A Story on Connecting to Nature, and Reminiscing of The Past.

Nature is a space to explore, reconnect and relax. It is no secret that every person has a different connection with nature. Whether the connection is strong or weak, there is still a connection rooted to the basic fibers of being a human-being. Each person has their own story.

This is my story.

This is Zachary Menz and his best friend Nicholas Naples.

Zachary and Nick were fortunate enough to grow up in a small Colorado mountain town, where nature was the norm, and pavement was an obscurity.

Growing up in the mountains provided them with the opportunity to stay connected with nature, exploring their surroundings.

They shared a bond fostered by the natural world that surrounded them.

In 2012, Nick, and two other boys were killed in a car crash on their way back home to their small mountain town from Boy Scout camp. For Zachary, this accident seemingly ended his exploration for the natural world. Without a climbing partner, it seemed pointless to explore nature because what is the value of something beautiful if you can’t share it with the ones you love? This feeling that Zachary couldn't seem to shake off would soon be buried, as he would soon learn the value that nature still provided.

In an effort to subdue the pain that he felt, Zachary would venture back into nature. In the next four years, he climbed mountains, backpacked and enjoyed nature in a new sense. Where he once did it for the simple enjoyment of exploring, he now did it to reminisce of times past.

After re-introducing himself to nature, Zachary realized its true value. Nature may have its own intrinsic values, but it is also open to individual interpretations of its value.

While this is the story of Zachary’s loss, and how he distanced himself from nature before re-connecting with it, the real story is of the importance of spending time in nature, the lessons you learn from it and the people you share it with.

Zachary is now living in the Fort Collins area, Colorado, a city that provides wonderful opportunities to get out in nature with multiple open-spaces and natural areas both inside and just outside the city limits.

Go out and explore nature. You might just learn something about yourself!