"A Life Of Expression..."

"Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul...".  W. Maugham
"A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind...".  E. Lonesco

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.      

"Deeper Expressions..."

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

"Of Expressions..."

"Human spirit is our greatest source for motivation.
Climbing then becomes an expression of this...".
P. Ament  

"Every Day More Of Our Story..."

"There are maybe 30,000 days in your life. When I was 24, I realized I'm almost 9,000 down.
There are no warm-ups, no practise rounds, no reset buttons.
Your risk isn't failing, it's getting too comfortable.
Every day, we are writing a few more words of our story.
I wanted my story to be an adventure, and that's made all the difference...".  D. Houston

"Our Never Ending Stories..."

Quite some time back, Kraig at 'The Adventure Blog' posted about: Video: A Story For Tomorrow , I was intrigued, then so very inspired... 
Here was a very powerful video story of two young adventurers and their journey through Chile, from the Atacama Desert in the north, to the mountains of Patagonia in the south. The images are amazing, the music so very engaging, the voice of the narrator so inviting. 
These few quotes resonated and echoed out each time I played this:
"A long, long time ago, there where two people who looked very much like yourselves, and as with you, they were on a journey, a quest if you will, to find what we all seem to be searching for. For reasons they may never know... They entered... A place where time and direction don't exist. Yet they still pressed on... Each day a new door, a new direction, a new way to be... Until time simply faded away. As with all those who have come before you... They only found me - their future, quietly waiting, and I asked them the same two questions I will some day ask you: Is it possible to be happy with this life? And then I will ask as I do to everyone else: Did you enjoy your story?" 
My thanks again to Kraig for this special past post, and our gratitude for this gift from these two young adventurers at Gnarly Bay, who shared about their wonderful wanderings... DSD  

"Many Tales..."

We were watching the coals, the crackle and spit of the bright sparks.

The glowing so deep within. 

The gentle movement between light and dark.

When GrandFather said quietly, "A mountain fire tells many tales".

I waited patiently as I knew one of these may follow.

And it did...

A tale of immense storms and difficult challenges; of elusive summits and dark valleys; of grey wolves and grizzled bears; across the rushing rivers and polished rocks; and especially of ephemeral spirits and elements of many kinds.

Mountain fires do indeed share many tales with all of us.....  DSD

"Of Understandings..."

"Everything in the world has a hidden meaning... Men, animals, trees, stars, are all a kind of hieroglyph. When you see them you may not understand them. You think they are really men, animals, trees, stars. It is only years later that you truly understand...". N. Kazantzakis

That we begin to understand at all is amazing and so wonderful... DSD 

"Our Shared Dawning Moments..."

In the dawning of a new day, within the dawnings of every new moment, we may find so many promises...

A promise of assurances that we will be just fine, just like what our climbing partner offers as they hold out a rope for us.

A promise of possibilities yet to be discovered as when we first launch out from the shoreline.

A promise to enlighten us with being able to see with new eyes, as we always feel when gazing out from that finally attained elusive summit.

A promise that we will indeed find our way because the compass will always point north.

In the dawning of a new day are promises reflecting hope, that which affirms the future, and holds out the potential for as many things as impossible to count as the pebbles on an endless beach.

In the first moments of dawn all things may come to be...

During that first light within a new days beginning, wonderment is always present.

We are promised too that the such dawnings will forever be there for us, full of prospects, new horizons, and gifts of refreshed perspectives and renewed energies.

These are the profoundly simple promises we may discover within the dawning of a new day even among the challenges of such times... DSD    

"Each Day, A New Day..."

"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   

"Of Compassion....."

"I believe that at every level of society, the key to a happier world is the growth of compassion...".
Dalai Lama

"Compassion is not just feeling with someone but seeking to change the situation.
Frequently people think that compassion and love are merely sentimental.
No! They are very demanding.
If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action..."
Desmond Tutu

"Thoughts For Ft. McMurray...

"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches within the soul
Then sings in tune without any words
And never stops at all...".  E. Dickinson

"Public Personage Yet Solo Too..."

"I enjoyed climbing with other people, good friends, but I did a lot of solo climbing too...". 
Sir Edmund Hillary

"Of Solitude Within Anonymity....."

"The acid test of a true adventurer, if presented with certain anonymity, is whether each of us would still have made the journey beyond the last blue mountain..." M. Clark
Over these many years, and every season for certain, I am asked why undertake this Summit Stone endeavour in an anonymous way. Remaining anonymous, simply being nameless, was actually first encouraged by a close mentor of mine way back when. It was during those younger heady years, full of that vigour, energy, and endless goals. We talked about, then I long pondered, the differences between pride in our accomplishments, and the hubris that can distract us from their true meanings... As my intentions within this whole journey evolved, it became more clear as well that the essential elemental nature of all of this could be better expressed by remaining unknown. Then the focus shifts more clearly to other meanings, other important adventure themes, more significant expressions - like those represented in the "Giving Back & Passing Forward" section link right here... 
The ancient Greeks understood the depths of 'Anonumos', as they called these paths and efforts. They mused endlessly about the mystery to be found therein by each and every spirit who wanders. Being 'Anonumos' also very much meant leaving the ego by the wayside, letting go of that kind of recognition, so something else may be discovered... I think it is this kind of mystery that calls out to each of us. The unknowns of the wild places inherently do this. So if you discover a painted touchstone up within a summit cairn and register, placed there by an unknown someone, then just maybe, that tiny bit of extra mystery might spark a little interest as well. In why someone would do this, and what that might mean for you, and how this could express itself in any way you choose to give back and pass forward yourself...
Then such anonymity invites another kind of awareness. Many others, in their own ways, have also enjoyed exactly this kind of experience by giving something, anything, anonymously. This kind of expression then is not really about the giver, nor even only about the gift, but moreso about the connections that grow for all of those involved. There is much to be pondered about giving anonymously...
Vìktor Frankl wrote: ``We should not, then, be hesitant about challenging man with a potential meaning for him to fulfill``.
Maybe it`s kind of like heading out on a solo sea kayak trip, or as potently out upon a solo mountain climb. Then it is only truly about you and the mountain, you and the sea, within the joy of those moments. Other than for safety, no one even knows you have been there; only you know what those efforts meant, and for how each of us then creates our own meaning within such experience. 
Frankl also wrote: ``What he needs is... the call of a potential meaning to be fulfilled by him``.
An anonymous gesture is more about doing something for its own sake, not being influenced by any external outcomes or expectations, but more allowing the intrinsic value, purpose, and meaning of it all to emerge. If that is what is then naturally revealed, then it is all good and everyone can simply smile..... DSD
My sincere gratitude for sharing your images with us all my Friends.

"On Our Own In The BGI..."

I am just musing here at this moment, and gazing up, at the Broken Group chart mounted with another map up on my wall.

Just daydreaming about past times and future plans to again sea kayak solo out in the BGI.

This is another of those precious wild places I am grateful to have often visited and also thankful for those persons gone before us who made the time and spent the energy to advocate for and protect such vistas for future generations.

After many trips out in groups, and with my partner, over the last dozen years, I also wanted to experience another dimension of this cherished grid upon the map. But to journey on one's own is a very different way to experience a place.

As Colin Fletcher wrote: "By wandering out alone into the wilderness... I can after a while begin to see and to hear and to think and in the end to feel with a new and exciting accuracy...".

Going solo meant more detailed planning & preparation, and carrying all that extra gear one needs when out alone. It meant too thorough rehearsal and practice of self rescue; of navigation skills also as the potential fog can be a fun yet exhilarating challenge.

I am especially cautious of the the fetch of wind and waves, and tend to stay closer to these small islands for solo safety as well as for their meandering aesthetic shorelines.

It is indeed a different kind of mindset to be out with only your Self as company; one I've enjoyed yet also found to be somewhat overwhelming at times.

It is the beaches and wild marine life within these island gems that seem to attract me most.

I remember... the Tiny Group; Dempster beaches; hidden beaches around Nettle & Clarke with their mix of sand and crushed shells.

I remember... the carved face on the old cedar jutting out from Island 21 just south of Willis; the old Totem at the Dodd campsite which holds special memory too.

I think I have placed Summit Stones on most every island, time and again, within the BGI, and when I return days, weeks, or even months later - none of these remain. I am glad of this as that is my intent that they are 'found', then carried away, so that only the sand, rock, and driftwood remain.

There are certain islands... 

I am sure they are not visited very often at all. 

They have only the smallest point to step out upon; a very tiny sand or rocky area; where the timing for landing is only possible at the lowest spring tides. 

I remember these too.

And have been tempted to spend days, rather than hours at these rather than the busier locations. 

The nature of seeking out solitude within solo experiences I sense...

As R. Schultheis wrote: "There is a potency in solitude that surpasseth understanding...".

There may only be a hundred tiny islands out in the Broken Group.

But there are hundreds more hidden, secret places, and a thousand vivid adventure memories to be found out there.....  DSD