"On The Summit I Say Their Names..."

Having never shared this before, I pondered if I should... but it is my sense I am not the only one at all who practices this very private, very old tradition...

On the summit I say their names... I safely stand up among the clouds, face the sun or moon, often into the wind, close my eyes, and slowly say their names aloud...

I say the names of past fellows who have journeyed the path with me; the guides and wild place teachers who have shared their hard earned wisdom; the close family and friends who still walk the same trails today...

I say the names of those who are now gone from these particular elements; the ones who knew and accepted me for who I am with all my flaws and faults; especially the ones who have challenged me to become something more...

I say the names of those who made us laugh; each one who shared a tear with me; and those whose courage and resiliency I believe have been an example for us all...

On the summit I say their names... and practice an ages old quiet tradition of respect, of acknowledgement, of remembering, of bringing the past back to the present... An ages old tradition of becoming grateful...

And when we are each gone, when we are no longer among the wild places but have become a part of them instead, I hope to hear my name and yours carried out there among the winds when someone on a summit says them out loud.....

DSD