Some Beginning Musings...By DSD

A friend asked me recently why I started these Blogs on the Summit Stones. It was a timely question as I have been struggling a bit with this. Collecting, painting, and placing these Stones has been part of my journey for many years now. It seemed very important to me to do so anonymously as the experience was not about me, but instead much more about giving something back. I hold to what M. Clark wrote that: "The acid test of a true adventurer, if presented with certain anonymity, is whether each of us would still have made the journey beyond the last blue mountain".
For over thirty years I have had endless opportunities to enjoy many adventures in the outdoors. They have given to me more than I could ever give back. This all started small with a few painted stones selected from the many I've collected over the years. These were put out while climbing, scrambling, hiking, paddling, and wandering. It just kind of developed a life of its own over the years...
I have wondered on many occasions though what fellow adventurers experienced when finding one of these little stones. I hoped it contributed something to their enjoyment of the wilderness. As each season went by I wrote up different notes to go with the Stones. Maybe I was trying to understand myself where this was going...
It just seems that there is so much mystery and magic out there. But do we take a moment or two to ponder what meanings and wonderment we have created for ourselves in our adventures. And what about times when we have those other experiences out there that challenge us and the very reasons we went in the first place. Not every day on a trail is a good one. Not every climb feels like an accomplishment...
Augustine said, "People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering".
It occurred to me that the essence of our wandering adventures is to be found in creating our own motivations. Recreating these motivations again and again keep the flame of our outdoor passions alive for each of us. To do this we each need to ponder, to muse, about what meaning this has for our own journeys. And that's where it has kind of taken me. Maybe discovering one of these Summit Stones, and just maybe reflecting on the quotes in the Muse, will give one of you a moment like this...
And that is enough for me... I'll stay 'anonumous' as the Greeks said: Nameless; faceless.
I'll allow myself a bit of inquiry in writing these blogs. And enjoyment if you choose to share your experiences with each other about finding a Summit Stone...or even if you want to post your own favorite adventure quotes here for others to appreciate.
Thanks for sharing a moment with me,
DSD