"Two Taps....."

There have been many times we have joined in on adventure courses to learn and share so that our wild place skills then become even just a little sharper. This was the case with quite a few days of technical ice climbing some many winters back. The lessons gleaned from time and instruction upon frozen vertical terrain and waterfalls, can be very usefully included with other mountaineering skills. Being among those who enjoy this popular way to adventure was such great fun too. We trained in larger groups and then with a more seasoned climber in teams of two. While there to practice, I could not help but ponder much when resting and observing what was unfolding during those intriguing cold days out - the energy, the excitement, and the enhancement of skills. There always seems to be one person or climbing pair in particular, who quietly stand out among their peers, whose experience and skills demonstrate a real confidence and potent sureness of intention, motivation, and motion. I took a longer time to watch this team, and the one who was leading most of the increasingly difficult routes, as there was much to take in. That ice climber, more of an ice dancer, moved so gracefully all across those frozen faces of water. What struck me most though was so subtle, yet so powerful, not just of the accomplished ease of this persons' climbing - but his ability to focus, that settling in of attention & concentration, for only what was right in front of him, for only what was to come next... Because just before, and each time this ice dancer began, you could see, and on occasion slightly hear, this climber gently make two taps together of those so sharp ice axes... Two taps with something leashed to muscles of the hands, arms, shoulders, and heart; two taps then to focus upon that small world of frozen crystals; two taps to quiet the rest of the world out for a time; with a kind of sound like you might hear just before meditating... Yes, there was something significantly, elegantly, simple about that ice climbers' tapping two times. I so enjoyed the sound, and then so appreciated what was then to come next... At a later time, on a different adventure climb of ice, for the experience of it, and maybe to draw upon what I had observed that time before, I tried this approach myself. In the moments before I began, and as I looked longingly up at that frozen waterfall, I took my ice axes and gently tapped them twice together. Two taps for reflecting upon what that ice dancer taught me that day; two taps towards practicing my own intentions, focus, and concentration. Two taps..... DSD

My gratitude for being able to share your images my Friends.

"A Story For Tomorrow..."

When Kraig at 'The Adventure Blog' posted about: Video: A Story For Tomorrow , I was intrigued, then so very inspired... Here was a very powerful video story of two young adventurers and their journey through Chile, from the Atacama Desert in the north, to the mountains of Patagonia in the south. The images are amazing, the music so very engaging, the voice of the narrator so inviting. These few quotes resonated and echoed out each time I played this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71HzYChzTbA "A long, long time ago, there where two people who looked very much like yourselves, and as with you, they were on a journey, a quest if you will, to find what we all seem to be searching for. For reasons they may never know... They entered... A place where time and direction don't exist. Yet they still pressed on... Each day a new door, a new direction, a new way to be... Until time simply faded away. As with all those who have come before you... They only found me - their future, quietly waiting, and I asked them the same two questions I will some day ask you: Is it possible to be happy with this life? And then I will ask as I do to everyone else: Did you enjoy your story?" My thanks to Kraig for this special post, the timing of it just what was needed, and our gratitude for this gift from these two young adventurers at Gnarly Bay, who shared about their wonderful wanderings... Please visit and enjoy: http://vimeo.com/36519586 ..... DSD

"Of Journeys..."

Rick invites us to ponder as we wander, muse as we adventure, then discover what we find to be hidden, within both our questions and our own answers... DSD

"Writing It Down, Saying It Out Loud..."

There are a great many skills we endeavour to learn for wandering and safely enjoying ourselves out in the wild places. Developing such knowledge, skills, and adventure abilities also makes navigating through life easier instead of simply being full of obstacles. A little while back I had the opportunity to share about two subtle approaches learned many years ago on Outward Bound. Here was a young person so full of energy and dreams to get out to hike and climb, to begin kayaking, so keen to know about canyoneering. This enthusiasm & energy is the genesis, and desire the fuel, for our adventure motivations. Yet learning ways to enhance and focus the skill of commitment, is what makes such momentum endure, season after year after decade out there... I simply shared what was told to me such a long ways back - "Write it down... Say it out loud". Two strategies that make our commitments so very real, two skillsets that then instill distinct conviction. Any time we take what begins as a vision, what moves through our hearts, and then projects out from our hands and in our voices - becomes an elemental force in itself. So, here I find myself, once again this early season, writing it down and saying it out loud. Let's all do just that my Friends, and then enjoy the adventure that will surely follow..... DSD

"Of Preparations....."

"Don't waste your life in doubts and fears, spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it...". R.W. Emerson
Preparations and planning; such amazing fun within themselves... DSD

"Words May Not Portray..."

Hardly any words to describe it all at times, few ways to say out loud what it may mean for us... Yet we hold our breath so among those moments, knowing such elements of beauty, mystery, and wonder... Such surprising personal and emotional transcendence, among wind & rain, rock & snow, when so very far and high... Feelings and happy gentle tears, as elemental as air, fire, and water, that words themselves simply may not portray... So we then rest for those moments, out upon that summit, or beached on a very distant island, and then the wild places, and our adventure experiences, begin to speak to us beyond words, in other quietly powerful ways..... DSD

Dedicated to our Fellow Wanderers, who are now in focused planning to 'Adventure For Another Reason', as their wonders begin to unfold.

My gratitude to you Friends, for your special images gathered up, when you found yourselves lost for words too.

"Our Daring Adventures..."

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing..." H. Keller

A quietly resounding quote from a favorite Author, one that suggests we each have a choice to make... DSD

"Waiting For The Storm..."

We usually wait for the weather to get better out there. We often want the conditions to be just right, the temperatures warm and calm, the winds only to caress. But this deep winter valley journey was not planned that way. If there was anyone out there at all, they would likely be coming back in as such questionable weather was approaching. Contrary to this, I had planned to head out instead at just that time. After considering what I needed for gear and preparation, for what safety perspectives to put in place and to keep in mind, I then focused more on what I now wanted and hoped for... I had waited for very unsettled weather, when a strong low pressure system was starting to really pick up. Now the winds were predicted to be very full of themselves, and it all seemed to be coming together paradoxically nicely, as a great elemental expression of the energy of storms. A distinct dropping of temperature, even stronger increasing winds, a very high chance of more precipitation; all were mixing in to provide just what I was patiently waiting for. Here was the possibility not just to test out some new cold weather gear, but also a real opportunity to blend with the energy of a storm - to experience the synergy of being out there when the elements really mix it all up. I so very much enjoy such seasonal storms. Everyone of them is unique in its' expression & experience, and each is truly unforgettable. Waiting for them to reveal themselves is an adventure in itself..... DSD

My thanks Fellow Wanderers for your sharing these wonderful winter storm images.

"Of Dreams And Visions..."

"Your vision will become clear also when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, awakens...". C. Jung

There is a distinct energy within our adventure dreams and visions. We only need to gently reach for it... DSD