Mountains and West Bound

*This is a journal entry from my trip to Idaho, one day prior to arriving at the farm. This is not a complete journal entry; I have abstained from posting all of it, as it contains personal thoughts which I have shared only with close friends*

Mountains can be very deceiving when trying to judge distance. Everything seems much closer than it is, and what looks like a twenty-minute drive could actually take forty-five minutes. On the flip side, because they are so large, one can seemingly gain very little ground on a certain peak, then realise they have traveled ten miles.

Mount Moran has an enormous hole in its center this time of year. You can see right through, as long as there are clouds behind it. The clouds in the hole don't move with the others, though. Strange. *This was a reference to the glacier on the side of the mountain, which at times matched the colour of the clouds behind it almost perfectly*

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I realised something else today. This "West" I have longed for is not really a place. It is freedom, beauty, the wild, adventure, and love. The American West is romanticised; the ideals behind it are what I truly long for. These can be had anywhere in life. I can carry the West in my heart and live the life I have always wanted, even apart from the mountains. This may change my life.

"West Bound" is no longer just a Facebook pseudonym: it is becoming and is already who I am. Perhaps it will be a "real" pseudonym for future writings.

We will be in Moyie Springs by Saturday. I am excited to have a wood-burning stove and a place to put my belongings other than the car. I am also excited to start writing letters.