I can’t believe it. 

What? 

Look around you! 

I see shrubs. 

You have got to be kidding me!

There is a common, unknown disease that many Thacher students often succumb to. I like to call it the I-always-forget-and-fail-to-notice-how-beautiful-this-valley-is disease. I, like many of my peers, have recently encountered this problem. Luckily, all it took was a relaxing Friday afternoon trail ride through Carpenter’s Orchard to remind me of the beauty. The sun was setting and the sky was turning a bright pink hue. The hillsides were bathed in the light as my friend, Chris, and I identified the plant species that we learned about in our AP Environmental Science lab last week. As we tried desperately to explain the differences in the two hillsides and primary succession to our fellow sophomore English rider, Lucy, the sun set lower in the sky. Our horses were fresh as we started up Trotting Hill, passing some freshman on the way. As we made our way up the hill I couldn’t help but be amazed at how I taken this beauty for granted lately. It’s crazy how we can live in one of the most beautiful (and often warmest, as it was 80 degrees on December 11th) valleys. We may call it the typical Thacher sunset, but hey, how many other high school students watch the sun set from the top of a mountain aboard a horse? The quick trail ride, review of our science lab, and appreciation of the natural beauty was a great way to kick off a fun-filled weekend!