"Our Year's End 'Finis'....."

On the last page of this little 'Adventure Muse' is one of my very favorite quotes by Viktor Frankl . He said "The Latin word for 'finis' has two meanings: the end or finish, and a goal to reach...".
Every time I, or a Friend places one of these small touchstone gifts, I think about why I've included it. It was put just there, in the last bit, for many reasons. Then it just might spark some musings about its endless meanings.
As adventurers, I think we all sense, then feel, and finally know, the truth of these words the further and longer we wander out among the wild places.
We may come to the end of a climb but really are only just beginning we eventually see.
The trail may seem to be completed, yet our path is only truly getting going.
That ridge route appears finite, but the vista's and perceptions opening up are clearly not.
A longed for adventure experience may be in its last stages, but the callings we then continue to hear are even more pronounced now.
Our efforts out there are over and done, yet the echoes of what these mean are simply getting started.
We attain a point on the map, accomplish an elusive objective, then we go on to discover still other sources, even further energies, and destinations yet to be revealed.
Such passages may feel occasionally like they are in their last phases, but now we realize too they are reflections of endless possibilities .
We bring together the days end by eventually closing our eyes out in a tent or under the stars . Then we dream about new beginnings and the meanings for why we do what we do when out adventuring among the wild places.
What appeared final, we now know to be primal. What seemed last, we sense now to be first. What looked as closure, we discover to hold amazing potential.
Then Frankl's quote echoes out yet again and promises us all so very many further wonders and farther adventures..... DSD
A distinct dedication this year's end day to all of those who are Adventuring For Another Reason this season.

"Gazing Within That Kindle, Crackle, And Sparkle..."

A little kindle in the beginning, just some initial enthusiasm at first, only a bit, but essential for the whole journey, as here we go, kindling our way... Then comes the energetic crackle, as the momentum takes us further, farther along our adventurous ways. Now the fires of intention, commitment, and motivation are burning more brightly, consistently so strongly, then there we are, within the firelight and its' crackle... Sparkle is the inevitable result, the gleam to be found in our eyes, the smiles there too upon our happily tired faces. We sparkle with bright memories, and powerful connections now as well, never to lose that ground, gained through these wonderful journeys... Kindle, crackle, and sparkle... From musings by this warm fire, looking up at stars, and deep into those flames, then across at close friends, with such warmth in my heart... DSD 

"Of Ending & Starting..."

"If the trail you are following ends, the time has come to start your own." Dean K. Miller 

"Of This Year's Trail's End..."

 

"We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know it for the first time...". T.S. Elliot
That adventure day by the sea, when I could sense the end of the trail approaching, there was that deep emotion of contentment, and yet a gentle tired kind of sadness as well.
I recognize we all experience this occasionally.
When we each attain a really elusive adventure goal out there, with all of those so special celebratory emotions. Then at times we sense upon completion a touch of those other feelings of, 'Oh, Its over'...
Pretty natural it seems, to truly experience both, when we invest ourselves so intensely and purposefully within our journeys.
So, I did what we wanderers often do and pondered this a bit, while allowing myself to experience all those musings and emotions all at the same time.
Then much later, as I rested upon a further mountain, after having had that similar summit rush of these sensations, I reminded myself of that very old saying, 'that when one trail seems to end, another path always opens up'.
I reflected too on another old saying that, 'while we may shed a tear about such an experience being over, we can clearly smile as well for having lived those forever moments'.
There are many manifestations of these wise and wild old ponderings.
So, then, if we keep ourselves open to what is always out there on the horizon; if we accept that there is always more within us than ever first realized; if we blend with the truths that there is never an end to the creation of amazing memories, possible connections, and shared wonderful stories - then our trails will forever keep on going so much farther, higher, upward, onward, and inward...
Seeming endings always then become new beginnings and as Muir reminds us as well, "This grand show is eternal... It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapour is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in turn, as the round earth rolls".
Happy endless end of the year trails to all of you my Friends..... DSD

"If We Have Given..."

"If you always give... You always have...". Proverb

Time for celebration and enjoyment,
Moments of such connection and remembrance,
Then out upon courses we all hope to set,
So renewed in our enthusiasm and commitment.
A very happy holidays, and season of sharing, to you all, Dear Friends, Dear Finders, and a very happy new year to all of us who wander..... DSD   

"Be Well......."

 

A simple saying discovered while distant wandering resonates nicely for this time of year...

'Be well my friends, be well...'

In this time of celebrations, connections, and fun,

During a season that may, like adventures, both invite us and also challenge us,

In the midst of our shared holiday spirits,

Be well...

As we remember to focus on what is truly important,

Even as so much grasps for our attention,

If the pace gets more than a bit hectic, as when that storm rolled in off of the ocean, or those winds whipped up across that lake,

Pause for your moments, like you did on that elusive summit,

And be well...

Recall your amazing adventure experiences these last twelve months,

Draw upon those many wonderful wild place moments these past four seasons,

Breath them all in again as you share laughter and love with family, friends, and fellows,

And be well my Friends, be well Dear Finders,

Be well..... DSD 

"The Giver Should Be Thankful..."

 

"It is written even still... that the giver should be thankful; only then is it a sharing... Somebody accepted you through your gift...". Osho
"In becoming a giver... we establish an affinity with all creatures in the world...". Dogen
My sincere gratitude to you all Dear Finders, and Partners In Placing , for your having allowed me to gift you with a small Summit Stone..... DSD  

"The Wonderful Gift Of Experiences..."

Most of us bestow things upon one another during this season of giving.
I have often mused, and written about here, over the nature of another kind of offering. This is a deeper kind of present for another, or as an endowment maybe for ourselves, which holds out such potent and significant meanings.

Remember...

What you felt so strongly during that river rafting trip; recall the energy and emotions when out on those trails of your favorite hikes; think for a moment about when you were sea kayaking to that coastal island you were sure no one had ever set foot upon.

Feel again those same sensations, that enchanting sense of wonder, when you attained that very first summit; go back and relive that special time when a certain spirit animal appeared in the trees before you, just when you needed it so.

All of these knowings, and so many more from out there, are the gifts of adventure experiences. These are the gifts that the wild places wrap up for each of us, that we give ourselves too when we head out, that we also present to others in so many shared ways - the gift of experiences...

So, remember too, that canyoneering day when you pushed so hard to get beyond yourself; that very long rappel into the the mists so memorable; the times lowering into the depths of those caves so dark and yet so illuminating. All are also such potent and powerful gifts of experiences.

We do give one another, and ourselves, such nice things at times - yet a gift of experience holds another level of enduring beauty within it.

That which we experience out there, and then weave into our experiences back here, are truly meaningful offerings - of smiles and laughter, of challenges and effort, of sunshine and tears - these are bestowed upon us through journeys within the wild places.

They become branded in our memories; they touch us in our very hearts; and they are always there to further inspire our spirits.

Such life defining moments we meet with and undergo out there, regardless of when solo or those shared in fellowship, is what is really at the end of any rainbow. Then if we pass forward these adventure experiences, they then become a gift twice given.

And that is a beautiful experience too.

So, in the spirit of this season of sharing and giving, do I wish for you Dear Friends, Dear Finders, that the gift of experiences becomes a bountiful cherished present within your lives..... DSD  

"Of Gifts & Expectations..."

 

"A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect...".  J.L. Huie

"Of Light & Giving..."

 

"As we work to create light for others, we naturally enlighten our own way...". M.A. Radmacher

"However Small..."

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted...". Aesop

"Your Muse's Gift..."

 

"The adventure of a mystery... Your adventure muse has her ways, she hides from you, comes to you in the middle of the night, at midday, at dawn... An elusive gift that can appear anytime...". M. Hart

"Gifts From The Sea..."

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

"Our Shared Gifts Within Adversity..."

It may seem very unusual to wish adversity as a gift for one another within this sharing season, but therein is the power of natural paradox... At times in my own struggles, I may stubbornly resist such uphill trials and have difficulty in reframing them as growth through challenge... Yet the natural world is truly a wild place of such challenges, of constant order yet chaos, of heightened perception about the clear unknown, of desires and elements that push and test an adventurer to and past preconceived limits...

We may not always think about it in these ways but what draws us, what we often seek out there for adventure and fun, is in many ways synonymous with that which adversity itself offers us in return...

When I recall the adversity gifts bestowed upon me for example, I remember... Fears of open ocean, wind and waves... Multi day distant treks and getting very lost... Continuously elusive mountain summits... Unexpected impacts of terrain and altitude... Fitness challenges of injury and age... 5.9 routes that always seemed just beyond my grasp... Caving and my surprising reactions within enclosed spaces... among so many others...

Yet as Goddard & Neumann write about the adventure of climbing: "Realize why you climb. Climbing is not rewarding in spite of its frustrations. It is rewarding because of the very factors that can make it frustrating." Such enduring words as this are gifts of wisdom and insight too...

A. Hobson also said: "Adventure by its very nature, involves overcoming uncertainty, fear, obstacles, adversity and the unknown." F. Youngblood mused too how, "To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties they will not disclose to those who make no effort." While Grandfather, a Mountain Elder, said... "Yes it can be a trial. Fear, doubt, pain, discomfort - these can be part of the price to be paid. Yet the gifts you have bartered for with your blood and your breath - what wealth! They will resonate with your very soul."

Such an amazing gift is the adversity within adventure.....

The present is often in the unexpected, the surprising things we discover - most often about ourselves... The reward is in the act itself of being out there in the midst of both the sunsets and the storms. And then we know too with such real certainty of the unopened presents to bestow upon ourselves of other future possibilities still waiting to be found within our wild places...

P. Stoltz & E. Weihenmayer said of this gift: "May adversity become the pathway through which you flourish." S. Covey wrote also; "One key lesson is this: no challenge and adversity, no deeper sense of meaning and purpose."

Is this not a fundamental motive for why we cherish and wish to protect those wild places where we have devoted our precious energy, time, sweat, tears, hopes, and fears...

S. Covey himself acknowledges: "Adversity has inspired me to be an alchemist, to turn lead into gold." And that pot of gold waits for you out there at the end of a wonderful trail of tribulations...

Those who find themselves through adventure adversity are indeed gifted with awareness and abilities and memories so vivid and valuable... The tears we may experience of frustration can be alchemized into the tears we know within joy.

Because as E. Weihenmayer mused further; "Isn't there something incredibly riveting about the human struggle with adversity? Maybe it's because within the struggle lies the essential wisdom we all need to become the kind of person we hope to be".

So, wish upon those stars we may see within another sleepless night in the midst of trial by rock, water, wind and waves.

Trek towards a hard to reach horizon of your dreams.

Continue to seek out the possibility hidden in that alpenglow just before you begin your most difficult climb.

Keep looking for that rainbow wrapped summit that you have trained yourself for over so many years.

For within this season, all these things, and adversity too, do I hope and wish for you..... DSD

 

"Giving Of Any Kind..."

 

"Giving of any kind... taking an action... begins the process of change, and moves us to remember that we are part of a much greater universe...".  M. Creazzo

"Getting And Giving..."

"We make a living by what we get... We make a life by what we give...". W.S. Churchill

Dedicated this adventure day, within our shared season of giving, to those Partners In Placing who pass forward smiles all along the way... DSD

"Of Mountains And Gifts..."

 

"We were two men in a land of stone and we walked toward the same star...

That... was the gift of our mountains". G. Rebuffat

Stones and stars,
Rock and sky,
Wind and waves,
Wild wonders to ponder,
Elemental gifts while we wander...
DSD

"Within The Gift Of Joy..."

"There are souls in this world who have the gift of finding joy everywhere, and leaving it behind them where ever they go...". F.W. Faber

Dedicated this adventure day to all of those Partners In Placing who adventure so very far and also share smiles all along the way.

"Of Giving..."

 

"The heart that gives, gathers...". Tao Te Ching

"Truly A Gift....."

Each and every time out there is a gift,
Amazingly beautiful gifts within our journeys,
Every journey holds gems hidden within,
Hidden only though at the very first...
From the first time there are always endless wonders,
True wonders discovered as we long and far wander,
Our wandering adventures then become forever longings,
Forever moments from seemingly only simple steps.
Every step then a dearly and cherished memory,
Then all such memories are truly a gift..... DSD

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

"The Greatest Gift..."

 

"The greatest gift you can ever give another person, is your own happiness...". E. Hicks

"The Best Gifts Of All..."

"Memories are perhaps the best gifts of all...". G. Gaither

"Gifts Within The Four Directions..."

"Remember... The gifts of the four directions. The East is the new day, renewal, innocence, hope, joy, and new beginnings. The South is learning, preparing, strength, sensitivity, goals, and reflection. The West is the unknown, of dreams, meditation, going within, and a place of testing. The North is about wisdom, moderation, teachers, elders, fulfilment, and memories. There is no ending in the journey of the four directions...". Grey Wolf