"Like Zen Koans..."

 

"If you try too hard, adventures themselves become like Zen Koans - puzzles which slip away the more you try to solve them. Like water that slips through your fingers the harder you attempt to grasp it...".  Anon

"If You Wish To See..."

 

"If you wish to see the valleys, climb to the mountain top. If you desire to see the mountain top, rise into the cloud. But if you seek to understand the cloud, close your eyes and think...".  K. Gibran

"Farther Magic..."

"It was indeed magic to find that the initial commitment and inner strength can bring you back down alive in the midst of such an undertaking...".  J. Waterman

"Waiting To Be Awakened..."

 

"What made it incredibly tantalizing was that It, the magic, was somewhere inside me. It had always been there... waiting to be awakened...".  R. Schultheis
Dedicated to all those who will be enjoying their first Outward Bound course this year.

"Waiting For A Gift..."

 

"One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea...".  A. Lindbergh

"Harder For The Fun Of It..."

"We adventurers are a unique group in that we make things harder for the fun of it...".  Mountain Guide

"We Might Wonder..."

 

"Yet another burned area presents itself further along the trail with many a scorched tree still standing, very likely to live on through many more thunderstorms. But one dead tree... seems to have stood in the ground through many revolutions of the earth... Its bark peeling away exposing its wood to the elements. While the sides of the dead fir are charred, its upper urface is smooth, bleached to a uniform grey, and as inviting to an artist as a chalkboard. He takes a piece of charcoal in hand and sketches a woman's face, not in bold outline, but subtly, with shadings and blurred features, so that an unsuspecting hiker coming upon it later might wonder if Mother Nature hadn't drawn the image herself...".  M. Mardon

"Adventurous Axioms..."

I found a descriptive truth high upon a mountain...
Where that summit also shared even more about this sublty amazing promise.
Then a further quiet truth was later discovered as well too.
In a far desert canyon, so very deep and dark.
On an ancient trail these beliefs were genuinely proven.
Through honour, virtue, and encoureagement positively given.
This same truth was revealed yet once more again.
Among distant islands embraced by a trustful ocean.
There are many truisms we adventurers surely uncover.
Such trustworthy maxims and associations that simply cannot be denied.
Our own truths become known in so many ways.
Seemingly hidden until that real trust is finally made.
Then, when, wandering further and onward, amidst each and every step.
With such enduring hearts, beliefs, spirit, commitmment & dedication - our journey for truths then actually becomes revealed and never forgotten..... DSD

"Remember....."

 

"Remember... The dream that comes true in mid ocean or at the dry waterhole or on black ice; the animal that appears at the precise and empty instant you need it to whisper in your ear...". R. Schultheis

"The Simple Intuitive Answer..."

 

"Everything that is, everything I am, is now colored by the fact that I have reached this special place. The summit - for the time being at least - is the simple intuitive answer to the enigma of life...".  R. Messner

"Three Great Elemental Sounds..."

"The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of the outer ocean on a beach...".  H. Beston

"A World Apart..."

 

"Climbing is a path of approach to a world apart...".  J. Lowe

"Your Wild Spirit..."

 

"Create your wild spirit and then be true to this... You are a Storm Rider with the soul of a Trail Dancer...".  Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"Intimate And Mystical..."

"Wilderness experience is intimate and mystical...".  A. Adams

"Oh, To Plan And Ponder..."

 

Oh, to plan and ponder, then to also intently wander.
What will these seasons gently bring.
What gifts will be discovered way out there.
Who will we then meet upon our trails.
Whom will we honour with our efforts...
Oh, to plan and ponder, then when also far to wander.
Among the valleys and mountains of our dreams.
Along those coastlines reflecting of our visions.
Through the distant deserts and canyons too.
Such amazing adventurous embracing quests we will surely find...
Oh, to plan and ponder, then to stand in awe and wonder.
Upon an elusive summit up so very high.
Shared with you yet once again.
The dream now become so real.
Among ancient inspiring rock, snow, and ice...
Oh, to plan and ponder.
Forever moments for us to endlessly wander..... DSD 

Dedicated this adventure season to all those wonderful wanderers who are Adventuring For Another Reason... 

"On The Highest Mountain..."

"Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw...". Black Elk

"From The Lands Of If And When..."

 

Today I find myself musing now over a still evolving interpretation, about perspectives introduced to us so long ago on our Outward Bound Courses.
At times out there, we each ponder, how our tired eyes only appear to see - that if this or that happens, we might then get through.
Our exhuasted muscles seem to feel too, that when we finally get it all in place - then we might be able to rest.
Our weary spirit is led astray as well, for we might cling to beliefs that if only the conditions were right, and when everything works just so - then we will eventually attain that so elusive and perfect summit.
But only being among the lands of if & when, are like trying to traverse endless forests or desert. There we find ourselves navigating through mists and mirages, in order to climb what we finally discover was an illusion all along.
In the lands of if & when are countless false summits, and amidst those aimless traversings out there are also endless false promises.
If we endure and journey far enough, as we stay the course and keep on even further, then we become one of those wanderers who have made their way - from the land of if & when - to the true terrain of here and now...
This meaningful terrain we eventually discover, especially upon the paths of our adventures, that the real trails are right 'here', and the true north star reflecting out is actually 'now'.
So, we adventurers keep on journeying, on a quest even farther, from those misty lands of if & when, across to the adventure terrain of 'here and now', and what wonderful, awe inspiring gifts we always uncover all along the way..... DSD  

"Listen..."

 

"Listen... Listen to the songs of the mountains, the songs of the forests and the river... Then listen more closely; for you may see that it is you that has been singing...". Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"Eternity..."

"On this sun-consumed rock pile, eternity is trying to speak - no, sing to me...".  R. Schultheis

"Your Perfect Rock..."

 

"Find your perfect rock - the one that will give you peace and rest...".  C. Castaneda

"A Handful Of Small Stones..."

 

"I descended forty feet from the summit to the first visible rocks and taking a handful of small stones thrust them into my pocket...".  E. Hillary

"Stones Of The Mountaintop..."

"As he came out onto the stones of the mountaintop, he felt as if some kind of strange deal had been consummated between him and this piece of wilderness...".  R. Schultheis

"We Climb To Hear..."

 

"We climb to hear - whispered in the wind, echoed in the stars - strains of that mysterious music...".  E. Bernbaum

"The Tradition Of The Path..."

 

"I dare to express the conviction that mountaineering, by reason of the remarkable qualities it contains, may turn into a precious method of physical and spiritual growth. Referring to the tradition of The Path, I would like to call this method, 'The Path of the Mountain'...".  V. Kurtyka

"What You Find Out..."

"Adventure does give you a chance to come to terms with yourself. What you find out about yourself just comes as a gift...".  D. Scott

"Become Your Longings..."

"In the mountains... There are times when a person's soul sets forth upon rambles of its own accord...".  J. Muir

Become your longings my Friends...
Closely embrace the very things you wish for.
Then take form within your desires.
And become your longings my Friends.
Move towards your most inner knowings.
Mirror those things, those dreams you so long for.
Know that what you want can then be made real.
Take on your commitment and intentions.
Then create your very own motivations.
Look beyond any apparent mists of adversities.
Gaze past any regrets, even from long ago.
Find what is truly heartfelt just for you.
Such longings will then be so very lasting.
The eternal elemental essence of our lives.
Become your adventure longings, your very wantings, my Friends.
And thus create a source of endurance without end..... DSD 

Thank you once more David. You are missed.......

"Things In Yourself..."

 

"The reward of climbing is climbing itself... The justification of climbing is climbing, like the justification of poetry is writing; you don't conquer anything except things in yourself...".  C. Csikszetmihalyi

To all of you Artists Of Being Alive this unfolding new year adventure day.

"The Very Quintessence..."

 

"To those men who are born for mountains - to them it holds the very quintessence of living - the fiery core...".  E. Knowlton

"Something Of Ourselves..."

 

"A man does not climb a mountain without bringing some of it away with him and leaving something of himself upon it...".  M. Conway

I am so very grateful these many seasons, that there have been such wonderful Partners In Placing over the years, who have shared in this unfolding journey of passing forward some little smiles, and hopefully raising a bit of awareness all along the way. Many adventure & wander to far wild places I have yet to see.
The above images are by Mike Howarth whom trekked with Rick McCharles upon the amazing Mansalu Circuit. The images reflect the intentions this Summit Stone endeavour has always had... Thanks so much Rick and enjoy the echoes and rainbows Mike!

"The Elusive One..."

 

"You call these elusive mountains; but I think you are the elusive one. There is more within you than you know...".  Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"The Way Of The Mountain..."

"Sando... Meaning the way of the mountain. I feel the mountain calling to me, and I know I will find something there that will be some kind of response or answer; perhaps an answer to a question I have not yet posed...".  N. Shulman

"It Is In Our Nature..."

"If adventure has a final and all embracing motive it is surely this: We go out because it is in our nature to go out and climb mountains and to sail the seas, to fly the planets and plummet into the depths of the oceans. By doing these things we may touch with something outside or behind, which strangely seems to approve our doing them. We extend our horizon, we expand our being, we revel in the mastery of ourselves...".  W. Noyce

"It May Be....."

"It may be, that when we no longer know which way to go, that we have come to our real journey...".  Wendell Berry

Herein is a short quote, a reminder passed forward to me out on an initial adventure, while other worries of the world were also present, and health issues were starting to be so distracting.
A few simple lines...
Words that I have passed forward so many times myself now as well, when other such trials can be seen in the eyes and on the faces of those sharing the trail that day.
Only twenty-one words that very much blend together into all of our lives, within our shared journeys. Twenty-one words that become a part of our adventures, and truly reflect the way we face adversities as well, out there and back here too.
Just seventy-one letters written so, that are as elemental as anything else for a great many of us. I couldn't count the number of occasions for discussion while wandering, and in comments here now too from you Dear Friends, who have found such quiet messages within the gifts Wendell Berry has composed for everyone.
A seemingly simply quote, passed forward to me on Outward Bound, so very long ago. Then shared again right when I needed to hear those words softly spoken.
Initially appearing only as a few brief words, that have now resonated and echoed out loudly over even longer seasons and years.
"It may be...", Wendell Berry wrote. It just may very well be, many of us now realize as well.
It just may be..... DSD

Dedicated this adventure day to Wendell Berry, Outward Bound, and with gratitude to you Friends who share their images here along with my little musings.

"Go... Start Now..."

Go... Start now...
This reflects the depths of the endless wisdom to be learned from Outward Bound, and those many insights shared our Mountain & Kayak Guides. They all pass forward so much. Yet today, this one elemental concept echoes out so clearly.
Go... Start now...
There are few reasons so important that we cannot begin somewhere. There are too many distractions that always will try to take us off course somewhat. We still need though, to begin someplace. To envision, to plan, to prepare, within our training, then a focus on needed knowledge and skills.
All are beginnings. So go, start now, we are reminded again.
Timing is important, but let us not only wait for what seems to be the absolute perfect time, as that moment may never come. This is what the experienced ones share with us time and again.
Dreams, desires, and passions, have endless energy we can draw upon. But do we not then need to make use of this, or it all wains away they say.
Further inspiration will always be there to keep ourselves going, especially when trials and hurdles present themselves. But those wise ones also share that momentum must be grasped too right when it presents itself.
So go, start now...
Whatever path or trail you envision, begin somewhere this day.
Whichever summit sparks your enthusiasm, initiate, start, set out, step forward, within that very moment.
Even today, our adventure's await each of us. So we need to go, go now.
Our mentors, friends, and close companions encourage us to do exactly that. They hope to see us become the adventurers we ourselves want to be. So they tell us to go, begin now.
Then, when, once having done this, once having gone - then start again, go again, yet again, and ever again my Dear Friends..... DSD