Patrick on the Edge: My Top 5, A Post-summer Reflection

SUMMER IS NEARLY gone, taking with it good weather and everyone's "take it easy" summer attitude. With the end of summer comes school, stress, and mandatory early wakeups. But I'm not bitter. As I reflect, it's hard to narrow three months of fun down into something that doesn't include 3 months of fun. This is my attempt at last summer's highlight reel- my top 5.

5. Flattop Hikes. From April to August, I've summitted Flattop at least 20 times. That doesn't sound very impressive, and it isn't (my original goal was 50). But the reason I liked it so much was the variety of ways I climbed it. I sometimes started at 8 A.M., sometimes 11 P.M. It was really nice, because no matter when or where, as long as I was going to Flattop, I'd always see at least one other person on the trails. They were always friendly, because all hikers are friends with each other on trails. Watching the sun set and rise wasn't too shabby either.

4. Volleyball. If you tell someone to imagine a typical summertime probability states that they would picture one of two scenes: a pool party, or a beach volleyball game. Since the former is impossible due to Alaska's pool shortage (excluding Hidden Lake), we Alaskans can only play volleyball to fill the American kid summer square. Fortunately for me, Service High has 2 sand courts open to the public. On many nights you could've found me knee deep in the sand, having a great time reenacting the Top Gun volleyball scene. And as an added bonus, the backdrop of the Chugach set us apart from the rest of America's volleyball playing youth.

3. Sun's Out Guns Out Tennis. When I look back on all my high school summers, one thing stays constant - Shirtless Tennis in the hot sun. It's something that's essential for my summer to be complete- along with my tan. I might not be at John McEnroe's level (yet), but I can still have fun on the courts, just like anyone else with a racket, ball, and a friend.

2. My morning at the Louvre. On my last day in France, I had a morning alone in Paris. Since I had visited the Louvre when I was too young to appreciate it, I decided it was time to go back. The whole morning was as perfect as it could've been. The journey was without incident, and I wandered among the various halls for hours. As long as I stayed away from the Mona Lisa, I could avoid the crowds. Though, after 3 hours, I was arted-out but I got my fill of fine art without getting more than my fill of Japanese tour groups.

1. The Summertime Attitude. My favorite part of this summer wasn't just one instance or event. It was my and my friends' outlook on life in the summer. I can't remember how many times I told someone "It's all good, we've got all summer." To me, the best times I had were when I didn't have anything to do, anywhere to be, and nothing to worry about. The weather was nice, so just chilling outside and talking to friends was perfect for the occasion. Even though the days are getting shorter, I'll try to keep that carefree attitude to make my life a little less stressful.