It is a place of resounding quietness, of gentle winds, talking breezes... a place of rock and trees, of stone so stark, yet inviting...
There is a place we go in the mountains of such cold moving waters... a place barren yet nourishing... a place of seasons both of life and in death...
It is mostly a place of memories... this place we go in the mountains...
I am looking at pictures of this place right at this moment... and in my minds eye I can recall the seasons passing, while my senses still feel the warmth, the cold, the sun, the night...
I have hiked and climbed in this place with my partner and close friends, sharing so much... I have been out there in solitude as well... Yet never really alone...
This place we go in the mountains is most especially somewhere we have privately named for someone who is no longer with us... A quiet person of great strength who does not share these particular elements with those of us still wandering...
We visit there each adventure season to be with him again... to join in remembering the way he lived his life and the amazing spirit he was... is...
When out solo, I talk with him still... I tell him of my year, the trials, successes, all the moments... This year in particular when by myself, I found unexpected tears welling up of joy and sadness when approaching this place we go in the mountains...
This terrain and his spirit provides much comfort and solice to me, yet a challenge too... He was more of an adventurer than I will ever be... He was able to see and understand things from a height I've only dreamed of attaining...
We all need such places to journey to...
This is a place where I learned about true gratitude, and where I feel humbled... Where I reflect upon how he was so grateful even when he was given so little...
It reminds me not to take for granted what he was never gifted with - physical health...
He never had the chance to trek to this place in the mountains we have quietly named for him...
He couldn't... He was too ill all of his short life... His legs would never carry him as far as his mind had already wandered... His existence was one of pain and suffering, yet his endurance was endless... The adventure life race he ran was more grueling than any we could invent to challenge ourselves with...
There is a place we go amongst the summits to remember a soul who never climbed a mountain, never set foot upon a trail, never paddled the ocean or any northern lake, never once rappelled into a deep canyon... yet he was more in touch with the spirit of adventure than many...
There is a place we go... He went there too... in his minds eye, when the pain became too much... He said it gifted him with a sense of comfort...
There is a place we go in the mountains to wonder how someone so weak could be so strong... How someone who never attained any summit, could inspire so many... How someone so pressed could laugh and smile so much...
There is a place we go in the mountains... to acknowledge that this wild area is only there because of the many who have passed it forward for each of us to adventure within... He was never able to go himself, but he knew this and would still say that such a wild place is a 'gift twice given'... Given to us to find ourselves in, and for us to learn about then giving to others...
I have such good memories of this place we go in the mountains... And he beckons to us all dear Finder... to see through his eyes what many may never perceive... to believe in what most never experience... to savour each precious moment out in the wild places... to enjoy the energy and strength within this physical shape we have been gifted with...
He is one of my most potent inspirations...
There is a place we go in the mountains to remember that while his form has returned to the elements we will all share too soon... his spirit wanders freely still...
In that place we go in the mountains.....
DSD
A sincere appreciation to Surreal McCoy at Flickr for his special pictures:
http://flickr.com/photos/44462122@N00/
11 comments:
DSD, I very much enjoyed finding and reading your blog. Thanks for your recent note on my website. Feel free to email me if you want to use any of my photos and I will send you what you need.
Daniel
www.EwertNaturePhotography.com
these images cause me to feel a deep longing for springtime/summer in Montana! I enjoyed reading your entries. You truly have a gift for words... Alas - I am embracing winter and am excited to get out for a winter camping adventure in a couple weeks! Maybe a little snowshoeing or backcountry skiing. Hope you have a great day!
What a special thing to do. This is very touching. We would enjoy having someone like your friend in our lives. It sounds like you really miss this person.
If only I could write like this.
If only I could take the emotions of a clear dawn, on a silent summit, and paint the pictures that you paint with just a few words.
You honor this person.
I enjoyed this greatly.
Very genuine and tender poetry.
Beautiful and touching DSD.
Our family has a place we go in the wilderness also to remember.
The memories are everything for us.
HT
We have this kind of place too DSD. We have been there when it was time for renewal, when we had some ashes to let go of, when we needed some freedom. It is a very important place to all of us.
I know this place and it is very special for me too. I go there as often as I can to think about the beauty and what is really important. Your family member would have been very content there.
Take care, Lori
An honour, an homage, a way of keeping this person forever in your memories and in your life DSD.
Your beautiful poem for your loved one touches us all.
My journeys through the wilderness help me remember this way too.
Your poem is something I will also remember now.
There is a place for us all out there.
Thank you D,
Robert Lang
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