"Random Kindness..."

"Acts of kindness:

A random act of kindness,

no matter how small,

can make a tremendous impact on someone else's life...".

Roy T. Bennet

"A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream... The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. 'I've been thinking', he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone'...".   Anon

"Of Echoes And Listening..."

Once again...

Finally, wonderfully, quietly and closely,

Because if we keep listening,

Then our echoes appear.

From ages past they call out,

Within experiences long over,

Ringing of inspiration,

Noiseless sounds of such beauty.

From what others have shared,

Precious strengths and their wisdom,

The encouraging substance,

These elemental echoes of hope.

Quietly waiting once more,

A glad tear in my eye,

Being as still as I can,

When listening again,

Now the echoes come calling...  DSD  

"Grateful Listenings..."

We were not talking so much at this point way back then. A very long hike to an elusive high place that day, with much laughter and discussion about life's journeys all along the trail. We almost hadn't gone, such was the weather and the other distractions back here. But out there now, in those moments, I found myself not saying as much, but rather simply listening more attentively again...

Just simply hearing through my memories - for what our Outward Bound Leaders, those old wise Mountain Guides, and especially for that so very experienced Sea Kayak Instructor, who all seemed to be saying one clear thing: "Take time to listen", they all said in their own unique ways...
'Listen' for those so quiet voices from out over the waters and waves; for those voices of encouragement and commitment.
'Listen' for those special personal sounds among the trees and the winds; for whispers of motivations yet to be discovered.
'Listen' for your own music within the storms; as they will always share their wild secrets.
We each will surely experience our own adventure audibles, as we quietly listen in those many ways with our ears, our minds, and our spirit too. We each will truly hear personal messages as well from deep within our individual desires, dreams, and intuition.
I guess that I am very glad, just so happy that in remembering to hear their voices echo in my mind again, now I am simply listening yet once more...
Because I sense that if we stop listening so, then we might just lose our way.
We might possibly miss our wild callings, then not really hear the whispers of our adventure longings, for why we go, and why we do what we do within our wild place wanderings.
So grateful we are all still simply listening..... DSD 

Thank you all again my Friends, for your many wonderful images, and sharing them on our journeys. 

"Listen Farther..."

"Two voices are there; one is of the sea, one is of the mountains". Wordsworth
"We climb to hear - whispered in the wind, echoed in the stars - strains of that mysterious music". E. Bernbaum
"I heard nothing except the music that had seemed to accompany me throughout my climb". R. Messner
"On this sun-consumed rock pile, eternity is trying to speak - no, sing to me". R. Schultheis

It always seems to be, when now adventuring and wandering, intentionally slowing my steps, I am listening more quietly and closely, for both the meanings of the words within these wonderful quotes, then too for the songs and echoes from so far out in the wild places..... 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

"Earth Teach Me To Remember..."

Below is a reading from the Ute Peoples of North America, as quoted by P.Novak. 

A wonderful musing for pondering over adventure, life lessons learned, and experiences remembered, 

for our shared Day for the Earth.

It could be said that the Ute Peoples were among the first climbers, canyoneers, and rock artists out in these wild lands.

"Earth teach me to remember...

Earth teach me stillness

as the grasses are stilled by light.

Earth teach me suffering

as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility

as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth teach me caring

as the mother who secures her young.

Earth teach me courage

as the tree which stands all alone.

Earth teach me limitation

as the ant which crawls on the ground.

Earth teach me freedom

as the eagle which soars in the sky.

Earth teach me resignation

as the leaves which die in the fall.

Earth teach me regeneration

as the seed which rises in the spring.

Earth teach me forget myself

as the melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me kindness

as dry fields weep with rain."

Metaphors with such meaning.

Each day a new beginning.

Every day something worth learning.

All adventures within themselves... DSD   

"Daring To Dare..."

"To dare,

is to lose one's footing momentarily.

To not dare,

is to lose oneself...".

Soren Kierkegaard

"For Fur, Feathers, And Fins Fridays..."

I once was able to watch a grey wolf at play when out on an adventure. 
This animal was a mystery in motion to me. 
At that time I knew so little about them, and yet found myself so very impressed by its grace of movement and its playful behavior. 
When it finally looked over in my direction and met my gaze, there was a moment there, where I wondered whom was really watching who..... DSD 

"Adventurous Mysteries..."

"Hidden in and under the mountain, and all around it, is a mystical, linear elegance, an atmosphere, the long jewel-like ridges. There is a meaning for us, an extended journey, a project of inspiration to which our minds will be apprenticed".

"The mountains... are an exultant image whose mirrors create the effect of endlessly receding planes. Their image is suddenly clear, then is blurred, an expression of our presence".

"The mountain... obscures itself among other mountains, finds secrecy in its weather and moods. 

There is a strangeness, one of a beautiful worth. A storm breaks. We are called to its prismatic, poetic mood, a beauty that pervades every part of us... for all that is given, and that we are blessed to know, and must leave hidden."   Pat Ament

Many life long mountaineers, like Ament, eventually journey to a waypoint where the mystery of their adventures' becomes as important as the places themselves.

Wild places, especially mountains, seem to inherently, yet subtly, invite us to search out the mystery to be found out there within these elements..... DSD   

"And Going..."

"Perseverance,

is the hard work you do,

after you get tired of doing the hard work,

you already did...".

Anon

"Farther Darings..."

"Study the lives of highly successful people,

from any corner of life,

across history,

in any environment,

and you will discover they share one simple trait.

They keep moving forward.

Sometimes slowly.

Often with great difficulty.

Frequently after painful mistakes, defeats, or failures.

Their success is less about talent and opportunities.

It is more about commitment and motivation...".

Joe Jordan

"Daring..."

"It is not because things are difficult,

that we do not dare,

it is because we do not dare,

That they are difficult...".

Seneca

"So Very Hard..."

While being used to challenges, as we adventurers inherently learn to be, this particular climb, that single day, had turned out to be so hard.
So very hard.

The approach had been laborious; no easy path at all to follow even just to begin. 
The route finding then was perplexing, most troublesome, unyielding in what is usually given to us if only we keep at it long enough.

We thought we had trained well, yet some of the physical trials were unexpected; this mountain was much tougher than what we had thought - the angles, that kind of rock, the sustained straining hindered us almost at every move we were to try.

The sky was sullen also, our mood as dark at times too and it was so difficult to keep lightened up with much humor at all. 
The conditions themselves only worsened the harder we attempted to overcome one obstacle after another, after another.

It was harder too then to bear the realization that there would be no time at that summit to enjoy, nothing to celebrate at that moment except a more severe descent, an even more unclear route back.

We were so tired, so bruised, had so much adversity that day.

It was so hard.
Yet it was one of our very best days out...  DSD  

"Spending Time..."

"How are you going to spend your day today?

The key word is spend.

Our time is one of our most precious gifts in our lives.

Once today is over,

that's it.

Think about how you really want to spend your day.

Tomorrow, today will be history.

It's your life, your history.

How do you want to write

the history of your life today...?"

James A. Murphy

"Carry On..."

"Somewhere along the line you ask yourself, 'What am I doing here'. It is then that you must think back and remember that it was the right thing to do at the start. Therefore, the right thing to do is to carry on and finish whatever it is that you've started...".  J. Hughes

"Such Quiet Voices...

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."  Immanuel Kant

There are very few of us adventurers who have not had desires and dreams about, and then actual experiences in sharing the wild places with, our family of wild ones out there.

Our experiences become so very special when this happens, when we see them, especially when we share a moment among them, and so we hope though while elusive that this will happen again and again for us.

Most of us cherish these moments almost as none other, they are so unique, so touching. Then we also often want to reflect upon our own lives through totems and symbols of what these special creatures of the earth represent to each of us.

I have forever longed for such connection with the wild ones, the quiet ones, and have been so grateful when it occurs. We admire their courage, their tenacity & endurance, their strength, their energy, the very spirit with which they live their lives out there. Without asking for anything in return they share with us their wisdom, and the mystery & memories of ageless wonders.

Yet we also know, as ones who wander out there, the risks they too face. We have seen the realities and the impacts of changes and clashes of territory, species, and cultures. We feel it deeply when their hurt voices are raised.

The truth of it is, even with their wild ways and powers we may envy, that they are really the most vulnerable ones, these quiet ones who call to us...

Within their callings they point us towards ways of fulfilling our own longings.

We adventure as we can, they must venture always.

We wander wild places to enhance our lives, they journey wild places because it is their lives.

We are an integral part within both of each others history and future.

They are our most precious ones. They are an essential part of our family, can be our teachers, our guides, our healers. They are the most vulnerable ones. They need us, yet we need them just as much, do we not my friends...

What would the wild places be without our family of wild ones?

We often hear their voices when they call in the dark, when dawn begins, and they can be heard too as we stop and listen and still ourselves when we wander out there.

They are the quietest voices, strong but often scared voices, they call as much to us as they do to each other to listen, to hear, to know, to feel...

Strong as they are they are vulnerable too. We know of such vulnerabilities, as we have touched it through our human frailties and with the risks we experience as we adventure. We are as vulnerable as well for in losing these quiet ones, in not hearing their voices, in not taking those paths that might mean some extra efforts on our part - will most certainly result in the loss of experiences shared with them and horizons only dreamed of.

We can do this, we who wander and adventure. We have strengths that can be theirs, and these quiet ones will then in turn share their wisdom with us, which may a saving grace for all.

Please listen with me for a while as the quietest voices are calling.

They are calling for us.

They are quiet voices reaching out to each of us.

Let us each respond, in our own way, even in some small way, and then go out there again, to see them, to embrace them, because we really are on one and the same path..... DSD    

"Dream Arches..."

"Dream arch shimmers in storm clouds.
A bridge between heaven and earth it is said.
Yet its entrance is hard to find...".  D. Ming-Dao

We glimpse them. We know they are truly there.
So we continue to adventure and wander to seek them out.
Then, as we do, and when we finally rest.
We discover that our rainbows, now have found each of us... DSD 

"What Will Your Next Adventure Be..."

We all have our own mountains to climb and our own 'summits' to achieve. Our quest for these 'summits' is as important as attaining them... The arduousness of our quest is part of how we come to understand our motivation. Creating and recreating our own enthusiasm and motivation is the very essence of adventure experiences. There are many kinds of 'summits' and many 'adventure ways'. When we push our own limits at a level, and in an activity, that is right for each of us, with a focus on safety and especially fun; we journey along paths of freedom, happiness, beauty, and truth. The 'path' could be up a mountain, along a coastline, down a river or canyon, along a trail or ridge line, under the earth, across a lake or ocean, through any wilderness. The 'means' could be by going solo or in a group, with boots, runners, rope, crampons, bike, ski, snowshoe, kayak, canoe, raft, or... Achievement is determined by our own efforts and not just results. How will you arrange the elements in your life? What will your next 'adventure summit' be?   DSD  

"Somewhere Between..."

"Somewhere between,

the bottom of the climb,

and the summit,

is the answer to the mystery,

for why we climb...".

Greg Child

"Adventure Mystery..."

"Every solution,

to every problem,

is simple.

It's the distance between to two,

where the mystery lies...".

Derek Landy

"Vimy. One Hundred Years..."

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

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

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

"Touching Rock..."

"I am glad to touch the living rock again and dip my head into the high mountain sky...".   J. Muir

The experience of touching rock.
Touches us.

We develop a feel for the rough or polished granite.

A sense of any loose or firm quartz.

This aesthetic sensation also becomes a part of the desert rock or northern limestone that we embrace on any particular adventure day.

Think too of how this simple example of Muir's musings have had such lasting effects, like the substance of stone itself.

Countless adventurers have read Muir's writings and then have since experienced their own spirited relationship to rock and stone and mountains...   DSD

"A Path In The Company Of Others..."

"We make our journey,

in the company of others.

The deer, the rabbit, the bison,

and the quail walk before us.

The lion, the eagle, the wolf,

the vulture, and the hyena,

walk behind us.

All our paths lay together...

None is wider than any other,

or favored above any other.

The worm that creeps beneath your foot,

is making its journey as surely as you are...".

D. Quinn

"Your Foretelling Stars..."

"Trust your heart,

if the seas catch fire.

Live by love,

though the stars walk backward...".

E.E. Cummings

"Stars...".

"Dwell,

on the beauty of life.

Watch the stars.

See yourself running with them...".

Marcus Aurelius

"Our Best Day..."

"Write on your heart,

that every day,

is the best day in the year...".

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Keeping To Your Path..."

Very dark clouds there were.

Even colder winds.

Elements of weather seemingly to conspire.

In distracting me from my intentions.

Even so, today I decided to go a little farther...

Questionable conditions over such terrain.

Doubts of fitness too, as I feel not quite as prepared.

The angle and slope increases greatly as well.

Still, even so, this day I promised myself to go a bit higher...

Being out solo, can hold so many challenges.

Certain risks are even more apparent.

Personal responsibility becomes very important.

Yet, even so, amidst all of this I then adventured somewhat further...

That balance of risk and reward, adversities and unknowns.

Reaffirming our focus on choice, motivations, and commitment.

A long day it was back then, a much harder summit to attain.

Though, as we each realize, from what we discover within.

Many times on the very journey itself, over such paths.

This all makes the forever moments and memories, even so much more personal and precious..... DSD 

Dedicated this adventure day to all those who keep on their paths when Adventuring For Another Reason.

"Ready Now....."

"I have been finding treasures in places I did not want to search.

I have been hearing wisdom from tongues I did not want to listen for.

I have been finding beauty where I did not want to look.

And I have learned so much from journeys I did not want to take.

I have been closing my ears and eyes for too long.

I have learned that miracles are only called miracles because they are often witnessed

by only those who can see through all of life's illusions.

I am ready to see what really exists...".

S. Kassem