Nature's Reminders

by Cassidy Gillard

Nature has this unbelievable way of reminding us to s l o w. d o w n. At the Ranch, especially this time of year, our mindset is inevitably summer. We spend the fall, winter, and spring months preparing and talking and interviewing and thinking and feeling CAMP. So much of our lives revolve around summer, so every once in a while we require reminders to stop and look around and take it slow for a moment.

Luckily, Nature has all of these little reminders that get tossed at us at the perfect time. A rainstorm, a Spring snowstorm, a beautiful sunrise or sunset...It doesn’t take much, especially surrounded by beautiful mountains, to stop us in our tracks for a moment to appreciate.

Mike Walker once said that his father, Coach Walker, hesitated to buy property that was surrounded by so much beauty. He said that he was worried that they would all become accustomed to how beautiful it was and would forget to appreciate it. He shared this after he caught Brandon and I sneaking out of the kitchen while we were cooking breakfast to watch the sunrise over Boulder. He said he was glad to see us still appreciating the beauty after being here so long, and Brandon and I agreed that we’re pretty certain it is impossible to stop appreciating it.

The sunrises are incredible, the sunsets surround us in 360o, and the view is different depending on the day and the weather and the wind and the season….No two days look the same up here, and each day there is something that will stop you in your tracks, even for just a moment, to appreciate where we are.

So although we are anxiously awaiting summertime and camp, and we know there will be plenty of Nature to appreciate, we are incredibly lucky to be stopped in our tracks by the beauty, and we are glad to have the opportunity to slow down a bit before the rush of summer comes in.

Here are some of my favorite beautiful moments at the Ranch that I have been able to capture.