Today, while looking over many posts, pictures, and email from you my Friends, I am enjoying just remembering... You have all gone so high and so far in your wonderful adventures, your amazing journeys, and when I look back upon these last seasons of my own wanderings and musings, and over the connections made with you this year - I find myself feeling especially grateful... Because on very selective occasions I have quietly inquired of another fellow adventurer if they might enjoy sharing in, partnering if you will, in this endeavor of giving back and passing forward. In the early days I would journey on my own to gather up, later paint, and much later then appropriately place, these small cobblestone gifts. In the last few years; mostly after beginning this blog, others have been gracious in becoming partners in these placings, companions in this karma... I am so very, very grateful for this...
The reality is that while I do my best, there are so many more skilled adventurers around than myself, so many elusive high and wild places I will never likely see, nor set foot upon, so that inviting a fellow along on occasion has then created a wonderful experience for this shared path... I believe we become good friends within such endeavors and in doing so I have also been allowed to share in your experiences, to follow along on your adventure summits, the canyons, towers and treks and trails upon water & land. As we get older I've found such connections become especially important... So I will always do my very best to ensure that this will never be about getting in the way of another adventurers' interpretation of their experience. I promise too it will never have anything to do with assuming credit for a summit or another adventure goal attained - not by me, but by a fellow partner. Simple things; but important things...
This endeavor is only about offerings, sharing elemental enthusiasms, and hopefully encouraging much personal musing as we each discover individual meanings for our own wanderings...
My sincere appreciation, and enduring gratitude, to each of you, my Friends, for participating as partners in this journey.....
DSD
In Memory of: http://summitstonesadventuremusings.blogspot.com/2008/01/there-is-place-we-go-in-mountains.html
18 comments:
DSD,
I am grateful you asked!
I enjoy your writing and very much enjoyed putting some Summit Stones out when climbing.
JJ
Good to have you along in stone and spirit D.
Your Stones are a wonderful way of inspiring us when we find them and when we pass one along.
We really appreciated the invitation DSD and had great fun in giving these to other seakayakers. One was left at a special campsite right on top of the woodpile. Whoever finds it will enjoy reading the adventure muse by the fire on their first night.
LM & RBK
hey you,
why are you doing this to us? :D thanks Gaia that we found you. love your stones and musing, and love to pass them along. wink from Prague.
As am I grateful to share the karma of the Stones, and the Mountains, with our fellow travelers.
What can I say. It's just a too cool thing to do, leaving a DSD summit stone in a place where only those with a wandering spirit are likely to find it. And in so doing, we create a little bit more community in the world, and that's only a good thing.
Hey D,
Still think you should have come on our climb. It was a trek and a half just to get there. Two days on the mountain itself. very sustained.
Your stones made it all the way. One for each of us. One left up there.
It was an honour.
Your friends from Golden.
Many done and even more to go!
Summits and Summit Stones and the fun of it all!
Thank you D for all your splendid work. We have been very happy to be a part of it!
Pete & The Crew
I was given a summit stone and Adventure Musings on our IDEAS trek. I'm very much enjoying the booklet (Grey Owl is, I think, my very favorite writer) and am deciding on the placement of the summit stone.
Thank you for your thoughts and caring!
Your wonderful stone gifts touched our lives and are now being given to other river rafters too.
YouKnowWho
It is we who thank you for the presents of karma DSD.
Graham
hello there i just found one of your stones in the broken group islands. this weekend. the date on the stone is '05. when did you leave it with the 6 plastic bags on the beach. I fully support the message and the thought with it , however i would recommend leaving things in containers that would not be more plastic garbage in the ocean if someone doesn't find it. glass for example
thank you for the inspiration poetry.
still adventuring,
Ben
Hi Ben,
Thank you very much for your comment. You are absolutely right in how that has caused me to ponder much about not only the message, which I am so passionate about, but the means as well... I have moved on to trying to only have these placed at locations that will not be intrusive to fellow adventurers, and that are now typically only established places where a Human presence is already there. I am doing my best to find that balance between no trace and finding a way to connect with other wanderers... Use the search engine at the top of my blog and search for "Summit Stone Controversy" to see other discussion on this.
As for you being a 'Finder' your self, put a comment here with your email ( which I would never publish) so we can catch up about the Broken Group where I have paddled for many years now. It would be great to hear which island and beach you found that one on. Thanks again and let's chat more,
DSD
D, thank you again for inviting me to share your Summit Stones with fellow adventurers. They will bring smiles to the faces of those who find them in my special wild places.
A friend with a common bond of love for the Blue Ridge thoroughly enjoyed An Adventure Muse. He is planning a week-long backpacking trip and likes to have inspirational reading to keep him motivated. He has carried a pocket-sized Bible but says even it is too heavy. Your guidebook of quotes from special people has now found a permanent place in his pack.
May you enjoy the season and all your forthcoming adventures.
Hi Jeff,
You are so very welcome. It makes me very glad when they are passed forward like this and now your friend has a smile on his face, and will enjoy those words from the wisdom literature, due to your sharing as you have...
D
Your unique stones were all placed in desert high places D.
We had FUN meeting you and wanted to say how much we enjoyed the invitation to place the Summit Stones as we climbed.
This is a VERY unique way of connecting and sharing. It has always been a special experience to get to a summit cairn. But putting a Summit Stone in there has been really enjoyable, really something. We kept the two that had the fires painted on each as you pointed out. Following in your footsteps has been great fun!
Bear
Each and every stone you passed to us has now been passed forward on climbs D.
Each and every stone was placed with a summit register just as we talked about around our campfire.
Each and every one of these gifts will be found by another climber and with our notes put into your Adventure Muse.
Each time found smiles on our faces for having climbed to the summit and then smiles when we envisioned what was later to happen.
You thought we would enjoy this.
We sure did!
As always your friends from Colorado!
Hey Bear. Always great to chat. That last climb of yours was amazing!
Send me an email soon Colorado wanderers. It's time to catch up once more. :)
D
Post a Comment