Forgetful and free

"Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow...
In the mountains, there you feel free"
- T.S. Eliot

When I started this blog, I wanted it to be equal parts science and travel, because the integration of the two practices is in my opinion the best part of my career. I travel to collect samples; I travel to go on cruises; I travel to scientific conferences and meetings. But sometimes I travel just for the sake of traveling - to get away from science, if you will - and that's okay too.

This past week was my brother's mid-winter break from his university in Michigan. Looking to get out of the Midwest, he and my parents flew to Seattle. I drove up to meet them, and together we spent an incredible week in the Cascade Mountains, snowboarding and skiing to our hearts' content.

I did not think about science this week. I didn't write any papers or analyze any data. I didn't even bring my laptop with me. Had I stayed in the mountains any longer, I could have easily forgotten that the ocean existed - or that water exists in any other form but snow.

My dad calls strenuous outdoor activities "mental flossing," and that's an image I absolutely love. The cold mountain air penetrated every crevice of my psychi this week, flossing out the accumulated junk and washing me clean.

In the mountains, there I feel free.