“Hello Dear Friends...”

Hello Dear Friends. 

Over twenty five years and so many seasons have unfolded now with this little Summit Stone endeavour.

I am grateful for every moment along the way.

Since becoming ill some years ago, my adventure activities are few now, yet my enthusiasm remains. 

I am so appreciative of fellow wanderers who have become ‘Partners In Placing’ these Summit Stones as well.

My intention is to keep going as far as this trail takes me. 

Thank you for sharing in all of this all and I hope we remain companions for many more adventure seasons.

Might I ask at this point for a bit of your time.

These last months in particular have invited me to see even more deeply into how many others who are dealing with chronic illnesses are still climbing their own mountains.

These folks are Adventurers and also Survivors.

So I started a Facebook Page in support of them called “The Survivors Club “. 

Would you mind taking a few moments to have a look, and then like & share this new Page if it pleases you, to send out some support for all of them.

My sincere gratitude,

Dan

https://www.facebook.com/HenningAndDan/

“Momentum From The Inside...”

The great mountaineer Reinhold Messner wrote: "There is no greater stimulation for one's own enthusiasm than self-determination... motivation is momentum from the inside... The critical dimensions of self-motivation includes mind, spirit, and body. It controls the will, stokes an 'inner fire', and lets us do things completely... Motivation does not fall from heaven. It is hidden in all of us. It has only to be awakened... Motivation is like bottled, concentrated energy. It is stored for a long time as expectations, hope, and dedication... I know that the strongest motivations come from the inner depths of the soul."

“Of Beauty And Mystery...”

"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

“Adventuresome Connections...”

“We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe atomically.”  Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Our Daily Supplement...”

The Ancient Ones forever mused over the wonders within being in-spired: To breath in that which would keep us going.

As Adventurers, we know about the importance of many kinds of sustenance, be it food, water, sunshine, even friends. Sustenance for the ephemeral kinds of endurance we need out there, would seem to be as much an essential element as any other; this 'inspiration' - this Vitamin 'I'.

What a critical substance for our wanderings, for discovering the meanings within the why we do what we do out there.

I believe it is something we would seem to need daily. Do we not desire, even crave this on so many levels? Seeking inspiration in itself can become a wanderers dream, a pilgrimage of endless purpose.

There are so many avenues for inspiration. It is so very abundant. A few sources that fellow adventurers and I have evoked include: Simply getting out there, for the wild places themselves offer endless gifts that inspire, even take our breath away; within dreaming & vision questing; from others wonderful stories & experiences; images & memories; readings & quotations; and especially within those potent unexpected moments of serendipity & mystery we will most surely find ourselves in.

Such inspiration is truly a fundamental energy within motivation for setting out upon any path, an energy needed to understand all challenges, and an energy essential when wandering towards any chosen horizon.

What fuels; that which drives our enthusiasms is drawn from this well with no bottom.

Inspiration is an elemental energy that is indeed priceless, ageless, timeless, and boundless - and yet available to every one of us.....  DSD 

“Just A Little Higher...”

Just climb a little higher”, the Outward Bound Instructor had said three times now.

"Just climb a little higher".

We were leading our group on a difficult mountain scramble and I had taken on the role of route finding. I have since come to so enjoy finding a way over rock and scree and vertical terrain; but back then I had no experience in this artful skill at all. My novice perspective at that time and limited outlook did not really let me see past my own immediate position on the mountain.

Being so focused on my own little world of rock and exposure, I don't think I was being of much assistance to our group. It was a very good thing that on this day I was being shadowed by one of our Instructors.
 Always there, much like my real shadow, for support and guidance. I couldn't count the times I was confused about where to reach or step next, yet each time that Instructor just quietly said, "Just climb a little higher”.
 I then saw what I hadn't noticed before - almost as if a new route appeared before my eyes. Each time with a slight change of perspective came different options; more choices of where and how to move.

After the last time these guiding words were said, then there was no more route to find.

Instead a vista that brought a tear to my eye had opened up; an expanse that was there so quickly I was surprised. The most blue of blue sky's shimmered above our heads and just to the side was the traditional summit cairn.

This learning metaphor from such real experience has assisted me so well over the years when finding my way again on new terrain in adventures and life. 
All I have to do, to be able to see more clearly, to gain new perspectives, is just remind myself to just climb a little higher.....

DSD

“The Winged One’s...”

I have always believed that we have yet to truly understand the unique, powerful, and mysterious relationship we have to those who fly overhead.

Stephen Lyman wrote:"To the Winged Ones who see the larger picture from above".

Those of our winged family who have such a view of the world have much they can teach us.

I remember Coastal kayaking among eagles young and old passing so closely by.
A ridge route scramble, where quietly above us, maybe not noticed by all, was a great flight of wonders.
Being solo on Banff's 3rd highest summit; higher than any mountain is sight, where my friend for the day was a single companionable bird.

I remember Rafting the Grand; both in the midst of serious rapids and those quiet moments of floating and contemplation, when diving among us were winged creatures of to many varieties to count.
There was a Columbia Icefields summit; where that magnificent creature of the air led the way.
And there, flying overhead, on another past adventure, we were once more sharing blue sky and even a more blue ocean with another of our wild place family out there.
And yet again, during a season for climbing, after just a glimpse of a passing shadow, I waited to look up because I knew what I was wondering and hoping for and was not disappointed.

There they were; not so far above, following our route - the mist in my eyes that moment from more than the cold.

A beautiful feather fell from the sky at some point that day and had landed near the summit cairn.
While I didn't get a picture, it then rested with the register along with some small painted cobblestones.

I truly do believe we share a close relationship with the 'Winged Ones' that we do not fully understand yet.
Scientists can't seem to agree on if we evolved some how from them; or maybe they have evolved further from us.

It does seem though, that if we could soar high above, especially during troubling times, and view the world from such a perspective, much would be seen differently by us on this great rock we all share.....

DSD

“New Dimensions...”

"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions...". O.W. Holmes

“Of Listening...”

"Much silence has a mighty noise...". Swahili Proverb

"The quieter you become, the more you can hear...". Ram Dass

“One Day A Boy Asked His Father...”

“One day a boy asked his father, “What is the value of this life?” Instead of answering, the father told his son, “Take this rock and go offer it at a market, however do not accept any offer and bring the rock back to me. If anybody asks the price, raise two fingers and don’t say anything.”The boy then went to the market and a man asked,”How much is this rock? I want to put it in my garden.” The boy didn’t say anything and raised two fingers, so the man said… “$2? I’ll take it.” And the boy went home and told his father, “A man at the market wants to buy this rock for $2.” The father then said, “Son I want you to take this rock to the museum, and if you are asked the price, raise two fingers and don’t say a word.” The boy then went to the museum, and quickly a man wanted to buy the rock, The boy didn’t say anything and raised two fingers and the man said… “$200? I’ll take it.” The boy was shocked and went running home with the rock in hand, “Father a man wants to buy this rock for $200.” His father then said, “There is one last place I’d like you to offer this rock, take it to the precious stone store and show it only to the owner and don’t say a word, if he asks the price raise two fingers.” The son then went to the precious stone store and showed the rock to the owner. “Where did you find this?” The owner asked, “This is a most precious unpolished gem, one of the most valuable in the whole world, I must have it. What price would you take for it?” The boy didn’t say anything and raised two fingers to which the man replied “Two million dollars? That is a bargain, I’ll take it!” The boy not knowing what to say went breathlessly running home to his father anxiously clutching this now priceless gem, terrified that he might lose it, “Father there is a man who wants to buy this rock for two million dollars!!!” The father then said, “Son you have been carrying in your hands, one of the most precious objects of our people, it is truly priceless!” The father then said, “Son do you now know the value of your life?” To which the son replied… 'The value of my life, is much like this rock, it depends on who it is offered to. Some place a value of $2, others $200, and still others two million dollars. I must surround myself with other precious Souls who recognize the greatest value of my life, because it is my most precious possession, and I must not allow it to be under valued, it’s true value is priceless.' " In reply the father said, " Son you have actually held in your possession the TWO most precious things that our people have, one is the stone and the other is YOU, that is why I asked you to hold up TWO fingers" What is the value of this life??? Priceless!”  Raymond D. Longoria Jr.

”Of Difficulty And 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

Interesting at times how a cliff or mountain may present as such a test for us - until after we have embraced and climbed them. Then they become more truly the fun challenges that we now remember fondly.
Curious how some rapids may look to be such a trial - until after we have run them , then we laugh and talk so excitedly in the afterglow of those moments.
Funny how the unknown out there and the darkness of those nights may be so foreboding - until we keep going and then see what was on the other side of such mists, and our confidence grows yet again.
So interesting it is...
DSD

“Leave No Stone Unturned...”.

"To find what you seek in the road of life, the best proverb of all is that which says: 'Leave no stone unturned'...". E.Lytton

We turn over so many cobblestones on our journey...
Under some we find what hides in the dark, damp places, and that which maybe should be left alone.
Under most others though, we discover treasure we learn to embrace and define within our adventure ways.
Yet all likely need to be turned, experienced, pondered, and mused about...
Where will your next stone be found Dear Finders...
DSD

“Remembering...”

"Remember... The dream that comes true in midocean or at the dry waterhole or on black ice; the animal that appears at the precise and empty instant you need it to whisper in your ear." 

R. Shultheis

Remember, my dear friends, remember such moments from within our lives of adventure, and smile once again at the wonder of it all...  DSD

“At Some Point...”

"At some point in every wilderness journey, a moment comes when triggered by a sudden sensation, a glance backward or a stop to look all around, the trekker realises that a threshold has been crossed, that the last vestiges of tamed landscape have been left behind and the surrounding territory is purely wild." M. Mardon

I do so love that very moment.
And often ponder how it seems very much like that, both externally out there, and also within our internal landscape as well...

DSD

“Adventuresome Motives...”

"But if adventure has a final and all embracing motive it is surely this: We go out because it is in our nature to go out and climb mountains and to sail the seas, to fly the planets and plummet into the depths of the oceans. By doing these things we may touch with something outside or behind, which strangely seems to approve our doing them. We extend our horizon, we expand our being, we revel in the mastery of ourselves." W. Noyce

“Embracing The Ancient...”

To have such a hiking trail, with nearby rocky peaks to scramble upon, while being surrounded by Ice Fields and glaciers so very, very old, is simply wonderful and amazingly beautiful.

It's almost as if the elements have agreed that because so much of this area is so high, so extreme, and so far away, that one small point on this part of the map should be accessible to us. If for no other reason than to bear witness to what can most often may be only seen, never touched.

That seems to be true for the many who come to view the glaciers from far down before us on the highway below. Many cannot, or choose not to hike or scramble in this way, yet they are still afforded moments among such majesty of long ago.

Way up here though, as we gaze across at the distant Ice Fields, we can sense times long past, moments belonging to the Olden Ones and their ways. Everything here has existed, has lived, for so long that any kind of measure of their time lines becomes indistinct. These ancient peaks, these great glaciers, even the oldest windswept trees, among lichens of so many colors and ageless rocks of such different kinds surely holds the secrets of the eternities.

There are old stories to be discovered here, and told, of what existed back then, of the precursor's of today, of these beautiful monuments belonging to antiquity. 
They are so well preserved, and all so very prepared to pause for each of us - their former selves still in their continuing greatness in all its splendour, waiting patiently for we adventurers to venture forth and hike there among these ancients.....

DSD

“What If...”

What if...

What if it all means we should go. 
You know, even with all of 'That'.

What if all of those other so important distractions, that daily distress, those preoccupations of people and time pressures, the never ending deadlines, family concerns, others issues, lack of support or sleep, that extra work, or feeling quite tired of it all - what if on another level of understanding and need, what if it all means you should go.

Of course, many of these are real concerns, important in their own way, and needing of some time and attention. But, what if, having all of these kinds of storms in our lives - rather than meaning we shouldn't or seemingly couldn't go, what if they all actually are telling us a different secret... 

Even while they are trying us, testing us, to see how much we want these adventures; what if much of what we really need many times is to be found in the avocation of our wanderings out there.
What if, by going, we discover more clarity, become centered again, more focused yet relaxed, renewed of energy, and so much more able to return to navigate all those other such things back here.

What if, after pondering this seemingly simple question, we each uncover a heretofore hidden and immeasurably valuable answer for ourselves.

What if...

DSD

“Two Climbing As One...”

Two climbers, two rope partners, two close friends. 
Climbing as one, on a mountain of rock, among endless beauty of snow and ice. 
Knowing that closeness and shared feelings of movement, sensation, of placement, and position. 
It is typically two who are out there, upon those mountain faces, while linked by rope, and commitment in that unique way. 
There may be two, but they are really climbing as one.
A special experience of connection it is, of profound shared wonders and such potent energy. 
Touching the same rock - moving, blending, within the music of adventurous synchronicity. 
A mixing in of space, within moments of time, and of an agreed upon intention. 
One knowing the other, so very closely, in that experience of trust, confidence, and friendship. 
There may be two, yet they are more truly climbing as one..... DSD

“Such Tides...”

While even so called, I was to learn that such tides occur not just in the spring, but rather when the Earth, Sun, and Moon are in concordance. They are the strongest of tides; the tides of extremes for highs and lows, when the pull, the drawing, of both sun and moon work synergisticly together. 
The moon was indeed very full as I looked out over those island waters. I had not seen them in some time.
The tide tables also shared what could now be viewed out among these quiet points of rock that were growing higher and larger as the minutes passed. 
The waters were withdrawing, were retreating, were letting go of their grasp upon the land. 
And as with all true mystery, now things were being shared that were not known before. 
I was up at that very early hour for just this experience. 
To listen in the night, to converse with the moon, to watch the waters ebb beyond, to walk upon a shoreline that hardly ever breathes the air, and hopefully to find those treasures that are only shared in those brief, ephemeral, moments such as this.
They were indeed there.
The pure soft sands, the countless shells & sand dollars, endless polished cobblestones, and tidal life so vibrant and full of energy. 
I wandered and strolled and walked and mused and stooped and sat for endless moments, until the waters voice became more insistent to return. 
Then the first full glow of a distant horizon began to more show itself.
Such a special spring tide.
Another of those gentle, hidden, beautiful gifts from out there..... DSD 

“No Tread At All It Seemed...”

No Tread at all it seemed, between us and the trail that day.
Within a flow, a sense of something else, effortlessness among our paths. 
Those feelings, a sweet spot to be, ongoing motion, momentum forward, no need for long to rest.
No tread between us and the trail, nor the mountain too.
Steep slopes, so much loose scree, yet continuous movement, with heads held up very high. 
The knowing of endurance of another kind, an assuredness within each and every step. 
Forward, upward, then upon the peak, nothing between us and the ancient rock. 
Instead a sensing, blending, becoming one, between us and that whole adventure day.....DSD