"Big Blue Mountain..."

 

"Big blue mountain spirit,

Away in the home made of blue clouds,

I am grateful for that way of goodness there,

That sets my heart free...".

Aboriginal Saying

"Of Remembrance And Freedom....."

"A mountaineer is one who seeks the freedom of the hills, full wilderness citizenship, with all its privileges and rewards, its responsibilities and demands."
The Mountaineers
The freedom of the hills we all love and know,
Echoes with many brave voices now long gone,
So let us pause wherever we are on our shared trails,
To listen quietly in remembrance.......

"That Which Lifts Hope..."

"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 Freedoms....."

 

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

"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

"Of Rememberings..."

"Remember... These great cathedrals of the Earth, with their gates of rock, pavements of cloud, choirs of stream and stone, altars of snow, and vaults of purple traversed by the continual stars." J. Ruskin

"Like Anthems....."

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

"Surreal....."

I am not sure what 'time' and the other elements were doing, but my adventure day back then was unfolding in a wonderfully surreal way...
It was almost as if what we often experience deep within our dreams was playing out upon that mountain.
I noticed that the very early morning valley winds were gusting much faster than usual. The clouds far above were moving by more speedily as well. The way the warming air shifted, and the movements of a few other adventurers on that most often quiet trail, were fast in an unusual way.
Now I know that as we age and grey, that things do seem to move along quicker than we might. But this ephemeral kind of engaging deceleration was unique and very different...
It was like I had touched upon that secret pace. That hidden rhythm of movement. That was not just about a body going forwards and upwards - but was an expression of those depths of unconscious consciousness that we all have more within of, than we ever first realize.
It was so wonderfully surrealistic...
Everything around me was moving or shifting or changing so slightly more speedily. While I seemed to become even slower, distinctly more reposeful, almost anachronistic. It felt as if time's usual sense of rules no longer applied in those lengthening unfolding elemental moments.
The clouds continued to speed up. The breezes gusted further. The nearby waterfalls kept subtly shifting unusually as well. Yet my renewed slowness of movement did not hinder my pace nor my climbing. My vision, perception, breathing, and heartbeat had all found their own natural tempo.
A surreal phenomenon it was.
The elements about me speeding up.
While the elements within me had slowed to such a leisurely, energetically, wonderful place.
I think it was a brief , but forever, meaningful expression if you will. From those depths of subconscious consciousness we all have. In how we are truly meant to blend with the wild places while we wander..... DSD 

"Of Hauntings..."

It is not what some may first think about that which haunts lots of us during the long, sometimes too quiet hours... For many adventurers it is not the darkness and depth of the night that makes us shiver; nor the risks inherent within all adventures which catches our breath at times. Not even the moments of trial and anxieties, and those real tests to one's determination and endurance that shake us on occasion. Fears about the unknown aren't foreboding to such explorers as we. Worries of keeping up or about competition simply are not there anymore for us elders either. The wild places are too welcoming for such wraiths to severely bother those who wander endlessly out there.

What really haunts many of us in those exposed contemplative moments; what truly may keep us up at night sometimes, are not so much these ghostly worries, but more so those ponderings and wonderings of what could have been...

We all have them. Those wishes for what might have been, for what we did not do... Maybe sadness or deep disappointment for dreams not put in motion; and even at times possibly for the loss of the desire to go...

What may in reality haunt many adventurers in those long, quite hours are more the shades of lost moments, unused opportunities, when we may have been distracted by something other than what could have been truly meaningful moments out among the wild places. These are the spirits that may really haunt us if we do not exercise them..... DSD 

"Nothing More Need Saying....."

"It is only in the intentional silence of vigil and meditation, or in the quiet places of nature, that we encounter the song of the universe. Like the wind... this song echoes along the pathways of the cosmic web; it includes the celestial spinning of the planets, as well as the hum of insects and the dancing song of the grass; it includes the song of all the ancestors and spirits as well as the beating of our own hearts...". C. Mathews

That endless valley, the late time of day, the end of an amazing scramble upon quite an elusive mountain...
Back then, all of this unfolding nexus of experience and emotion, got me to pondering, as I rested by the trailside on my way out.
We all surely share in such moments, I was musing, when so thankfully tired and fulfilled, from a long day out in the wild and high places.
I look up and around. Gaze down towards each end of this valley. As I try to compose in my mind, what all is now being reflected within me.
Then with a flood of memories and feelings. With last light shining on all of the summits surrounding me that I have been up upon. Only a few certain clear words come to mind, as my eyes glisten over:
Gratitude...
Wonder...
Appreciation...
Awe...
Reverence...
Nothing more needs saying.
As each of you Dear Friends also know, as we all then wander home, with the quiet setting of the sun..... DSD

Dedicated this adventure day to all of the wonderful wanderers who are linked under my "Giving Back & Passing Forward" section. Please take a few moments to have a look over their amazing sites that reflect their even more engaging efforts.

"To See..."

 

"To sit on rocks, to muse...
To slowly trace the forest's shady scene...
To climb the trackless mountain...
To hold converse with nature's charms,
And to see her stores untolled...".  Lord Byron

"Of Fullness..."

"Mountains are to the rest of the body of the earth, what muscular action is to the body of man. The muscles and tendons of its anatomy are, in the mountain, brought out with force and energy, full of expression, passion, and strength...".  J. Ruskin

"She Knew It Was Me....."

Way back then, I was just finishing a very challenging endeavour, by finally wandering back into the parking area, mid-morning on my last day out...
There was only one other person there. A much younger, energetic, and determined woman who clearly looked like she was just starting out.
I couldn't help but notice the contrasts between us... The same route chosen to adventure upon, yet real differences between us, of finishing & beginning, of older & younger, of tired & energetic, one a bit more experienced, one a novice of sorts, one who wanders and meanders, one who was moving with focused intention, one quite worn by time, and one so full of youth. Even one stooped in bearing, and one standing tall with anticipations.
But, as is the way with most of us adventurers, such contrasts and differences only seem to add to the spice and the great 'mixing in' of connections we usually experience out there.
Having just completed what she was now starting out upon, there were a lot of questions for me, and excited energy about the journey yet ahead. I could see from her fairly new gear, again in contrast to my worn old stuff, and in the way I looked and felt - so dusty and tired; that we were viewing our adventure's from very different waypoints.
Yet in chatting about what was done, and what was yet to be, we shared in that wonderful wild place synergy. That real fun of exchanging information and ideas. Each then gaining as much from the other through sharing energy and perspectives. Even if only within those brief moments.
From contrasts to connections, such is the way within our wild place adventures...
As I drove slowly away, and as I waved with my window down, we each had such great expansive smiles on our faces.
An ending...
A beginning...
Maybe all one and the same...
When she reached down in that moment to pick up her pack and start out, I saw her find the Summit Stone & Adventure Muse, I had placed right there. She looked up in surprise, as I waved again and was on my way.
I'm not sure, my Dear Friends, but I think she knew it was from me..... DSD 

"Something....."

 

"Something of our personality has gone into every mountain on which we have spent our strength and on which our thoughts have rested, and something of its personality has come into ours and has its effect on everything that has come within our influence...".  R.L.G. Irving

"The Mountain And I....."

"Flocks of birds have flown high and away.
A solitary drift of cloud, too, has gone wandering on.
And I stand alone with this mountain peak, towering beyond.
We never grow tired of each other, the mountain and I...".  Li Po

"Glistenings....."

 

That brief, unfolding, play of light at first.
Then, maybe a gentle sparkle of sunbeams as well.
There is an adventure alchemy to be found out there, within all of the glistening wonders of our long journeys...
There is the shine off the leaves, which are fully reaching out in the spring, as we begin to hike our first trails. Then the breezes make them shiver and then gleam in that ephemeral light too.
Wet grass does this as well, as do the spider webs woven in the air across our trails. Being the first one down that path, means seeing the glimmer of refracted light reflected off of those silken strands.
There are the amazing gems of light from the mixing of the desert sun, upon waters unexpectedly discovered deep within those inviting canyons.
The gleamings of our shared rivers, which shine out when rafting or kayaking them at the very moment of a days sunrise.
I especially enjoy the flashes of magical light through the ocean waves, at those times of day where the sea and the setting sun embrace one another.
I also so appreciate quartz rock, and other such stone, found up high upon a mountain ridge, which emits its' own very special glistenings.
As adventurers we all love the forever glittering stars, peppered way above us, around the shine of a full seasonal moon.
Then, when, blended with our efforts, all of these ornamental elements, will always transform into such enlightened bright memories.
Just look across that glacier your next time out, at the reflections in the sunglasses of your companions too, then also the smiles and tears of joy upon that elusive summit - to discover your own forever glistenings as well my Dear Friends..... DSD

"As With Truth And Dreams..."

"A climber ascends, descends, and traverses... References are lost. Yet the strangeness somehow is a match of the climbers inner existence. The mountain is the color of places the climber knows, and doesn't know, and finds sacred, and can't quite get to, as with truth and with dreams...".  P. Ament

"During Any Climb..."

 

"During any climb we all have to fight those demons lurking on the mountain itself and those inside our minds...".   C. Bonington

"A New Edge..."

"Though the days were few, they seemed to last longer than he had ever known. Time took on a new meaning. Each day, each hour even, was experienced with a new intensity. They really lived, and this gave life a new edge that made his previous existence seem as though he had spent it half asleep...".    Anon

"Drums In The Distance..."

I think they have always been there.
Possibly even from before my Outward Bound experiences those many years ago.
These 'drums in the distance'...
Drumming has always been a very moving music for me to listen closely to. Those endless varied beats reflect our pulse it seems, the rhythms our pacing, and its' engagement our excitement.
So when I dream, ponder, and muse; then especially as I train, plan, and prepare - I often hear them building. These resounding drums in the distance.
The farther we go, the more clear they begin to feel.
The higher we climb, the more they resonate so strongly.
The longer distance we cover, the more distinct this music evolves.
The harder the experience we endure, the more pronounced the moving memories become.
I know I am not the only one who has sensed them..
There are many others who nod their heads, and slowly smile, when we quietly discuss hearing such music amidst our shared inspirations.
These drums in the distance echo off the highest mountains, within those endless ocean waves, from across the tallest desert towers and deepest canyon walls, even from beyond the farthest northern lakes.
These distant drums particularly resound from the long awaited anticipations, the real excitements, the epiphanies & wonders, and the unfolding awe we experience when beginning, and then enjoying, our journeys far out there.
The pulsing is really an inner music we know. The beat reverberating from our own hearts and songs.
But they are always there.
Never really silent.
Those slowly building, powerfully resonating, rhythmically feeling, forever echoing - our drums in the distance..... DSD

"Your Wild Spirit..."

 

"Create your wild spirit and then be true to this... You are a Storm Rider with the soul of a Trail Dancer...". Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"Returning..."

"Our dreams are like a fire at a campsite. We can go off and do other things, but in coming back to the fire, we return to the center, to the warmth, to the energy...". Grandfather, Mountain Elder

"In The Quiet..."

"After a long day of walking in the mountains, the ancients sat alone and in the quiet...".  Deng Ming-Dao

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Now calm and vividly remembering,
Every single step of our long journey.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
For a very challenging mountain had been chosen,
Knowing we would then embrace all then wildly given.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Atop the summit of a further elusive mountain,
Being present for all of that which has happened.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
After a descent as challenging too,
Then so tired, and now safe as well.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Amazingly welcoming was that mountain,
With such adversity and then those teachings.

In the stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Having shared in those many precious gifts,
Meditative forever moments nourishing our very being... DSD

Dedicated to those wonderful wanderers who are out there still, Adventuring For Another Reason. 

"Being An Adventurer..."

 

"Being an adventurer is in your state of mind which is not bound by age, performance, or place in the pack...".  Anon

"The Real End..."

"In a journey, we discover for ourselves, that day by day, the total distance travelled is less important than the experience we gain. The real end is the journey...".  Anon

"Those Were To Be Some Of My Greatest Summits..."

 

We were journeying over very high mountains on yet another Outward Bound course. But it seemed that many of my greatest challenges were to be some figurative summits too...
Outward Bound Leaders can be quite directive, like when it comes to safety practices. They can also be very gentle, as when it reflects more personal observations and feedback.
This is all inherent to the amazing Outward Bound experience. Where the mountains, ocean, lakes, storms, and all the elements; along with each other, and our Outward Bound Instructors experienced mentorship - then blends in together and guides us so much farther along the way.
I wrote in my journal a lot while out there.
One day, one very long day, out upon a seemingly endless ridgeline, my own challenges got the better of me in certain moments.
It was then later, amidst that day of persistent adversities, when I was resting. Drawing a bit in my journal as well. Likely to both try and more enjoy the moment and vista before me, yet also to take my mind off other things - when both our Outward Bound Leaders approached me.
They commented on my scratchings, then while chatting, they further invited me to make a few notes about perceptions and choices...
It was they who gently pointed out that some of the real summits before me, may not be the rocky peaks way up above.
Rather, they said, at times it seemed like I tended to see things from the way I think they should be, rather than the way they are; or see what's wrong instead of what's right; what is not there versus what actually is; what I don't want or have instead instead of what I actually do.
Very gentle invitations, within quite discussions, resulting in powerful shifts of perception...
So grateful am I for their pointing up towards what were some of my most elusive yet greatest summits.
They were right back then, and now when I navigate similiar terrain, their words forever echo still..... DSD 

"Gifts Within Adversity & Challenge..."

P. Stoltz & E. Weihenmayer said of these gifts: "May adversity become the pathway through which you flourish."
S. Covey wrote also; "One key lesson is this: no challenge and adversity, no deeper sense of meaning and purpose."

"A Magic Wand..."

"The waving of a pine tree upon a mountain - a magic wand in Nature's hand...".   J. Muir

"Water Music..."

"How delightful the water music - the deep bass tones of the fall, the clashing river spray, and infinite variety of small tones of the current gliding past, and glinting against a thousand smaller stones...".   J. Muir

"Tidal Musings....."

 

There have been many moments where I have found myself just watching the tide slowly go out... While beach hiking, searching for cobblestones, and especially at the end of sea kayak trips out there. This time is so special... It allows for gently reflecting on the adventure days and nights just passed... For remembering the many preparations over how we get there, the visualization and all the efforts to journey to this point in time... For pondering the challenges offered to me, many accepted, some not this last days... For just musing over each of these moments, especially the unexpected ones, like the range of emotions the wild places affords each of us...

Then I just pause and quietly watch the ebb and flow of the tide and waves easing in and drifting back out...

I muse over what wonders I have seen... they are always there, I just need to open my eyes a bit more. These moments are for pondering too about why I came again, even when the elements may not have been agreeable.

I remember... sitting just so and thinking about all the seasons, the years gone by... the special times shared, the intense solo experiences, the many sea shores...

I remember... those feelings of excitement before a challenge, at times the anxiety during the course of some adventures, the sense of completion and accomplishment and even a bit of relief sometimes...

This is a time especially for reflecting upon that sense of contentment after those special goals, within that tiredness from well earned efforts, and the price of admission agreed upon and paid out there...

When quietly watching the tide ebb away I experience again the joy of seeing the sun glinting as jewels thrown upon the water as I have posted about before. The waves can be so meditative with their gentle mantra moving slowly across the sand and rocks...

You may see many things on a beach that couldn't be seen before as the tide ebbs away... just as we may now see with new eyes after very challenging adventure experiences.

And that is a lot to get out of the simple observation of the ebb and flow of our lives out there...

So, after some challenging days back here and those of an island kayak adventure day out there, I am just watching the tide go out and sharing the moment with you..... DSD 

"Musings From The Beach..."

Hiking on such secluded beaches, writing so many ponderings in the sand. Words about wild places we have experienced, notes for ourselves about being here, and then where we now want to journey... Stories in the sand of who it is we each want to become in those moments. All ways to beach scribe, to journal in such a wonderful way... Another means for envisioning our adventures, while gazing out upon both the waves and such sandy musings in time. Now while standing very still, and looking out over oceans of dreams and desires, seeing our scribblings once more in the sand, being caressed and moved by the winds gentle breezes. These ephemeral ponderings become hopes for our wanderings yet to come. Now we are listening more closely, to the murmurs of the waves, for they also respond to our words and their echoes. Long coastal beach hiking adventures, with sandy words that now become paths and trails, they speak aloud of the potential and promises we feel, so very deep in our hearts out there..... DSD

"Endless Canyons..."

 

"It was in the sublime depths of this stony domain that ancient canyon dwellers, explorers, surveyors, and river runners helped define the modern concept of canyoneering. And it was from this canyon realm that I gleaned lessons and perspectives...". J. Annerino

Gazing, always gazing, forward towards further, forever moments, out among those endless canyons... DSD

"Hidden And Awaiting..."

There are many hidden valleys out there... waiting... just waiting...

I am sure some hardly ever see the shadow of a human fall within them; hardly ever hear the breathing of a person among them...

Many such hidden places only the feathered and the four legged ones know about...

It was on a solo, just off the regular trail, while hand-railing a small alpine lake, that I was to enjoy the serendipity of discovering the remnants of a very old trail heading subtly north off into the trees...

It wouldn't have even been noticed if I hadn't stopped at just that spot to adjust my pack again as it often shifts about as if it has a mind of its own...

"I wonder...", are two words which have led me out both on amazing unplanned adventures and epics as well. I pondered these words again in my mind... and then just stepped out and started to follow where this musing and that trail might take me...

It was a very old trail; after an hour it only led to what seemed to be a narrowed section where two rock bands met and embraced each other... I 'wondered' again, and after some struggling with scree and scrub, made my way up and through this stony cleft... The trees beyond only thickened further, but after just a bit more persistent bushwacking, the rock dropped away... and a small hidden valley opened up...

There are times out there that brand an image within our minds as any tattoo upon the skin - so memorable, so vivid are they...

I wandered about there for hours... For such a small place there was much to explore... Trees to gaze upon, a small stream to listen to, polished rock to hold, lichen to wonder over, high cliffs on all sides to look up at, and tracks to study...

That was a very special day of wandering and wonderment... of simple exploring and enjoying... of reflecting upon summits and secrets and musings among that little hidden valley...

I have yet to return to that secret place... part of me kind of hopes no one else has discovered it since; but I am sure someone has. On those quiet reflective evenings, I wonder again if that old snow ever really melts in there, I ponder how much growth has taken place, and what flowers are out this season... I wonder too if that ages old cairn I found still exists, and I smile as I think of the little surprise I placed there...

And then I begin planning to return to that special hidden valley... There are many of them out there waiting still..... DSD

 

"It Was Alive..."

 

"The sun was trembling now on the edge of the ridge. It was alive, almost fluid and pulsating... And as I watched it sink I thought that I could feel the earth turning from it, actually feel its rotation. Over all was the silence of the wilderness, that sense of oneness which comes only when there are no distracting sights or sounds, when we listen with inward ears and see with inward eyes, when we feel and are aware with our entire beings rather than our senses. I thought as I sat there of the ancient admonition, 'Be still...', and knew that without stillness there can be no knowing...".  S. Olson

"We Live For It..."

"The vision comes and goes... But I live for it, for the moment when the mountains open and a new light roars in spate through the crack...".  A. Dillard

"And Ascend Into The Sky..."

 

"I wish for my ice axes. I wish for my crampons. Then I might swing a tempered pick hard into the crystal blue sky above me and fracture it, splinter the frozen air with kicks of my front points, pull myself up, one small step at a time, above the mountain, and ascend into the sky...".  J. Auld

"It's Only Called A Stone..."

 

"It's only called a stone because it would be a reliable truth... Look for the eternal truth amid the flowing change of all things. Like a stone in the river...".  J. Auld

"Passing Forward Musings..."

"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave the most in life - happiness, freedom, and peace of mind - are always attained by giving them to someone else."

P. March

In a comment posted here by Traxx... a mention was made of passing an 'Adventure Muse' forward to someone else... which gave me pause to ponder again how people are receiving this endeavor...

I did indeed invite finders of a 'Summit Stone' and an 'Adventure Muse' to pass something along to another they might see on their own journey, if they enjoyed these gifts themselves...

To hear that folks are doing just that resonates greatly...

The one picture above shares another experience of this. It is of a 'Summit Stone' tucked into the wood on the large board sign atop Kilimanjaro; the roof of Africa. While I have been to Africa, I did not climb that peak. This 'Summit Stone' was carried there by MR & SR, who having more than one 'Summit Stone', decided to pass another forward... They then posted this picture and left the stone in the summit register for another soul to discover...

As F. Burnett wrote; "Nature has made you a giver...your hands are born open, so is your heart." And if finding a 'Summit Stone' or musing over the quotes in the 'Muse' puts a smile on your face, invites a bit of mystery to your life, even adds a touch of wonder to your adventure experiences..... then just maybe you too will discover a wonderful paradox... that what we give away, often returns to us in many other forms, and often with greater inherent values within it... (And is that not really a hidden gift that we surprise ourselves with...)

Passing things forward, like experience, hope, simple gestures, a few minutes of time, a moment of consideration, or even a little bit of our efforts and energy... gathers a strength of its own like a wave travelling across the face of an ocean. As O. Mandino said: "Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

And as I have said in my intentions, doing so anonymously, is a special experience as well..... DSD

 

"Both Tangible And Mythical..."

"The place where the tangible and the mythical become the same...".  E. Abbey
Our places...
Those wild places. Where what we can touch, and that which may only be sensed, all exist together.
Our places...
Those truly wild places. Where the known, and the unknown, blend and become one and the very same.
Our places...
Those elemental places. Where we adventure out there, to find the selves that we are, and then to discover who we may yet become.
Our most special shared places..... DSD

Dedicated to those wonderful adventurers and wanderers of the 2014 Ascent For Alzheimer's Team .

"Then Further Under Those Rocks..."

 

"The river... runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are words...". N. Maclean

"Sports Under A Rock..."

 

"It meant going deeper into places in yourself that had to be found and conquered... Turning the mirror inside out and backward. It's sports under a rock. And the rock must be turned over to find it is inside each of us... All I know was that I was moving forward, and where I ended up was a question that would have to answer itself...". K. Johnson

"There Is Something..."

"There is something so elementally attractive about a river stone, or a rock outlined against the sky...". Deng Ming-Dao

"That Which May Be Worth Knowing..."

 

"Who has not spread out a map on the table and felt its promise of places to go and things to do and see... Maps embody a perspective of that which is known, and a perception of that which may be worth knowing." J. Wilford

"Old Maps Are Old Friends..."

“Give me a map to look at, and I am content. Give me a map of country I know, and I am comforted: I live my travels over again, step by step, I recall the journeys I have made; half-forgotten incidents spring vividly to mind, and again I can suffer and rejoice at experiences which are once more made very real. Old maps are old friends, understood only by the man with whom they have travelled the miles. Nobody could read my maps as I do. Lend a book to a friend and he can enjoy it and miss nothing of its story: lend him a map, and he cannot even begin to read the tale it has to tell. For maps are personal things which books are not. The appeal of an old map is to the memory; an old map spread across my knees closes my eyes. The older, the more tattered it is, the greater my affection for it. I recall our adventures together in storm and sunshine; an occasion, perhaps, when it slipped from my pocket and I searched my tracks anxiously, as for a lost companion, until it was found; an occasion, perhaps, when the mist was thick and instinct and the map urged different ways, and I followed the map and came to a safe ground again. Ah yes, maps are grand companions.”
AW Wainwright

"Old Slings And Ropes..."

On the classic elusive routes they are often found...
Bits and pieces, lengths and sections of them, on the more remote high places where they can still be discovered...
Most of a material not seen out there now, but yet of very enduring fibers. Even while so aged and clearly not as secure as they were in their youth, they still stand ready, even if only as an encouraging sentinel to adventure experiences past.
Such rope and slings have a memory the technicians tell us, in being now unusable due to time, weathering, and many unknown stresses. We know though, that these braids have lasting memories for other elemental ephemeral things too...
They are wise, these old ropes and slings. They have seen and learned much. They are elders of their kind, both well worn and even better aged through long use and earned experience. Some, who while being weathered, are still strong enough to continue to brave the elements up so high, season upon sunrise, sunset, and then even further seasons. Something respectful to be said about that kind of endurance...
I enjoy testing their grip when they show themselves, yet never now would only trust their strength. They always remind us to do just that. Kind of like we often sense as well out there with other strands of connections, of beliefs, also perceived limitations, and in discovering routes and anchor points to more within each of us then we ever first realized...
Old, wise, and weathered ropes and slings - cords of experience that blend with past adventures, and also to those yet to come..... DSD

"Sunrise, Sunset, And Solitude..."

Skoki in Banff is an area for me that is synonymous with solo adventures and long quiet solitude...
It takes a bit more to get way back in there from near Lake Louise. But with every every hour and day doing so, this journey takes us further and farther.
That adventure day I wanted to watch the sunrise yet again over little cherished Hidden Lake as I have so many times in the past. I also hoped to gaze upon the sunset across the valley over the top of the Louise Group of mountains, that gift such meaning for those of us who wander here.
The scrambling that day of those two summits back in Skoki was like visiting old friends. The solitude of these very long unfolding hours for climbing was just what was needed.
Time away, freedom to simply wander afar, moving among giants, only a gentle wind, the rustle of shifting rock and water, and the endless moments among the elements out there in our shared Skoki.
To begin before sunrise, to end with the sun just set, to be companionable within the solitude.
Such a wonderful, quiet adventure..... DSD 

"Where Do We Go From Here..."

 

Inquiries within ponderings, dreamings among visions, questions asked yet often not needing answers - what wonderful musings wander through our mind out in the wild places...
Many times, certain questions, particular wordings, take on deep depths of meanings over the seasons for each of us.
"Where do we go from here", was the seemingly simple inquiry made by a fellow student on my first Outward Bound course.
It became one of those very fun, intriguing, and memorable things that we often discover, recall, then repeat a thousand times when adventuring. We asked it of ourselves, our Instructors, of the mountains, rivers & valleys, and even of the elements themselves when the winds picked up their pace and a storm began to brew.
We asked it of each other at the end of our course, with smiles, tears, and hugs of encouragement.
I even sensed that our Outward Bound Leaders, when asking this, often also meant it to reflect 'who we wanted to be as adventurers' as we each began upon that life course as well...
In later years, I would find myself asking it aloud, in the very same moment the Mountain Guide I was with, was also saying it on a very challenging climb.
It has been said with frustration when bushwacking and during navigational complications that pushed us so far off course.
Within the maze of some distant coastal islands, during a totally fogged in day, we asked it many times.
Deep in that cave and within those canyons too, we have whispered it to one another as well.
This question has been excitedly posed for me many times, when I am leading some novice adventurers out on their first scrambles.
It is a rhetorical comment I find myself saying quietly too, at the end of the day, upon returning to our trailhead, after a particularly rewarding adventure experience.
Many moments, just in the asking of this question itself - we found all the answers we needed, all the encouragement and inspiration, and that sense of direction as adventurers' we all seem to seek.
So Dear Friends, today I wonder once more, where do we go from here..... DSD

"Finding More..."

C. Houston wrote: "In this confusing and frenetic world we need to pause now and then for a moment to ask why are we here, where are we going, and what are we achieving. Humans do the bravest, wisest, and most foolish things, often not knowing why". He says the intention of such writing and musing is to: "At least it may prompt some people to look again at what drives them, look beyond today and tomorrow, and perhaps find in mountains more than climbing".
Such wise musings...

"Farther Memorable Whisperings..."

 

Quietly resounding, powerfully yet softly, through the tall trees, touching our faces... Quietly rewarding, of momentum and energy, brushed by the elements, painting each landscape... Quietly telling, gently whispering, of both warmth and our memories, always so giving... Unseen yet present, quietly recalling, of emotions and connections, gentle breezes of remembrance... DSD

Dedicated to Alan Arnette and his Seven Summits Climb for Alzheimer's -"Memories Are Everything".

"Memories As Gifts..."

 

"Memories are perhaps the best gifts of all...". G. Gaither

"Of Memories..."

"From my deepest and oldest memories, I was always fascinated with mountains. They had a magical quality about them and climbing was part of that... In climbing, you can have a very intense, sometimes spiritual, highly emotional adventure and you can turn around and have another one. That kind of thing keeps a lot of people going back...". W. Read