Sunday, November 29, 2015

"Shu....."

A brief small note, a very old word.
Of an even older ancient language.
Two present versions of this quiet saying.
Among other even more subtle hidden meanings as well.

Shu... Means that of an art.
Art of efforts, and of purpose.
Art of dedication, and for determination too.
Especially an art, very much beyond.
That which we may first think is understood.

Shu... Also refers to those magics.
The magics of mystery and of wonder.
Magic from out there, and within our hearts as well.
Magic of what happens and those embracing results.
Yet more importantly, of the journey of becoming.

Shu of our enduring efforts.
Shu for our adventurous purposes.
Shu of heading even farther out there.
The Shu then of discovering within.
Such elemental Shu artists we all truly are.
Adventurers and magicians of yet another wonderous kind..... DSD  

Image Acknowledgement To Vaude & Visions


Friday, November 27, 2015

"A Breathing Silence..."

"There is no calm like a quiet sea - a space of stillness under the width of the sky.
A gentle shifting flow of shadow.
A golden moment.
A breathing silence that restores the heart...".  P. Brown

Image Acknowledgement  

Thursday, November 26, 2015

"My Sincere Gratitude For Sharing Your Wonderful Inspiring Images..."

Thank you once more my Friends for allowing your so 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 sent to me or have been suggestions provided by fellow adventurers, so I am unable many times to give specific acknowledgements unfortunately. In my enthusiasm about your artistry I can also be forgetful when saving them, to record their origin at that time.
If I can make amends for this it will always occur as best I can right when such images are posted. 
I promise that I will also certainly acknowledge others work if you let me know as well, and then I will immediately 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 resonating metaphors within them, reflecting these links who give back and pass forward with their ongoing enduring efforts. 
Please forgive my grey haired forgetfulness in not always following proper internet protocol when it comes to such things. I am a late bloomer in the blogging and social media worlds.
Please also accept my sincere gratitude for your sharing and understanding in allowing for such support of the links here.
Thank you all so very, very much!      DSD      

My sincere appreciation to Barry Taylor of Hiking With Barry for sharing the image above by Jen Judd with all of its' inherent meanings.     


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

"For A Farther Reason..."

There are so many adventure experiences that may be enjoyed by each of us, so very many terrific interests for being out there... So many motives for such efforts and for taking on these challenges, enduring the trials, pushing through the limitations... They are such personal, individual grounds for going we each hold to, yet on occasion, at very special times, we can move among the wild places for another reason.
Something else becomes the fire in our belly for being out there. Something very special transforms both our purpose and our very being. This evolves from a different kind of motivation, from a whole new level of intention; for why we do what we do in our chosen adventures. There is a unique energy within such reasons. There is also a special kind of commitment towards then fulfilling such an adventure objective. What has now influenced us to go, what then induces us to keep going, is seen to have a very different genesis. We have now chosen and committed to another kind of adventure - an adventure of cause, of purpose, one that we see as so deserving of support. Be it as a soloist, or within the symphonies of a group, we set out on a trail of inspiration, resolution, determination & dedication, that has its' own unique nature within it. We are adventuring for another reason, often for another person, who may not be able to wander the wild places as we might. While they may not be with us, they are causal, truly instrumental, as to why we are out there.
Their needs become our inspiration; their wants become our objective.
We have committed to paying a different price and our efforts, and our following through, are reward enough themselves. We are out there for anther purpose. Climbing, scrambling, hiking, paddling, trekking, biking, running; now for an ideal - for another very special reason.
What might those reasons be for you Dear Friends.......
DSD
***Please see all the wonderful sites linked to here for many amazing opportunities to 'Adventure For Another Reason'...***

"Just For A Moment..."



Just a little musing to ponder this adventure day...
Let's just imagine for a moment, about the potential of what could be.
For if we can do THIS, then what else can we do...
Let's just envision for a moment, about the possibilities about who we each want to be.
For if we can do THIS,  then what else can we be...
Even if it is for Just One Thing. 
Or maybe for Another Reason. 
If we can do such things, then....... DSD    

Sunday, November 22, 2015

"Our Greatest Smiles..."

"A new paradigm involves a principle that was present all along, but unknown to us. 
It includes the old as partial truth, one aspect of 'How Things Work', while allowing for things to work in other ways as well.
By its larger perspective, it transforms.
These transformations are often behind our greatest smiles...".  M. Ferguson

Friday, November 20, 2015

"It Has Always Been, Forever Will Be... About The Smiles"

I've often mused here about the faces, the expressions, the smiles, what we see in each other's eyes during our adventures, and especially within trials of efforts and endurance. There seems to be much to sense and learn about one another in these ways, while we wander long and far out there...
There is just something so memorable, even more so worth pondering, in what is seen in those kinds of looks we all share in...
There is still even more to be discovered within such adventure experiences, when we surprise ourselves so, by what we now see revealed in our very own expressions , which we never had known was there before. We find much more within than we ever first realized, and it is in those very distinct looks we see, and deeply feel, all of the meanings for what is displayed.
We all know those looks don't we my Friends...
That real anticipation before we reach a trailhead after endless preparations and long travels just to get there.
The distinct excitement of the first launch of our raft or sea kayak upon unknown waters.
Those prior anxieties and doubts, now overcome , through our own sustained efforts and endurance.
The concentration, focus, intensity, and intention that adversity within our adventures often loudly asks for us to develop.
Then, finally, eventually, just as surely out there as well - then there are those looks reflecting real contentment , pure happiness and joy , overwhelming fulfillment, and truly memorable smiles. Now those expressions we all know so very well too, don't we, and such looks will never, ever , be forgotten..... DSD 

Thursday, November 19, 2015

"A Life Among Adventures..."



The substance of our adventures,
And the echoes of a poem,
How very much alike,
They feel so much to be...

The elements of adventures,
And the essence of many poems,
Far away they always take us,
How much then we will see...

A life among adventures,
The feelings within a poem,
Experiences we reach with hope towards,
Understandings that then embrace us too...

Truly they are one and the same,
So wonderfully similar they always are,
The adventuring of shared perceptions,
The poetry of our forever wanderings..... DSD 

Dedicated this adventure day to all those 'Artists of Being Alive' who continue to Adventure For Another Reason.   

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

"Something Of Meaning To Each Of Us Adventurers..."


"No vision and you perish. No ideals and your lost. Your heart must ever cherish some faith at any cost. Some hope, some dream to cling to. Some rainbow in the sky. Some melody to sing to. Some service that is high...".  H.D. Autermont

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Of Shifts In Paradigms & Perceptions..."

"Paradigm Shifts"
I was first invited to ponder this reality through the study of Marilyn Ferguson's book "The Aquarian Conspiracy". After many further decades of wandering the wild places, I truly believe that this process of processes is underway even now in the midst of such tragedy.
A smile can change the way someone sees things.
A little pebble can help with the weight of the world.
A shift in personal perception& paradigm brigs us all a step closer.
We cannot undo what we now see.
This beautiful truth will continue to change each of us and thus the world we live in as well..... DSD  

"Shadows Beyond, Shadows Behind, Sunlight Will Always Arise..."

"While seeking the secrets of nature I have watched the salutary effects of stillness and peace on human hearts and minds. I have seen the overpowering beauty of dawns and sunsets reach into troubled breasts and heal hurts that were thought beyond medicine and philosophy. And I have seen those burdened with grief take on the silence of the forest aisles until they could hear that still, small voice which lifts hope and faith with wordless assurance...". S. Campbell 

Sunday, November 15, 2015

"Of Embers And Hope..."


It seems, at times, that things can seem so much darker before any new day dawns.
The unknown appears to worry us so; before any light shows upon the horizon.
When I ponder darkness, I also muse over 'embers'.
An 'Ember' is a seabird, well known for its' stamina and long voyages within unexpected wild places. A time to 'ember' is a time for meditation; a time set aside for establishing perspectives.
The 'embers' found within our wild place camp fires hold the hopeful potential too for new flame, warmth, and sustenance. There are always live coals still out there and within us adventurers as well. 
The glimmer of such 'embers' wait for us to rediscover them. This energy, this source, is a powerful metaphor and can be one of the deepest wellsprings for our feelings of hope - perceptions that say we can trust in our futures, that give cause to possibilities not yet seen.
Adventurers are very familiar with struggles, with the unknown, and thus sense the importance of embering...
Such 'embers' are more cheerful expectations, that we will indeed be inspired once again, that we can believe that moments of trial will certainly pass, that regardless of such storms, we will most certainly persevere. These are the many promises to be found within the 'embers of hope' my friends.
We are all adventurers in such times. The new fire that will assuredly take flame from such embers allows us to see beyond any darkness. 
The new horizons we will then see more clearly have always been there; they are just hidden from us. Waiting for us to find and fuel the embers of our shared hopefulness and our adventure spirit..... DSD  

"A Rock Gift For You My Friends..."

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

Saturday, November 14, 2015

"Living Life In Peace..."

"Imagine all the people.
Living life in peace.
You may say I'm a dreamer.
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us.
And the world will be as one...".  J. Lennon


"In The Midst Of Such Storms..."

"In the midst of such storms.
Pursue some path.
However narrow and crooked.
In which you can walk.
With love and reverence...".  H.D. Thoreau

Friday, November 13, 2015

"The Ground At Our Feet..."



"Our world is not only discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but also a very personal spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home. It is a journey we can make only by the acceptance of mystery...". W. Berry

"Treasures At Our Feet..."

"It is from the small things that the larger events of life are composed...
You may be capable of great things, but life consists of small things.
We must not fall into the trap of waiting so long for the big things, that we let numerous small chances slip right by us.
If we would look at this differently, we would see all the beautiful opportunities swirling at our feet.
If we would humble ourselves enough to bend down, we could scoop up untold treasures into our hands...".   D. Ming-Dao

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

"We Lived, Felt Dawn, Saw Sunset Glow....."

Forever words and moments of Remembrance...
Please listen...   
By John McCrae 

"Let Us Pause....."

"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.......    


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

"That Still, Small Voice..."

"While seeking the secrets of nature I have watched the salutary effects of stillness and peace on human hearts and minds. I have seen the overpowering beauty of dawns and sunsets reach into troubled breasts and heal hurts that were thought beyond medicine and philosophy. And I have seen those burdened with grief take on the silence of the forest aisles until they could hear that still, small voice which lifts hope and faith with wordless assurance...". S. Campbell 

"When You Go Home..."

"When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow, we gave all of our today...". John Maxwell

Monday, November 09, 2015

"Whispers To Remember..."

"Forests are made for weary men,
That they may find their souls again,
And little leaves are hung on trees,
To whisper of old memories,
And trails with cedar shadows black,
Are placed just there to lead men back,
Beyond the pitfalls of it all,
To boyhood, peace, and happiness...". M. C. Davies

"Memorable Courage..."


"Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there will always be someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to the end, requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them...".  R.W. Emerson 



"Of Meaningful Beauty..."

"That we find a crystal or a poppy beautiful, means that we are less alone.
It means we are more deeply engaged into this existence than the course of a single life would lead us to believe...".  J. Berger

Sunday, November 08, 2015

"November Perspectives..."

"Politics can be messy.
Democracy may have its flaws.
Freedom is not free.
Many have paid for this with their lives.
Yet it is better for all than what has been before...".  W. Churchill

"Of Freedom..."

"All we have of freedom, all we use or know.
This our fathers bought for us.
Long and long ago...". Rudyard Kipling   

"Rememberings..."

"Through woods and mountain passes.
The winds, like anthems, roll...". Longfellow 

Saturday, November 07, 2015

"Courage Has Been The Price..."

"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it has no release from those things, knows of the livid loneliness of fear, of unknown mountain heights - needs courage to grant it the joys to hear the sound of winds and wings up there...".  A. Earhart  

Friday, November 06, 2015

"Respect For Jaime's Courage..."

"Courage is not simply an absence of fear, but rather an understanding that there is something more meaningful than the fear...".  R. Messner

"Respect For Adventuring Paradoxically..."


There is a great deal within adventures and so much out among the elements that we may feel to be paradoxical... Paradoxes within the beauty of effort, of spirit and wonder, and of embracing the seemingly impossible.
So what is this mystery of paradox to be discovered within our wanderings, and then who are these inspiring adventurers of Paradox Sports?
Old wise references say that paradoxes may first be perceived as beliefs of seemingly self-contradictory statements, and yet hidden within are amazing explicable truths. Persons, things, or actions can all exhibit apparently elusive but true contradictions it would seem. Quinn & Cameron said that most, "Fundamentally, paradox embraces clashes of ideas", and that this meeting, "involves contradictory, mutually exclusive elements", that are most interestingly, "present and operate equally at the same time". Fletcher & Olwyler point out that the way towards understanding such paradox is to grasp that these "seeming impossibilities have to do with a person's own limited frame of reference", and most importantly that, "when a way is found to make both concepts real simultaneously, a deeper truth is revealed".
Paradox Sports have found a way to reveal such truths...
A way of inspiration, a way of example, and a way of embracing all sides of ourselves and all the many unique challenges we each face, be they physical, emotional, or of the psyche and spirit too.
Their vision is one where, "Paradox Sports envisions a world where people of all backgrounds and abilities can pursue a life of excellence through human-powered outdoor sports, regardless of physical disability or limb-count".
Empowerment is their method, inspiration is their means, especially by way of setting adventurous examples for so many. They believe their journey is indeed the destination and make their way notwithstanding seemingly impossible barriers of circumstance or perception. Like they say when, "A paraplegic scaled the 3000 foot walls of El Capitan and a blind man climbed to the top of Mount Everest we were all forced to recalibrate our perceptions of the possible".
One of their callings is to grasp for more clear 'perceptions of the possible' - four words that resonate for anyone who adventures, almost all who wander out there, and that we each eventually embrace closely as we create our own path, our own trails through the trials of our lives.
'Authenticity' is one of the ways which they put their beliefs into motion; as written on their website: "You won't find too many wallflowers in our group, but you will find wounded vets, climbers who lost limbs, people with congenital amputations and paraplegics. Right alongside of them, you'll bump into world-class climbers, riders and cyclists, business owners, bookkeepers, musicians, inventors, and university professors filling out the ranks. What brings us together? It's the desire to give back to a community that has given us so many memories, lifelong friends, and rich rewards". Such genuine connections are often much of what we seek when we venture out in the wild places with other kindred spirits as ourselves. They say further that, "Whether we're climbing, paddling, biking, surfing, or hiking, the physical challenge in a natural environment brings us together", "The desire to live a life of excellence, to pursue our dreams and reach our goals while helping others reach theirs".
Read over DJ Skelton's story who in the midst of his own recovery from injuries as a Veteran, found himself asking, "Does one really need arms to climb? How about legs to ski?", and how such reframed reflections speak to "The phenomenal power of the human spirit"... Timmy O'Neill's story too shares these shifts of paradigms about the hidden potential that usually lays quietly within all of us and describes how to find, "The truly indomitable and irrepressible human spirit that is fostered through exploration of wild places both internally, in our minds and hearts and, externally, in our rivers and mountains".
I find it difficult to put into words the connection I sense and the inspiration I feel when pondering the potency of such experiences. There is much here we could all muse by the campfire about and then so hopefully embrace in the ways we choose to see the world and then lead the adventures of our lives.
Look over their Glossary too, reflect on the words and meanings found there, that are not often encountered on an outdoor adventure site, like: "Disability Paradox, Quad, Renegade Spontaneity, Stump" among others.
Paradox Sports is a community where such shared paths may be created, in so many unique adventure ways, and wild place means. I have always believed, have experienced myself, and seen in so many others, that there is more within us than we often know, so many hidden elusive strengths than we may ever realize, and Paradox Sports shows us how to discover these by a 'way of example'.
Please visit their site, read the stories there of inspiration by example, and pass forward their resourceful and spirited message to anyone who may need it!   DSD  
 
 

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

"Our One Step Beyond..."

We never know what might be just one step beyond...
We may never see what may be reached for just past our last effort,
We might never realize what possibilities may be just out of sight,
We may never grasp what is just beyond what we think we know, a bit further away from what we believe to be fact,
We will never know, never see, never realize, nor grasp...
If we do not stay the course,
If we are not continuing to challenge perceived limitations,
If we will not allow ourselves to become all of who we could be out in the wild places...
We never know, if we don't go, that simple one step beyond... DSD   


"Always....."

"Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time...". O. Mandino   

Sunday, November 01, 2015

"What May Really Haunt Us..."


It is not what some may first think about that which haunts lots of us during the long, sometimes too quiet hours... For many adventurers it is not the darkness and depth of the night that makes us shiver; nor the risks inherent within all adventures which catches our breath at times. Not even the moments of trial and anxieties, and those real tests to one's determination and endurance that shake us on occasion. Fears about the unknown aren't foreboding to such explorers as we. Worries of keeping up or about competition simply are not there anymore for us elders either. The wild places are too welcoming for such wraiths to severely bother those who wander endlessly out there.
What really haunts many of us in those exposed contemplative moments; what truly may keep us up at night sometimes, are not so much these ghostly worries, but more so those ponderings and wonderings of what could have been...
We all have them. Those wishes for what might have been, for what we did not do... Maybe sadness or deep disappointment for dreams not put in motion; and even at times possibly for the loss of the desire to go...
What may in reality haunt many adventurers in those long, quite hours are more the shades of lost moments, unused opportunities, when we may have been distracted by something other than what could have been truly meaningful moments out among the wild places. These are the spirits that may really haunt us if we do not exercise them.....  DSD  

My gratitude to MSR for this haunting image.