"Our Little One...Our Tiny One......."

Our little one... our tiny one... our furry girl... is gone.......

We are among the many adventurers who choose to share their lives and dreams with a small animal... Little four pawed wonders who journey these trails with us...

She was so special, and so strong...

Years ago there was that lump; three years back that serious abscess; and then last year a diagnosis that wasn't going to go away...

We had such a good winter taking care of her. Even though she was ill, her old self was still present and we were able to share a few more seasons of so precious moments...

She taught us about connection with creatures of this earth... about trusting bonds that develop ever so slowly between humans and animals... about the spirit within our small companions that is truly there... we only have to open ourselves to it...

They wander these elements with us... They look up with love as she did with her blue upon blue eyes... They share so willingly in the fun and challenge of life's many adventures...

That time will come, as it did for her, as it will for all of us, where we will set out upon a different path and then adventure no more... Thus the importance of musing and remembering and cherishing each moment...

The last month has been so hard, has been so deep a valley... so dark a forest...

Yet we remember and remind ourselves, that this trial was only a small fraction of the last decade and a half of beautiful days and nights together...

It is hard to see the computer keyboard through the mist of tears in my eyes as I write these words, but I know there is another side to this valley of anguish... It is out there... the trail will be one of a very deep sadness...

We have done everything that can be done, both day and night, but it was her time...

We will never, ever, forget the gifts that she has given us...

The ashes that remain will travel and adventure with us to coastlines she could never go to... to a mountain summit she would never see...

She may be gone in that most physical sense, but the countless memories and the essence of her so special spirit will always be with us...

We are so very grateful to have shared much of this life with her...

Our furry girl...

Our little one.....

Our tiny one.......

DSD

A Parable On This Day For The Earth: "The Wise Woman's Stone..."

"A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream... The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him... She did so without hesitation... The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime... But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman... 'I've been thinking', he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious... Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone'...". Anon

A parable of meaning within the context of the gift of a simple stone...

Like the Wise Woman... Our Mother Earth gives to us all each moment of each hour of each day... It is then up to us to then ask, and learn, and become, someone who then gives back and passes forward also...

Have a special Earth Day today.......

DSD

Special thanks to Vida Morkunas for the above images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seawallrunner/

"Outdoorzy Enthusiasm..."

Wade, Emile, Lynn and the whole 'Outdoorzy Crew' have said to us: "If you've ever been called 'Outdoorzy', welcome home"... I just love that invitation...

All the elements of our wild places and fun to be enjoyed out there are represented on this lively adventure activity site - kayaking, canoeing, rafting, hiking, climbing, sky diving, parasailing, mountaineering, geocaching, running, mountain biking, adventure travel; among many others as well. There are also extensive forums, useful gear reviews, adventure links, and trip reports about all of these; even an engaging outdoors blog!

Wade himself as a co-founder of the site with Emile, and Lynn as the lead developer, are web entrepreneurs and outdoors enthusiasts. Wade for example includes in his accomplishments climbing Kilimanjaro, hiking the Inca Trail, and plans for trekking in the Himalaya's. Emile & Lynn are said to love hiking, mountain biking, and much more...

Enthusiasm is the key theme of 'Outdoorzy', for our wild places and all manner of adventure fun out there. They want to help us all attain: "The goal of connecting outdoor enthusiasts online and providing tools to help prepare for and improve their outdoor experience".

With such a goal and already over a thousand eager members, Outdoorzy is giving back a great deal to us all...

Accept that invitation, and join the fun over there...

DSD

Outdoorzy Link: http://www.outdoorzy.com

"A Tribute To Stephen Lyman....."

It was on a multi day sea kayaking trip in the San Juan Islands, during a rest day, that we first set our eyes upon a Stephen Lyman work of art...

It was displayed in a small shop, and it needed no light to illuminate it, as it seemed to glow from within... This was his 'Mountain Campfire' creation...

That was decades ago and we have still not lost our appreciation for Stephen's wildlands muse, and his artistic and creative genius...

We all lost Stephen though, on April 16th 1996, in a high mountain accident.....

He was a truly talented artist... one who inspires me still in my own naive way...

I can only imagine now much he is missed by so many...

The 'Greenwich Workshop' says of him, "Stephen Lyman was an explorer who specialized in painting the most elusive moments in nature", and that "Through Lyman's art, you can travel into a wilderness very few have experienced. You can share the sensation of being in the true outdoors - exploring, discovering, studying and enjoying the all-encompassing beauty of nature"...

Stephen himself said, "All my paintings have their origins in my experience and perception of beauty in the wilderness"...

I hope you too, dear friends, have been gifted with the wild place opportunity to experience what Stephen has portrayed through his artistic adventures...

Today, April 16, is a day to remember Stephen and respect all of what he has passed forward to us.......

DSD

"Finding Kananaskis....."

Kananaskis... was established in 1977. A few years after my first beginnings in the wild places...

In 1858, the explorer J. Palliser named a pass there Kananaskis; and since then the surrounding mountains, lakes, river and the areas out to the foothills, are now known as Kananskis Country...

It is indeed a small magic kingdom... and when there you do sense you are in the presence of something royal and very meaningful...

This special wild place embraces many rugged peaks; a pass higher than at the Columbia Icefields; beautiful rolling foothills; even canyons; and an amazing white water river... I believe Kananaskis means 'a meeting of the waters'. It is one of my earliest, most favorite areas for adventures and for placing these small Summit Stones...

I remember... Ridge walks and summits like the Fortress, the Fist, Indefatigable, the Windtower, among so many others...

I remember... River kayaking and rafting on so powerful whitewater through rocks and mist...

I remember... Extended pristine hiking along the Continental Divide route...

I remember... Exploration of the Highwood and the hidden valleys there...

I remember... Endless wild back country, many with trails, some with none... Canyons too; even touching old ice of an ageless glacier...

Finding Kananaskis... has deep meaning in finding one's spirit out there and to discover oneself among the wild places... And that is its true gift to us...

I recall reading of the Visions Quests of others gone before me... and my own to Three Isle Lake in the quiet season...

Kananaskis 'Finders' of Summit Stones have been many including the Link here to the "Two Jonathans", and that of Traxx whose images are above, and who writes himself...

"Memories are stored in the mind but shaped by the heart... The day I found this Summit Stone I was 'on patrol' in the back country. I had a few hours left on my shift so I rolled down the road to Spurling Creek. I found two Summit Stones that day. The Stones were in little ziploc bags that I initially mistook for garbage left near the trail. It didn't take me long to realize how wrong I was - The Stone I currently hold was discovered early in the hike and, I'll admit, I hiked all the way to the pass that day reading the Muse... I sat in the sun (and wind!) at the pass, enjoyed the view, ate the last of my food for the day and finished the Adventure Muse (twice that afternoon)... Having often mused on the topic of adventures myself - familiar with many of the contributors to the Muse and learned of others thru the Muse... Continue to muse my days away - just in the process of becoming a (temporary/permanent?!?) fixture out in the mountains of Kananaskis. I do treasure the find - I think this little gift is an interesting way to communicate - a one way conversation of sorts... One of the things I like about the Muse is that it reaches every finder at their own levels of understanding and it is something one can return to at a later date and continue to find new meaning and new levels of meaning there. These days the Summit Stone is an integral part of a small shrine that is accumulating out of my work in Kananaskis and the Adventure Muse is on my bedside table. I'll think I'll hold on to them a while longer until I find a safe spot to pass them on (I think that they may not be as easy for the next person to find)"...

Traxx is one of those adventurous souls who has taken on the additional responsibility of caring for such wild places...

So many adventure experiences are still patiently waiting for us to wander and muse over while discovering ourselves as we find Kananaskis.......

DSD

Traxx Flickr Link: http://flickr.com/photos/jeremymcivor/1009028546/in/set-72157594300892168/

"High Mountain Musing..."

"The state of being active within life activates the fundamental questions of life...

But when I am up on a mountain, I rarely question what I am doing or why I am there. The climbing, the concentration, the struggle... those are the answers - because those are the basic purposes of life. In effect, I become my own answer." R. Messner

The nature of musing on such questions and answers seems to be a theme we all share as mountaineers...

Messner is one who offers unique perspectives for us to ponder.....

I found myself reflecting on this very quote, as I was enjoying and gazing upon the images of MickRange on Flickr...

DSD

MickRange's Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mickrange/