Gorge. Her fall birthday was the optimal camping time because the leaves were changing offering a beautiful backdrop to the campsite but the weather was still had hints of summer.

As a child, I think we all had a hard time spending a weekend away from the conveniences of our house, but my sister took it especially hard. She didn't like giving up her birthday week which she tohought should be filled with balloons and cake for a campsite without running water.

But as we grew up, I think we appreciated that weekend more. Spending time in the woods offered sights, sounds, and smells that a city like Edgewood could never provided. It changed the routine of our technologically driven lifestyles. It is a weekend where the constant buzzing of our cellphones and the programs on tv don't distract from spending time with my family. Plus, Red River Gorge is beautiful in the fall.

The reason the environment is so important to me is because almost all of my memories of the environment are combined with memories of my family. Whenever I think about my sister's birthday, I think about Red River Gorge. My parents have my an appreciation of the environment central to our lifestyle and I feel like as a result my sisters and I are all environmentally aware.