I was backpacking in Glacier, and it was a steep hike up to Ptarmigan Tunnel. I was curious about what lie ahead, but wanted to rest and catch my breath, before I went through the tunnel. I put my backpack down, and looked through the tunnel. I saw light at the other end, and the silhouette of a girl. Her hair was delicately dancing in the howling wind. Even from a distance it was clear she was a backpacker and not a day hiker.

I fell in love with the silhouette and the idea of a lone girl-backpacker braving the elements and rough terrain, courageously in search of beauty. She started walking into the tunnel and towards me. I got nervous! I was praying she lives up to the image I conjured up in my head. Her silhouette grew bigger and bigger and she emerged from the tunnel. Her hair was unkempt and ruffled. The skin on her face was rough, sun and wind burnt. Her legs were hairy and unshaven. There were holes in her hiking shorts. She smiled at me, casually jumped on to the edge of a precipice, and sat there. Her feet were dangling thousands of feet above a valley. Deep down in the valley, the mighty conifers looked like tiny toy trees, and the lake looked like a puddle. She closed her eyes momentarily, felt the sun on her face, and opened her eyes to look at the lofty mountains in the distance. She looked peaceful and like she belonged there. She was blissfully lost in the moment …

There was something oddly and ruggedly beautiful about her. Her face was serene and calm. There was a defiant spark in her eyes. Her body looked dainty and delicate, yet strong. She was wild, unkempt and untamed. She was beautiful, not despite that, but because of that.

We have to appreciate beauty when we see it, whether it is in, the lofty peaks of the mountains, the shimmering waters of the lake, or a beautiful girl, ...with no other expectation, than the hope that such beauty exists in the universe. The majestic mountains or the tranquil lake never acknowledged my presence, but were breathtakingly beautiful… and so was she.