Dear self,

Last week we went on a skiing trip to Silver Mountain, just outside of Kellogg, Idaho. This was one of the first times all season we saw a good amount of snowfall for the year. My excitement for the winter ski season has been with me since I was young. However, it feels like those winter snowfalls are becoming shorter with each passing season.

Writing this, I hope that you still get this feeling in the northwestern corner of our country. But I fear that it is fleeting. Every year I become more fearful of the effects climate change is having on our environment and especially the environment of those in communities most impacted by global warming.

I would like to reflect on an event that happened on my ski trip last week. Tuesday we were set to go to Silver Mountain, but a last-minute work change moved the trip one day back. That same Tuesday, an avalanche occurred on one of the groomed trails, trapping multiple people beneath the snow and killing three skiers. This catastrophe happened because of the drastically fluctuating temperatures we have had this winter. My hope is that these events have not escalated by the time you have read this. In a world wrought with devastating fatalities due to climate change, I pledge to continue fighting to ensure we have a safe and healthy world in 2050.