Being a native Austinite, it is surprising that I hadn’t been to Mount Bonnell ever. But this all changed this week as I went to one of Austin’s most visited locations with one of my closest friends. Always going on little ventures around Austin, Hannah and I decided that we could go to Mount Bonnell for a relaxing evening and take pictures and just soak in the beautiful sun shining over the Austin city after a gloomy and humid week. Tuesday evening, a warm 75 degrees and a breezy day it was. We arrived at the base where the trails lead to the top of Mount Bonnell. The evening sun was just getting ready to fall past the horizon at our arrival; our timing was impeccable. Walking up the trails and getting a little bit of exercise in definitely was alleviating a lot of built up stress from the week. I felt the stress leave my body as the sun warmed my face and my neck. As Hannah and I reached the top, we were mesmerized by the amazing view of Austin — Lady Bird Lake glistened from the reflection of the sun and the small patches of grass on top of the mountain top rolled with the wind like the grasses on the Great Plains.
Sitting on top of Mount Bonnell was so relaxing, but it really got me thinking about things in my life versus constantly reacting to whatever the agenda or email told me. That prior weekend, I had gotten really sick and actually went to the Emergency Room as well as an after hours clinic. My health has never been so ‘bad’ (as in constantly sick or under the weather) in my life; I attribute this to my obligations and other trivial things consuming me. The lack of energy, the need to keep pushing myself, and the lack of relaxation time is really negatively impacting. The great thing about this Mount Bonnell trip is that I could feel the energy and the liveliness of myself come back into my body. Being without nature is something that I find impossible to be apart from. Thinking about this made me look at the beautifully colored sunset — all the chemicals and gasses clouding our atmosphere created this beautiful picture. What a bittersweet thought.
Hannah and I did do work while we were on top of Mount Bonnell, but most of it was just reading. I felt so alert, relaxed, and had such strong concentration just sitting amongst the dirt, the grass, and the trees; the occasional bird chirping or the bugs humming. It really reminded me of a quote from A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.
“I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness” – Aldo Leopold in A Sand County Almanac
It was with this thought that Hannah and I departed from this lovely evening. The sun sat farther down past the sunset and the clouds faded away as the burnt orange turned into darker and darker blues. Until next time. 
