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It is an experience of such amazing beauty, even though much may not be clearly seen at first. It is an experience of wonder too, because of all of its inherent mystery.
To be out paddling upon those waters, so slowly, so quietly, calmly drifting along, long pondering only the elements...
The sounds are gently muted by the fog and mist way out here. The character of the ocean is hidden somewhat too. These distant coastal islands are elusive enough, yet when the mist and fog settle in for hours, even days at a time - there is such a contemplative ephemeral slowly revealing beauty to it all...
There are the unseen yet vocal waves rhythmically breaking upon shy rocks. The shifting of great beds of kelp. Sands and shells upon secluded beaches tucked away who have the consistent caress of the tides eternally upon them. The waters are always flowing, the currents are always changing, the gliding of a kayak always blending, among the mist that is forever gently moving. There are the sounds too of certain wild ones, the sea beings, and the winged ones, who let us know occasionally of their special presence as well. When the winds eventually become more felt, the fog and mist so slowly begins to journey on. Then the ancient trees on these islands glisten and now wave us happily forward. My most favorite sound through such fog though, is the gentle crackle of a small fire, first only sensed, then barely heard, finally glimpsed, through the mist just before we return and land again at our little island camp.
Listen with your eyes closed for a moment my Friends, so we can share in the hidden beauty and wonder of it all..... DSD
My sincere appreciation for your mystical images my Friends.
"Why is it that memories of campfires are so long-lasting...". D. Brower
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled...". Plutarch
We all have such cherished reflections from campfires don't we my friends. You remember those beautiful flickering flames, while relaxing much later in the day, after attaining your sought after elusive summit.
We recall the engaging conversations, and also those quiet personal musings, while contemplating the depths within those lingering inspiring fires.
I remember those coastal islands, those very long days and forever moments, while slowly kayaking from one island to the next, and then onward.
You surely feel the warmth of both memories, and those glowing coals too, which are still emanating from your last time out around them.
We remember the darkest winter nights, beside a frozen northern lake, with the crisp air and the distinct crackling of that welcoming fire.
Then also in the deep desert, with the stars far above, and the shadows dancing closely, from our small but embracing campfire.
Warmth and wonderment, flames and friendships, coals and connections, reflections and memories... All such very cherished gifts.
A few of our shared memories, sources of energy and inspiration as well, reflecting yet once more as I now set out seeking such warm moments..... DSD
My appreciation to Barbara for the top image above from her West Coast Trail journey, and to Drew for the second image from one of his challenging climbs, and the inspiring reflections they share with us.
This early morning, amidst the preparations for my next adventure out upon those coastal waters, I find myself reflecting upon epiphanies. Those experienced this last mountain season and those I hope to embrace soon...
Out among the summits that day, I was reminded how adventuring is not just about the endless vistas, nor only about the brilliant sunrises and sunbeams we see out there for example, as wonderfully amazing that they always seem to be. So many times we also sense certain kinds of beginnings, those previously unknown ways and means for seeing, in developing formative perceptions about all of what we experience in so many new ways as well...
This is what was unfolding that hiking day out with close friends, to the headwaters of a great river, near an ancient glacier, and right by the immense waterfall that shares in the stories within all that mountain history. What eventually manifests on such adventures we can never really predict. One of the many reasons we go, as I'm sure we all sense, is the seeking of such inspiration out there - the hope for discovery of new things, different ways to see, and for even more meaningful ways to be.
This is reflects the phenomenon of the epiphany...
That nexus of awareness and effort, energy and adversity, attitude and perspective, connection and projection, all within our past, present, and future. This all allows the elements to blend, and then unfold, in so many kinds of amazing revelations.
Three such epiphanies were gifted to me that hiking day...
First was an energetic youth, whom we saw moving along the trail up ahead. His gait was uneven, almost as if he was unsure. But that was not the case at all, for he was hiking with a prosthetic leg, yet more surely than many we have met out there. His pace, his intention, that smile, and determination, all shared so much about discovery.
Then later, was an elder. A woman out with her family, who surprised us when we were to catch up. Her energy was endless, her enthusiasm contagious. I asked as politely as I could of her son how old she was. "Seventy eight", he said so proudly, "and she's not slowing down at all". There again was that wonderful appearance, of both perception and inspiration, hiking out ahead of us, so gracefully amidst that later time of life and yet in this wild place too...
Finally, most profoundly, at the far portion of our hike, near the base of that very high waterfall, was another of that adventure days epiphanies hiking slowly towards us. I had been gathering up old rocks that would surely later have a bit of paint splashed upon them. Through the mist surrounding me, I looked up to see one of my friends talking with a couple. The gentleman looked about my age, but it was his face that caught my eye. He looked tired in a different way, yet a smile and happy gestures were there as well. When approaching them, as I needed to place the stones I had gathered up in my pack over by my friend, I was then able to listen in a bit to the conversation. "What a wonderful waterfall", they were saying, and "a gorgeous trail we've hiked over", they were sharing about too. I don't know how the topic then came up, but as we do chat about so much with others out on the trail, then this person shared about what this day out there meant to him. His cancer had recently returned. There would be no treatments this time around, he said, while decisions now needed to be made, and hiking this whole trail this day was one of these...
The mist on my face hid the tears in my eyes as I listened quietly to the rest of his story. Then later with a wave and a smile, they carried on and I waved back, then watched them hike on further...
I am sure you all share in the same revelations that came to mind right then my friends...
Three epiphanies appeared, and were gifted us that long adventure day, and we will not ever forget them..... DSD
My appreciation for sharing your eye opening images with us here my Friends.
"A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are for...". John Shedd
The first time this was said on Outward Bound, it struck a few as funny because while this old quote reflected on ships and the ocean, we were deep within the mountains. Yet metaphors and Outward Bound blend together like summits and the sky, so the next few times we heard this we listened with different ears...
Now, looking far back to those origins and beginnings, many of us can see as well how Outward Bound had firstly sent us forth - launched our very selves and lives upon so many amazing undertakings. We have since propelled ourselves towards mountain summits, then launched further when rappelling on our return. We've initiated treks so far, taken first steps out in wild places previously only envisioned, gone forth on the open ocean and among canyons so much farther and deeper than ever expected.
Such launchings...
So many wonderful journeys, all from those first fledgling beginnings. We adventurers are born for this kind of experience. It is elemental, primal, an inherent part of us and what we do when we wander the wild places.
Soon, I am about to 'commence once more', for long days and as many nights, starting on a course that has taken years for it to come into being. I will launch with my sea kayak out towards my farthest, most elusive coastal island yet, with new expansive intentions, towards those dreams only known upon a map until those moments. My goal is the creation of memories, that would not have been a possibility, without being sent off in those truly encouraging ways, so long ago on Outward Bound..... DSD
My appreciation to Jeff for his comments that inspired these memories and this musing.
When solo coastal sea kayaking, we find ourselves very aware of maritime distances, especially when out among endless wind and waves. We seek seclusion where the tides and timings of the season generously gift this to us. This chosen water route I have paddled many times, over longer years and seasons. My intention soon is to seek solitude and these elusive islands provide so many opportunities and possibilities for just that...
I've read my charts very closely, always looking for new paths and inlets, and forever finding variations, even after many familiar wanderings out there. One wild place in particular is what I fondly refer to as my 'there and back' beach. A mile or so, maybe a kilometer and a half, of countless cobblestones, broken and whole shells, so soft sands, and shifting driftwood too. Sometimes it becomes more revealing with the ever changing tides, while other quiet moments shyly still keeping its secrets...
On this 'there and back' beach I have wandered across, then returned over long moments, musing while strolling and gazing, and often gathering up little selected touchstones. Just walking, maybe hiking, always pondering, only a short distance, maybe a mile or so, yet a thousand times or more...
A 'there and back' wild place this is, so known yet never twice the same, always something to be discovered, among the ever changing sands and ways of seeing too...
Time to soon wander there once again..... DSD
"No sea paddler worth his salt can have failed to be inspired by the sense of physical space and limitless horizons when paddling out of sight of land...". B. Taylor
Limitless opportunities, endless possibilities, all awaiting for you out there Dear Friends... DSD
In that special quiescent time, between those so beautiful sunsets and then the slow sunrise, are moments we embrace within the gentle quiet of the night...
While much of our adventure activity takes place during the daylight hours, it can be the tranquility within darkness that seems to balance this all out.
We rest in an alpine hut, listening to the breathing around us, beginning to feel warm again in the quietude after completing our latest challenging climb...
On a distant secluded island, under the cover of darkness and a night filled sky of stars, we discover the magic of a reposeful solitude, as those long lingering hours unfold...
Up on the shoreline of a far northern lake, when the winds calm and those waters settle into their elusive undisturbed times, we listen as a loon calls, while the night blankets everything with a so soothing peacefulness...
First unfolds the calming disposition of a greying day, then the gentle falling of the veil of darkening night, where sound and motion settles, and those tranquil secrets now reveal themselves. What a so special process and time is the embrace of the night quiet within our adventures. Special because upon night falling, we may move from musing to an even deeper contemplation, from the full days of anticipation, then to the nights sense of completion. Therein these silent meditative moments, we will likely listen more closely for what else out there is calling to us, and then also to more clearly hear our own deepest longings as well. All within our adventurous night quiet..... DSD
My gratitude Dear Friends for your unique quiet of the night images.
"So if you cannot understand that there is something in us which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go...". G. Mallory
Dedicated this adventure season to all our Friends who understand this 'something within us', and who are Adventuring For Another Reason ..... DSD
I'm not sure when I noticed, but on that solo scramble, at some point amidst this long climb, I found myself softly singing...
There didn't seem to be a lot of words to this tune, only a bit of melody there as well. But isn't it amazing my Friends, when we discover ourselves doing this kind of thing out within the trials of our adventures. We are surely happy within our efforts...
It was indeed a different mountain scramble, with challenging route finding and exposure, and a much longer day than I had expected. Yet the harder it got, the more rhythm I seemed to find within me - just singing & humming softly in those special ways we all know and share in from out there.
I believe this was likely more about contentment and spirit, than any attempt at distraction from the efforts. Although that in itself can be a useful technique for keeping going.
I think it was later on the summit, when I began to realize what those sounds, this elusive music and words meant.
I was just so happy to be there, just so appreciative that I still can adventure so after these long years and with those health challenges. Then I started that even more daunting descent, simply, quietly, singing softly to myself..... DSD
Thank you for your images my Friends.
The cairns and registers we find upon mountain summits tell so many stories...
What we often discover there can be fun, historical, enlightening, and at times a real mystery of words and meaning up above those thousands of feet and more. I so enjoy pondering who wrote these things and what experiences may have prompted such musings. At times they have sent me off on other journeys too of looking to find the meanings of these notations. Here is what I've found out about two words written large, upon a single page, within the register of a favorite summit climbed again this past season.
They simply said: "Our Tian".....
Now the oldest 'Tian' literature I discovered were references to certain kinds of 'Elders'. There was also a very interesting 'Treasure of Tian', which was said to be mysteriously hidden, yet somehow still available for us all.
In my search for its possible earliest meanings I found that Tian seemed firstly to represent a 'summit' or 'mountaintop', but also interestingly refers to the top of our head and that which emanates from there.
Depending upon which tome you muse over, Tian further reflects meanings of the weather & climate, sunrise & sunset, all of nature and the elements within, and what seems to be called the 'seven seasons'. Most intriguing for me are the Tians as stories of mystery, of the heavens and sky's, of that which is beyond human will, and of the celestial energy and spirit worlds both out there and within. These two words writ large were beginning to really engage my attention...
Tian is written about to also be an elemental but indescribable thing, the natural character of a being, something that reflects instinct too. It looks to originally be a Taoist or Confucianist reference. It is one of the oldest Chinese symbols that represents the cosmos, the heavens above us, and those hidden within us.
What a most interesting ancient phrase. What an intriguing high place to have found it...
I have returned again to that same silent summit, and hopefully now too, I have come back with more of an understanding of what our fellow climber may have meant by writing "Our Tian". Now as I write this and gaze out across a sea of summits, valleys and rivers, up to a shimmering sky of blue, while feeling the winds ebb and flow at this height - I begin to sense what our shared Tian may be about in this wonderful, peaceful wild place..... DSD
Thank you Friends for sharing your Tian images here.
A look of possibility, that maybe we could,
A smile about decisions, and a commitment to go,
A sigh reflecting dreams, from our shared vision too...
A look when beginning planning, with anticipation and ideas,
A smile during our preparations, initial motion and direction,
A sigh over these beginnings, and the momentum we felt...
A look at the trailhead, once finally upon the ground,
A smile during first light, enlightening so much more,
A sigh amidst our efforts, and the inevitable testing of endurance...
A look upwards across steep slopes, with an awareness too of timings,
A smile when gaining altitude, and that building of our shared confidence,
A sigh while gazing back, knowing how far it has been...
A look as challenges become apparent, the need to focus now so clear,
A smile after figuring this out, navigating on such a very long route,
A sigh once past the crux, the puzzle solved yet again...
A look towards each other, another amazing shared adventure,
A smile upon this elusive summit, our dream now become real,
A sigh quietly once again, while slowly descending amidst such beauty and wonders...
DSD
Dedicated this adventure day to those out there sharing in The Smiles of this little endeavour.
It was one of my most difficult solo climbs. The kind of experience out upon a mountain where we remember every detail, pretty much all the moments of our whole high place adventure. This stone has rested here at home for so long now, from that summit to our den, then in that old leather box with so many others. Years of seasons have passed along the way. So many times I have held it in my hand to recall again the challenges endured on that climb. I chose this cherished stone from that summit for a variety of reasons. It was first gathered up because I recognized it as very, very old rock. It was uniquely carved by the elements into a mountain shape of its own, there are also cracks, striations, and whorls upon it that reflect those of the ancient Scholars Rocks . It has now become a perfect medium as well to splash a bit of paint upon it, and to Mix In many special elements with that paint as well.
It seems only fitting now to return this wild touchstone back to its own summit home, as I have long intended to climb there once more...
Back then I had built up a small cairn as there was none there at the time so long ago, and I am hoping to see it too once again. Other than bits of new color on one side, this stone appears the same in most ways after so long, even though I have certainly weathered much more. So while these old legs can still make it up there, it is time to go back.
Like old good close friends, who have shared many long trails and unfolding climbs, and now have to part ways, I will miss this little stone, but it is time to now return it back home..... DSD
My appreciation for your own images of your returning experiences my Friends.
To stand on that real storm in such a way, beneath the relentless rain, among those persistent winds, yet still very much with a hint of an ever present smile on his face... That moment, that look, of our Outward Bound Instructor so long ago, was my first sense of the hidden strengths of adventure stoicism...
It was not any kind or resignation we saw, never was there even a sense of giving up, but something especially powerfully else...
The wild places and the elements out there blend in beautiful, amazingly, wonderful ways - but clearly many times not the way we want them to be though, nor the way we may have expected things to turn out, and often many degrees off what we wished they were.
We plan & prepare, practice skills, and hone our minds too, yet we cannot ultimately predict nor control the final outcomes on our wild place journeys. So a different kind of enduring philosophy is needed at times, other levels of fortitude, temperance, patience, and subtle indifference can be useful learned skills too.
There are real strengths in developing a kind of adventurous stoicism like that Outward Bound Leader had. For in learning about acceptance of the way things are, in going anyway regardless of those inevitable twists and turns, by continuing on and embracing the surprises, the unexpected, and in reframing it so, we surely further our love for the mystery and the unknowns of it all even more.
All such adventure challenges and our forthcoming efforts then brings out something else latent from deep within us, and asks each of us to become something more. To go beyond the person we started the trail or climb as, and to become the adventurer we each know we can be out in the wild places. For being an adventure stoic at times, is yet another subtly potent way of doing just that..... DSD
So many wonderous shadows, even more subtle stories,
Tales of bold adventures, such efforts, and dreams...
Shadows of long journeys, high upon bare rock faces,
Dark images of knife ridges, exposed cliffs and high clouds,
Then there are those other shadows, of the whole mountain itself...
Now comes a simple calm slowing, therein an even quieter recognition,
Of the questing shadows of us wanderers, now a part of such elusive mountains...
So many wonderous shadows, now even more shared stories,
Such tales of bold memories, from our efforts, and dreams..... DSD
Dedicated as we head out this morning to the long shadows reflecting your efforts and commitments my Friends...
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
Oh, as we all know, it is indeed one of the prices for admission out there. For being way beyond our usual comfort zones means that we will often be pressed, cold, on edge, and always it seems - especially tired. We intentionally exhaust ourselves on those adventure races, put it all so far out there during very long climbs, and thus fatigue ourselves physically, emotionally, and even in spirit at times. But we also have surely sensed, then learn to know so well, as our many adventure seasons pass, that there is a depth, even a sagacity to be embraced if you will, within those experiences of tiredness...
It's not really about being sleepy, nor even about being weary and having had enough of something, and certainly not about the wild places themselves ever being tiresome. For we choose to gladly pay such prices of admission as we want things to be harder, to be challenging, to be happily tiring, for the real potential fun of it all.
Adventurers are tireless in their seeking and questing within those endless depths. For in those deep places far within we know too that other elements reside. In the supposed darkness of that internal abyss, among the innermost parts of ourselves, rests many mysterious regions of emotion & endurance, beliefs & persistence, awareness & abilities all about keeping going. In the depths of apparent tiredness resides untapped measures of wisdom for ways unyielding, means that we tap into to keep on, and then also to return yet once more on our journey farther, higher, and further within too.
Now these are all paths we will never grow weary of..... DSD
Dedicated this rest day to all our fellow wanderers who are on their way, part way, half way done, or nearing the end of their journeys of Adventuring For Another Reason.
There is indeed something shiny up there I thought, as I paused briefly for some water and snacks, halfway up this long mountainside. Something very shiny...
I had caught an initial glimpse of this reflected or projected light just a few hours after beginning this scramble route. Interesting as it was, I needed to focus more on the rock and scree slope right in front of me. But I did keep looking up though.
What could that be, I later wondered yet again - a bright shiny bit of something, a reflection maybe, or the sun glancing off a camera lens. Possibly even from another scramblers sunglasses. Or maybe someone who enjoys taking compass bearings from up there as they orient themselves, and establish what the many surrounding summits are. It could be the shine off the mirror of their compass.
It sure is shiny, I remember saying to myself a number of times, as I began to pay more attention to this puzzling yet beckoning beacon of something. The nearer up there I got to the ridgeline which led directly to the summit, the more curious I became, and the more this shiny something was to draw me on and up...
The closer still I went the more too I sensed some kind of movement of this shiny something. Someone must be moving it about as no rock would do that in such a way, and it seemed to be somewhat above the rocks for that matter. That will be nice I thought too, for some company up on the summit can be very welcome and the shared moments quite special. They must have gotten a very early start on the trail towards this scramble as my own alpine starts tend to be long before first light.
Once upon the ridgeline, with the last bit to the summit right before me, I could still see my shiny presence right there. The exposure here became more severe, so I focused in closely, and yet my mind wandered some to reflections of other shiny sightings too. I remembered past experiences of such summit surprises, glimpses of things I wasn't expecting, the glint off items that were to become treasured memories, and even the sun playing tricks with me and upon my sunglasses the way it does at times.
Finally, and as some summits do, that last bit of rock was right before me, and I could now stand safely and look all around. What should have been there too - was another climber, or some other kinds of things that would be the source of my shiny something. I knew this was a smaller summit up there, the highest on this corner of my map, but other than the rock itself, a small cairn, and the drop off on all other sides, I saw no one else present. Then, when I realized it was to be simply me and this summit, I went on and enjoyed my moments of wonder with those vistas, the musings, the cairn & summit register, and finally placing a few little painted touchstones for those who were next to wander up here. But there was still some time to ponder and wonder, what could it have been beckoning me on throughout my climb, such a shiny something it was. Yet nothing with that kind of reflection was to be found and that I felt only added to its mystery...
Then came the time to descend, and in those moments just before beginning down, which almost always brings both music to mind and a tear to my eye, I thought once more how grateful I am, even with these old legs, that my weathered motivation still gets me to such elusive and beautiful wild places...
A short time later, and as I always do, I paused to look back upon the summit block behind me. There, I caught a glimpse again of this mountain's shiny something, again with some movement up there too. Maybe in my imagination, or possible at another level of perception, it actually looked to be a wave, seemingly a brief wave, of something very bright, from my shiny little mystery, that ephemeral summit presence..... DSD
It's not that there wasn't an objective in mind for this mountain scramble day. It isn't that I hadn't chosen certain goals to attain up there, from gaining that height, traversing those ridges, and making my way through those very challenging rock bands. Yet today, I had also intentionally decided upon a more subtle focus, a quiter way of being, even in the midst of this fully committed climbing adventure. Thus, I also wanted it to be a day of wonder...
For such mindful journeys out there - of the body, mind, and spirit too, open us up to so many other levels of experiences, different epiphanies, surprising, remarkable, even strange and puzzling marvels...
It's not that the objectives weren't important, but it was a matter of putting the goals into perspective: Yes to perform but also to attend; certainly to push yet also to allow. Of course this all would require effort - but of another gentler kind as well...
I believe when we are aware of wandering in this way, we return to our beginnings, to the origins of why we do what we do out there, to those primal elemental sources that called to us in the very first place. It is not that we are ignoring our goals and expectations; rather we are adventuring a bit beyond them...
So, that day I must have gently reminded myself a hundred times (like with the simple returning to the mantra of a meditation): 'I wonder...', 'I wonder...', I said about what was coming next, over what I would really see, then feel, and eventually embrace and remember... I long wondered what the next unfolding step would reveal. Then wondered what wonderous things would show themselves from within that beautiful alpenglow, and from above those engaging cliff bands. I long wondered, and longer wandered, very much beyond those initial objectives, and became further filled with so much more..... DSD
My gratitude for sharing your wandering images my Friends.
All of us who adventure know real persistence when we see it. Every one of us respects the distinct potency of endurance when we feel this.
Some of us though, take these experiences just a little bit farther, and by doing so, invite every one of us on trails of perception that lead all so very much further.
He is a close companion who has wandered as much as I. A friend who has shared in it all out there, even more back here, and in this little Summit Stone endeavour too. His many varied adventure aspirations have a dedication and sincerity to them I so admire. Yet this story is about just one mountain. An elusive summit it is...
Four times he was turned away by lessons needing to be learned, three times by storms striking almost out of nowhere. Three more times the intricate route and the stubborn rock would not agree to go at all. Then this last time, the eleventh time, fittingly in those hours, it all finally unfolded so beautifully for him...
Sometimes it is asked, more times also wondered - who does that; who goes back for such challenges time and time again, after all that has not worked. Who keeps returning after those many previous experiences that were not at all what had been hoped for...
For all of us who adventure as we do, the answers are in the questions themselves...
The responses are reflections of who we each are out there, and also who we envision ourselves to be. His particular persistence, and sustained endurance, over those long eleven times - echoes out as inspiration for all of us who continue to wander the wild places..... DSD
My appreciation for sharing your images as well fellow wanderers.
I glimpsed a mountain in the mist, yet very near an open ocean it was.
Calling out softly to my longings, with those gentle forever words.
Then I truly saw this mountain in that mist, persistent winds and endless waves could I also hear.
They were siren songs needing an answer, that only we who climb could give.
Then upon that elusive mountain in such mist, gazing up so far, now seeing that summit where I have longed to wander, reflecting where we each dream to be...
Time to climb once more..... DSD
"As I was shaping my walking stick to fit my hand, I started thinking that it resembled my life...". Anon
How nice, I thought, here at the trailhead,some past wanderer has left an old hiking staff. It was more of a sturdy branch from a tree, but clearly had been polished from many hands using it and also was quite worn on the end which met the trail. I had not brought my own hiking poles this day as my intention was only to find a series of hidden waterfalls and not head up any mountain side. These were waterfalls that would be in full glory and force this past early spring, with the extra snow pack up high and the recent now warmer temperatures.
I have always liked hiking staffs and the usefulness of one is so often appreciated by us when out there. So this old staff which had been simply waiting there, was now to accompany me for this adventure day. It later shared a few stories from what seemed like small carvings upon it. It would also be so helpful when crossing the wet rock near those waterfalls. Handy too as I poked among the stones there for those special few who might become inspiration and a medium for me. I hope it felt welcomed, as I was certainly now grateful for its company, and when I returned it later as the sun was setting, a bit more happily worn it was. I smiled at it once it was placed back in its resting place at the trailhead, now patiently awaiting another companion, when it would then share in that next wonderful adventure..... DSD
My thanks for your image, as hiking staffs do very much take us in many directions. And, by the way, Dear Finders, have you ever wondered why so many artists carve faces in their hiking staff...
Far out upon the open ocean once more, out in my sea kayak with friends yet again, noticing the setting sun's light shining through the waves - discovering rainbows in the water then dripping from my paddle...
Long minutes become enduring memories, precious moments of time, then so very cherished, quiet reflections of these endless wonders, we are all so gifted to experience...
Quietly, gratefully also remembering, such rainbows too from forever flowing waterfalls, those colors as well amidst falling rain and rising mists, after powerful storms have quieted, and double rainbows that always carry such ancient meanings...
Then, when out upon the open ocean, once more drifting slowly with the currents, the blending of experiences and emotions all unfolding, simply pondering little rainbows off my paddle..... DSD
Dedicated this adventure day to all our Friends who are starting their summer season of Adventuring For Another Reason . May the winds be at your back, the sun over your shoulder, the rainbows showing their smiles, and the whispers of those moments be forever heard...
My appreciation too for sharing your rainbow moments with us my Friends.
"When I was young, very young, I remember reading a book, sadly now lost, that told the story of a rather strange old man who lived at the top of a particularly high mountain. This man knew all the answers to all the questions; all you had to do was climb the mountain and ask him. I always wanted to find the old man before I grew too old myself and ask him my own questions...". N. Shulman
I've always so appreciated this quote. It reflects a wonderful exercise we did on Outward Bound so long ago. Nowadays as well, I often ponder who will I meet up upon my next mountain quest. What kind of Elder will be up high, patiently waiting for us to pose those quiet meaningful questions we all have inside...
On Outward Bound, we talked about the very ancient story of the 'Old Man Of The Mountain'. Then we were to envision a mountain of our own choice, a summit challenging yet engaging, a place of rock and stone, even ice and snow if we wanted, yet a contented wild place to be in. Then we were asked to imagine, because such rarified air and endless vistas allows this - our meeting an ancient welcoming Elder up there. This person would eventually answer for us all the questions we were eager to ask, but first, in turn, this sage asked something of us...
We were to picture ourselves aging as well, see ourselves - a few, then five, fifteen, even twenty five or more years out ahead. We were to long pause at each of these waypoints of time and life, and gently ask of ourselves:
What are we doing with our time... Where are we at in our lives...
Who is sharing this with us... What has been moving and motivating us...
Are we happy... Are we enjoying meaningful experiences...
After then, this friendly knowing Mountain Elder would answer any of our other questions - but now, as this Elder knew all along, many of the answers, those realizations and new perceptions, were already dawning upon us...
Now this ancient one would invite us to let those growing messages, those soft echoes, all truly be heard - for they came from the Elder within ourselves, up upon our chosen mountain, and were very much meant for our younger self. For all those things our 'Elder within' could envision unfolding over all those years, that were meaningful and meant to be - are available to us still in the beginnings before us right now. Such possibility, energy, and potential we all still have..... DSD
It is a subtly interesting thing that we creatures who breath often do. Have you ever watched a companion animal as they settle down to rest, and then when they breath in with that slow sigh. Such contentment there is on their little faces within that moment...
We adventurer's do this as well, many, many, times. When we sigh we usually pause too and become centered for a time, with a real sense of 'something' else being present...
Today, before I head out, I am remembering an experience of a sigh like this. A huge, deep sigh it was, reflecting meanings that still touch my heart... It was a fulfilling breath that marked an enduring moment I will always cherish so very much. It was in those moments when finally then resting, upon a very elusive mountain summit. A place distant in terrain and perception for me as well. Where the weight of the world semmed lifted from our shoulders for a time. Funny how that always seems to happen in the thinner air up there... Especially for those of us who embrace not only adventures, but those other challenges within our health as well.
A great, huge, so deep sigh we experience - simply so appreciative and so grateful, just to be out adventuring in the wild places once more..... DSD
A dedication this Canada Day to all those fellow wanderers who are 'Adventuring For Another Reason' and who then share such efforts and sigh's with us all. May you all breath very deeply this day...
My appreciation too Friends for sharing your images here.
"Mountains are like great friends. They are always there when you need them".
Barry T.
Just recently my friend, fellow wanderer and blogger Barry, from "Hiking With Barry - Wilderness Adventure" wrote a very thoughtful post on our shared interest of 'Giving Back' to care for the wild places. He also writes about the many adventurers who do so by 'Adventuring For Another Reason' and thus they create opportunities for connections among nature and for personal growth...
We all then have such a meaningful relationship with nature, as Barry writes, and through our combined efforts and shared contributions, so very much may be accomplished to give back & pass forward with regards to our wild places...
I am so very grateful to have "Partners In Placing" these little Summit Stones, like Barry, Rick , Kraig , Jeff , Kevin , and other wonderful friends who share in the karma, the smiles, hopefully raising a bit of awareness as we wander out there, and who post in support of the amazing and dedicated efforts of the many links on my own site.
My sincere appreciation for your thoughts, and please enjoy Barry's musings and the many inspiring images there like the one above..... DSD
As much as I am prepared by carrying a tent, bivi sac, or tarp for out there, I rather very much appreciate simply sleeping under the stars. There seems to be another level of joy in falling asleep, then waking up, and having the first image before us be our stars above, maybe with the mountains against a night sky, or the glimmer and iridescent color of first light. When up on a mountain itself in a bivi, or out on the shoreline of a coastal island, with just a trap layed over us, it is wonderful to awake in the middle of the night, slowly open ones' eyes, and gaze longingly at the celestial elements above us...
Things of the sky, especially in the night, seem to have a divine nature to them, an angelic symmetry and beauty in their placement, movement, and elegance.
Stars themselves call for us, as their light and wanderings have a frequency to them that we have yet to fully understand. Their flickering images always seem to surely be gesturing for us to reach higher and farther...
I first was invited to experience this way of sleeping celestially long ago on Outward Bound, and am so very glad that this happened. Now I undertake to do so and appreciate this often as possible, and when I awake in those deep darker hours I gaze up, smile to myself, and remember as Deng Ming-Dao wrote: "In the night sky, the stars always make us wonder. As children and as adults, we never tire of looking at that sparkle. Story tellers of old attributed meaning to the constellations. Strategists foretold the future by their movements. Sailors on the sea navigated by them. For centuries, the stars have inspired wonder and direction...".
Just reflecting once more this adventure day upon our recent time of quietly sleeping celestially out on a wild place journey..... DSD
My thanks Friends for sharing your images above with us.
"When one finally arrives at the point where schedules are forgotten, and becomes immersed in ancient rhythms, one begins to live...". S. Olson
It seems I often ponder and compose a bit here about the nature of time. Likely the older knees and greyer hair prompts this. Yet it seems as adventurer's, we are endlessly, inherently, finding ourselves deeply engaged within the gentle art of the slowing of time out there...
There are the easy soft rhythms of paddling a sea kayak far out upon the open ocean. Then the ancient feelings we begin to sense among those so distant coastal islands. The old growth of forests surrounds and embraces us and we learn of the elder wisdom they are always willing to share. There is the appreciable flowing of the moments among the pacing of a very long hiking trek. The trail always meets us where we are at, then invites us to remember each and every step all along the way. Canyons too, invite us to pause and stand still as they always have...
We then observe the sun forever rising and setting, watch the continual phasings of the moon, then how each season blends one into the other, and thus the ticking of clocks may no longer seem to matter.
Upon summits in particular, do we always want to linger...
We also focus intently as we apply our adventure skills. Then the hours become minutes, the minutes change into moments, and every moment transforms into an eternity. We may meditate upon a mountain, hike along a coastal shoreline with no watch, observe the winds and endless waves, and enjoy the easy blossoming of alpine flowers. Nature herself teaches us to be artists in these ways, and shares creative messages and lessons about allowing, flowing, appreciating, and unfoldings...
When we embrace such artful ways of being, then another kind of music becomes apparent, other rhythms arise from within, and the meanings we give to our history and to time takes on very different shapes and forms. What we do, and who we become, out among the wild places all takes place in such timely ways. The adventurer's art of the slowing of time, is likely one of the most precious things gifted to us by our adventure experiences..... DSD
"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how...". Nietzsche
"Such happiness as life is capable of comes from the full participation of all our powers in the endeavour to wrest from each changing situation and experience its own full and unique meaning....". John Dewey
"Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked...". Viktor Frankl
These words were certainly posed for us all to ponder, especially Nietzsche's above. Interestingly, he was an accomplished mountaineer of his time, and this quote of his is one of my very favorites. After some shared thoughts from Craig and also recently from Kevin , I have been musing about how there is so much within the subtle significance, the often hidden meanings , for why we do what we do out in the wild places. I've written today's post as specific affirmation for all the links under my "Giving Back & Passing Forward" section. All of the quotes here speak to their amazing and moving efforts these dedicated Adventurers put forth in the important support of so many others and their own trials and challenges...
When we rest and pause for reflection upon what is meant by our adventuring, we discover many impelling reasons. For what purpose do we wander - is it for the freedom, the joy, and the fun of it all... We ponder too what grounds make up our intentions for our adventures; as it could also involve the deep confidence and competencies developed, and the fulfilling skills we eventually so practice and polish... All so very true. Then there is the pursuit of our dreams and visions, which are truly meaningful to us as premises too, are they not Dear Friends...
We often pledge ourselves for other reasons as well, involving motivations not only of our own, but mindful of dedication and devotion for a cause , an entrusting through our adventure efforts in support of others who have their personal challenges of health and life. Such a weighty 'why' can provide powerful motivations unknown to us before; such momentous justification creates motives that take us so much further, very much farther, and truly more inward...
Every single one of these individual explanations speak to the depth of the 'why's' behind our commitment, our endurance, our resoluteness, even when amidst the challenges, trials, and inevitable storms out there and within. What is of real consequence then, reflecting the why's of our adventure lives, not only represents our chosen adventure objectives like a mountain summit - but more accurately reflect the personal and potent meanings these have for each of us...
So, here I now share a small compendium, a special collection, of further Viktor Frankl favorite quotes that echo such important meanings - for the 'why's' behind and beyond all of what we do out there:
"Man's search for meaning is a primary force in his life... I think the meaning of existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected....".
"There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions, as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one's life..."
"Suffering ceases to be suffering in some way at the moment it finds a meaning..."
"The meaning in life always changes, but it never ceases to be...".
I hope you have enjoyed this musing today about meaning and reflections among these insightful quotes, as a dedication this adventure season for the wonderful efforts, and the important meaningful work, each of those in my "Giving Back & Passing Forward" link section performs in 'Adventuring for Another Reason' ..... DSD
Thank you Kevin and my appreciation for sparking today's musings from your comments on meaning. Thank you so much for your humbling Post as well...
