"I Gave My Heart..."

"I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam, smooth to green glass over sunken rocks, shatter to foam again... By such a river it is impossible to believe that one will ever be tired or old...".  W. Stegner

"So Elementally Attractive..."

 

"There is something so elementally attractive about a river stone, or a rock outlined against the sky...".  Deng Ming-Dao

"Of Teachings..."

"You will find more in the woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters...".  St. Bernard

"Of Echoes....."

Echoes all...
Endless soundings, meaningful longings, lasting remembrances, from our forever moments...
A raven's call.
Powerful ocean storms.
Huge winter coastal waves.
Crackling of a fire.
The quiet of a forest trail.
Crisp winter snowshoeing.
"On belay!".
"Just glad I'm here".
"We made it".
A canyon's deep mysteries.
Sleeping under countless stars.
A close friend's encouraging comment.
The crunch of ice on a northern lake.
Veils of moving mists.
A river's endless wanderings.
Wind through tall trees.
Thunder in the distance.
A wolf's lonely voice.
Creaking of a pack.
Touch of a paddle to water.
A loon's calling out.
Shifting of ancient rocks.
Silence atop a summit.
Echoes all...
So many others awaiting. To be heard even just once more.
From within our forever journeys..... DSD 

"You Will..."

 

"You will feel me beside you; see my face in the stone; hear me on the wind...".  Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"A Curious Encounter..."

 

"What a curious encounter between a man and the high places... He climbs it, signing his work... A rock as beautiful as any obelisk...".  G. Rebuffat

"Hello Altitude..."

"Hello altitude, my old friend; back to temper me, yet again...".  Mountain Guide

"A Kind Of Magic..."

 

"Every time I went up there, a kind of magic happened to me: I felt a nameless wildness flow into me, a strangely serene longing for tundras, unbroken forests, rivers and mountains without end... I changed, into a benign kind of lycanthropy...".  R. Schultheis

"Almost Mystical..."

"Being in such a place is unlike any other place you could be; the fact that a human being could be in such a place climbing, moving upward, being in control, still making rational decisions is just a very exciting and almost mystical feeling...".  R. Briggs

"All Around Us..."

 

"In some mysterious, inexplicable way, there are valleys and mountains all around us that no one has ever seen or mapped - a world hidden right here, as if in another dimension...".  E. Bernbaum

"Its Own Meaning..."

 

"Treat each few meters as a smaller summit so that each small ascent is a victory... Each step has its own meaning and is important in its own right...".  N. Shulman

"Mystery Under Rocks..."

"It meant going deeper into places in yourself that had to be found and conquered... Turning the mirror inside out and backward. It's sports under a rock. And the rock must be turned over to find it is inside each of us... All I know was that I was moving forward, and where I ended up was a question that would have to answer itself...".  K. Johnson

"So Many Truths....."

"It is what the mountains truly reveals about us that has any lasting value...".   D. Breashears
The wild places, and especially the high places, hold so many truths...
Those real honesty's from out beyond, which are also very accurate for each and every one of us as well.
These are trustworthy perceptions that our adventures always reflect back upon ourselves.
The sincere meanings for why we do what we do out there, and then back here too.
They are the elemental priceless promises for who we really want to be.
All truly revealed by our intentions and efforts, our endurance, our connections with one another, and our willingness to embrace the essence of such adventurous meaning, direction, and purpose.
Then the actual eventual memories created themselves, from our long wanderings, also become such truly and deeply held personal beliefs.
Seemingly a simple thing of rock and snow and ice, of winds and height and light.
But what our mountains slowly reveal about us - such eternal gifts of truth they are..... DSD

"Fortunately..."

 

"Fortunately, more distant summits are always being discovered... Man throws a stone - his desire - into the unknown, then throws himself in pursuit...".  T. Cesen

"This Is Where..."

"During a momentary pause in his climb, the wilderness sends him a reassuring message. As he becomes aware of the splendid series of waterfalls beside him, his tiredness falls away. The water slips effortlessly through smooth chasms and tumbles over immense granite outcroppings. This, he realises, is where his quest truly begins...".  M. Mardon

"Expression..."

 

"For me, climbing is about expression. It's the key that unlocks my spirit, the clearest representation of who I am...".  S. Allison

"In Search Of Something..."

"Why do people spend time, money, effort, to touch a rock and move up it? They are in search of something... The door, well, we know that it probably opens inwards... Know that whatever trials they are going through looking for it, it will be so sweet that it's worth years in the searching...".  T. Skinner

"The True Result..."

 

"The true result of any endeavour, whether on a mountain or in any context... The real measure of success... The true value of the enterprise - lies in the example to others of human motivation and human contact...".  J. Hunt

"That Which Is Truly Important..."

"What you do on your own scale for your own soul is all that matters... Walking skillfully along the top of the world we may receive a priceless vista of our lives and that which is truly important to us...".  J. Salz

"Of Remembrance And Freedom....."

 

"A mountaineer is one who seeks the freedom of the hills, full wilderness citizenship, with all its privileges and rewards, its responsibilities and demands."
The Mountaineers
The freedom of the hills we all love and know,
Echoes with many brave voices now long gone,
So let us pause wherever we are on our shared trails,
To listen quietly in remembrance.......  

"So Glad We're Still Listening..."

 

We were not talking so much at this point way back then. A very long hike to an elusive high place that day, with much laughter and discussion about life's journeys all along the trail. We almost hadn't gone, such was the weather and the other distractions back here. But out there now, in those moments, I found myself not saying as much, but rather simply listening more attentively again...
Just simply hearing through my memories - for what our Outward Bound Leaders, those old wise Mountain Guides, and especially for that so very experienced Sea Kayak Instructor, who all seemed to be saying one clear thing: "Take time to listen", they all said in their own unique ways...
'Listen' for those so quiet voices from out over the waters and waves; for those voices of encouragement and commitment.
'Listen' for those special personal sounds among the trees and the winds; for whispers of motivations yet to be discovered.
'Listen' for your own music within the storms; as they will always share their wild secrets.
We each will surely experience our own adventure audibles, as we quietly listen in those many ways with our ears, our minds, and our spirit too. We each will truly hear personal messages as well from deep within our individual desires, dreams, and intuition.
I guess that I am very glad, just so happy that in remembering to hear their voices echo in my mind again, now I am simply listening yet once more...
Because I sense that if we stop listening so, then we might just lose our way.
We might possibly miss our wild callings, then not really hear the whispers of our adventure longings, for why we go, and why we do what we do within our wild place wanderings.
So grateful we are all still simply listening..... DSD 

"Remember....."

"Remember... Each kind of country and also each season of the year and each hour of the day - has its own special enchantments... When I open my own mind and let the memories spill out, I find a many-hued mosaic...".  Colin Fletcher

Simply pondering over remembrances this quiet adventure day... DSD

"As Ephemeral As....."

 

"Find a group of puzzled people with a tiger by the tail, interested not so much in mythology as in touching and holding an experience as ephemeral as spider silk, ghostly as morning mist over a Montana river, an experience made of equal parts muscle, adrenaline, and a mind...".  M. Bane

"Meandering A Coastline..."

 

"For every place that we've visited there are dozens more where we would like to go. Every map or chart depicting our meandering coastline draws us in, leading us to ask what's down this stretch of coast, what can be found paddling into this estuary, up this inlet. And then there are the places that we have visited, the places we swore we would return to: bays with untouched beaches, abandoned villages with their ceremonial poles, the jagged cut of untouched rocky coastlines. All told, a true paddler's paradise, inviting us back and compelling us onward...".  G. Rasmussen

"Again And Again..."

 

"To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties they will not disclose to those who make no effort. And it is because they have so much to give and give it so lavishly to those who wrestle with them, that people love mountains and go back to them again and again...".  F. Youngblood

"To Enter Another World..."

"To canyoneer... is to enter another world. One with cold water, slippery rocks, tight narrows, and tall sheer cliffs. A little Narnia world locked into its own...".  E. Van Tilburg

"Every Step..."

 

"Every step in mountaineering is a debate between what you are and what you might become...".  G. Meredith

"After All..."

"We are, after all, climbing a mountain and, by definition, the trail goes up...".   M. Bane

"Life May Be Short....."

 

Those mountains of ours are very high.
But, life is short.
So we go and climb them.

Those trails we share appear daunting.
Yet, as compared to what.
So we get out and hike them.

Those coastlines simply go on forever.
Though, we do not.
So we ensure to keep wandering them.

Those canyons and caves appear quite dark.
Quite seemingly full of all the unknowns.
So we bring much light with us.

Those river waters move through very fast.
Yet, so do our kayaks and rafts.
So we go and run them.

The weather often might not cooperate.
Still, always are there whispers of what could be.
So we go and laugh among the winds and rain.

Adversities out there are apparently inherent.
But, there are valuable lessons for us as well.
So we go and learn them.

We may be even a little bit afraid.
That, so far out we could lose our way.
Still we go anyway and find ourselves.

Challenges are naturally and clearly present.
Yet, our close friends smiles are too.
So we go and share them.

Sometimes we may also go by ourselves.
That, is another farther kind of adventure.
As we embark on discovering even more within.

Our dreams may feel like they are fleeting.
But, they are all too important to walk away.
So we go out an envision them.

We think that there may always be time for this.
Yet, that is not something anyone can ever predict.
So we decide not to wait for the magic to appear.

Adventures at first can seem misty and ephemeral.
But, their echoes are always awaiting there.
So we go and experience them.

Life may at first appear quite short.
Still, our choices are very far reaching.
So let's go and create our forever moments right now..... DSD 

"The Real Goal..."

 

"The real goal... It wasn't, oddly enough, the summit of a mountain or the top of a cliff at all. That's because the goal wasn't really a place, but a feeling. It was an emotion deep inside him, and inside all of us; a sentiment we all search for, but which always seems so elusive...".  A. Hobson

"Sheer Joy..."

 

"What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy and joy is, after all, the end in life. We do not just live to eat and make money, we eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means, and what life is for...".  G. Mallory

"Sharing Your Wonderful Inspiring Images..."

Thank you once more my Friends for allowing your wonderful inspiring images to be shared here!
My intention with including such images & pictures of beauty and awe, is in support of all the links on my blog under 'Giving Back & Passing Forward'. There will never be anything commercial about these musings.
I have always acknowledged that the vast majority of the images shared here were not created by me, as I am not talented in that way. Many have been suggestions provided by fellow adventurers, so I am unable at times to give specific acknowledgements unfortunately. If I can do this it will always occur as best I can right when such images are posted. I will also certainly acknowledge others work if you let me know, and then I will attribute creative efforts where they clearly belong.
It is with deep appreciation that your sharing images in this way is felt in support of those who are Adventuring For Another Reason . My whole adventure blog speaks to these initiatives.
You have such amazing pictures and metaphors within them, reflecting these links who give back and pass forward with their ongoing enduring efforts.
Please accept my sincere gratitude for your sharing and understanding in allowing for such support of them.
Thank you all so very, very much! DSD