"Mountains Never Likely To Climb..."

Quite some time ago I rediscovered an old passage that told the story of an Elder who planted countless trees during her life. In later years she was still doing so even though most of these trees, she would never see mature, nor would likely ever sit under and enjoy their shade after such efforts...

I was reminded of an adventure experience of our own from ages ago that happened during those impressionable, open eyed, early years we all pass through and often try and hang on to.

We met an Elder, back then, who was labouring upon a newer trail bearing towards a valley and mountain range seldom seen. Clearly, the trail would be needed as the possibilities therein for hiking, scrambling, and climbing were many and so intriguing. Ours was likely one of the earliest groups to wander in that remote area, and we were all surprised by our encounter with this trail steward. His age seemed very advanced to ones so young as us, and I smile today when I think I am likely older now than he was back then - but his efforts and strength were drawn from a unique passion, a sense of dedication, a powerful commitment, and were not diminished by any typical chronological measure.

Still, that Old Man of the Mountains was working that day upon the beginnings of a potentially very long trail, one that he may never have seen completed, might never have really trekked upon himself, towards a mountain range he would never likely climb among...

I have pondered in that timeless way we all do, over those moments we shared with him during our break that day. Our focus was on the distance, our efforts were to get further out there, and we were not wondering much about what we were standing upon then nor who we were sharing the ground with.

Yet I carried that image of him with me throughout our adventures out there the following weeks. There was just something about him. There was a substance to what he was achieving that I had not touched yet, a reflection of commitments and adventures of another kind...

He is surely hiking other paths and climbing higher places of spirit now.

That trail he was creating back then is used today by many each season, as they journey towards mountains he never likely climbed.

I wonder if they can feel his presence out there as they pass over the ground he prepared and passed forward to us. I sincerely hope so.....

DSD