"When We Embrace Our 'Why'....."

"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. 
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 this post as specific affirmation for all the links under my "Giving Back & Passing Forward" section. All of the quotes here speak to the 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

"Adventuring For A Farther Reason....."

There are so many adventure experiences that may be enjoyed by each of us, so very many terrific interests for being out there... So many motives for such efforts and for taking on these challenges, enduring the trials, pushing through the limitations... They are such personal, individual grounds for going we each hold to, yet on occasion, at very special times, we can move among the wild places for another reason...

Something else becomes the fire in our belly for being out there. Something very special transforms both our purpose and our very being. This evolves from a different kind of motivation, from a whole new level of intention; for why we do what we do in our chosen adventures. There is a unique energy within such reasons. There is also a special kind of commitment towards then fulfilling such an adventure objective. What has now influenced us to go, what then induces us to keep going, is seen to have a very different genesis. We have now chosen and committed to another kind of adventure - an adventure of cause, of purpose, one that we see as so deserving of support. Be it as a soloist, or within the symphonies of a group, we set out on a trail of inspiration, resolution, determination & dedication, that has its' own unique nature within it. We are adventuring for another reason, often for another person, who may not be able to wander the wild places as we might. While they may not be with us, they are causal, truly instrumental, as to why we are out there...

Their needs become our inspiration; their wants become our objective...

We have committed to paying a different price and our efforts, and our following through, are reward enough themselves. We are out there for anther purpose... Climbing, scrambling, hiking, paddling, trekking, biking, running; now for an ideal - for another very special reason...

What might those reasons be for you Dear Friends.......

DSD

 

***Please see all the wonderful sites linked to the right, for many amazing opportunities to 'Adventure For A Farther Reason'...***

"Romantic Realists....."

We adventurers are such romantic realists, when we turn and face that which we each have chosen, as we make our own way out among the wildest of places...

To be an adventurer is at heart, to clearly be a romantic, and yet it seems very much a realist too. We take our dream like visions and make them come true. We move past everyday life back here, and journey into the extremes and emotions out there; and then return with spirits, hearts, and perceptions renewed.

That which really matters become the elements we seek to embrace; what is within the true nature of an experience becomes that which we seek to engage.

As adventurers, we deal with things as they are, while following enthusiasms towards things that are yet to be...

We are so imaginatively practical in the pursuit of our wild passions. So often playfully serious about our fun and our freedoms. We blend risk with romanticism, and distinct objectives with subtle fulfillment's.

Such romantic realists are we, such pioneers and wanderers, poets and bards, explorers and philosophers.

We everyday adventurers..... DSD 

"Of Love And Nature..."

"I love this lake, basin of heavenly tears, tilted from lunar pull, jostling its shore... I love these mountains, stark rock outcroppings, sculpted by the oceans, lifted at some unknown time, isolated in a field of vetch, cleaved by silver falls. A sentinel owl regards me unblinkingly, and beyond alpine forests form a cadence, to a distant moon..."   Deng Ming-Dao

"We Give Our Hearts..."

"I gave my heart to the mountains the minute I stood beside this river with its spray in my face and watched it thunder into foam, smooth to green glass over sunken rocks, shatter to foam again... By such a river it is impossible to believe that one will ever be tired or old...".   W. Stegner

"Of Love & Serenity..."

"Serenity does not cancel hope or adventure, work, or love... It flows through the heart of a landscape... quiet and strong, clear and gentle. Refreshing all we do or dream...".
Patrick Brown
Serenity, contentment, love, and peace... What gifts we discover as we far adventure... DSD

"We Who Love Mountains..."

"To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties they will not disclose to those who make no effort. And it is because they have so much to give and give it so lavishly to those who wrestle with them, that people love mountains and go back to them again and again...". F. Youngblood

"Further Echoes From Bernbaum..."

Such beautiful musings and echoes...
"Mountains seem to beckon to us, holding out the promise of something on the ineffable edge of awareness...".
"We climb to hear - whispered in the wind, echoed in the stars - strains of that mysterious music...".
"In some mysterious, inexplicable way, there are valleys and mountains all around us that no one has ever seen or mapped - a world hidden right here, as if in another dimension...".
"Rather than conquer the mountain, the climber vanquishes himself, much as a hermit or yogi overcomes the enemy of his own pride and arrogance on the way...".
Edwin Bernbaum

"An Echo From Edwin Bernbaum..."

"As the highest and most dramatic features of the natural landscape, mountains have an extraordinary power to evoke the sacred. The ethereal rise of a ridge in the mist, the glint of moonlight on an icy face, the flare of gold on a distant peak - such glimpses of transcendent beauty can reveal our world as a place of unimaginable mystery and splendour... In the fierce play of natural elements that swirl about their summits - thunder, lightning, wind, and clouds - mountains also embody forces beyond our control, physical expressions of an awesome reality...".  Edwin Bernbaum

"Go... Start Now..."

Go... Start now...
This reflects the depths of the endless wisdom to be learned from Outward Bound, and those many insights shared our Mountain & Kayak Guides. They all pass forward so much. Yet today, this one elemental concept echoes out so clearly.
Go... Start now...
There are few reasons so important that we cannot begin somewhere. There are too many distractions that always will try to take us off course somewhat. We still need though, to begin someplace. To envision, to plan, to prepare, within our training, then a focus on needed knowledge and skills.
All are beginnings. So go, start now, we are reminded again.
Timing is important, but let us not only wait for what seems to be the absolute perfect time, as that moment may never come. This is what the experienced ones share with us time and again.
Dreams, desires, and passions, have endless energy we can draw upon. But do we not then need to make use of this, or it all wains away they say.
Further inspiration will always be there to keep ourselves going, especially when trials and hurdles present themselves. But those wise ones also share that momentum must be grasped too right when it presents itself.
So go, start now...
Whatever path or trail you envision, begin somewhere this day.
Whichever summit sparks your enthusiasm, initiate, start, set out, step forward, within that very moment.
Even today, our adventure's await each of us. So we need to go, go now.
Our mentors, friends, and close companions encourage us to do exactly that. They hope to see us become the adventurers we ourselves want to be. So they tell us to go, begin now.
Then, when, once having done this, once having gone - then start again, go again, yet again, and ever again my Dear Friends..... DSD   

"Waiting To Be Awakened..."

"What made it incredibly tantalizing was that It, the magic, was somewhere inside me. It had always been there... waiting to be awakened...". R. Schultheis
Dedicated to all those who will be enjoying their first Outward Bound course this year.

"Our Old Weathered Lists....."

"Fortunately, more distant summits are always being discovered... Man throws a stone - his desire - into the unknown, then throws himself in pursuit." T. Cesen
Here is this weathered list I see before me. This very old weathered list. Just some scribblings on worn paper, but such a precious thing these become for all of us...
The ideas started long ago, even before my Outward Bound experiences. Sparks of thought, notes from being inspired, longings I was yet to really even understand.
This old well worn weathered list.
But still does it always engage me. Especially when an unfolding year dawns and during the beginnings of each kind of adventure season. Every spring too does it seem to call gently, yet invitingly and persistently as well.
It almost feels at times too, that this old weathered list, has been like another kind of map and compass. Always there for navigation, for setting course, to keep oneself on track.
This weathered, folded, even a bit torn old list. It has aged, evolved, and shows the wear much as we all do. From objectives, to totals, check marks, and completions. Now it is changing once again more to an endearing tally.
This long old weathered list.
Seemingly, wonderfully, amazingly endless.
A never completed process it is. So happy am I that this is so. For a list like this is as much an adventure journey as our actual wanderings out among the wild places...
This old, composed, weathered list. I hold it in my hand, but it really has been what has supported me. Always full of hope, inspiration and wonder, enjoyment and awe, and endless enduring forever possible moments.
For as J.B. MacKinnon wrote too: "A life list is, in the end, nothing more than a tool to look back on our lives and consider how we spent our brief moments on earth. And what if, in those final breaths, you realize - I never gave anything back...".
An old parchment of sorts is this listing. It has charted what was wanted from out there. Then pointed gently to so much more than was ever first realized from within ourselves here..... DSD   

"Putting Boots On Our Dreams..."

To ponder is one thing. to muse another.
Reflection is wonderful, and dreaming is a gift.
We have such abilities to envision all that we so want to wander among and through. Our minds create the possibilities, and then it is time to climb further...
"Put some boots on your dreams", our Outward Bound Instructor said.
Then we were to learn of the wild places beyond contemplation; of the terrain of taking actions. These were steps on trails of another kind, towards horizons of dreams now made very real.
'Boots on our dreams' - a so potent shared metaphor, said so long ago to us, long pondered over many more seasons, and now passed forward once more to all of you Dear Friends..... DSD

Dedicated this adventure day to all our wonderful Outward Bound Schools.

 

"Begin Where Your Energy Is..."

I've heard Mountain & Sea Kayak Guides, as well as our Outward Bound Instructors, all mention it.
We've seen it in action in the Grand Canyon; experienced it in ways hard to describe while climbing and when out upon the ocean; felt it so sustain us on longer treks.
And we are still seeking out the meanings of to 'go where the energy is'...
I believe this to be a quietly, profoundly, simply important concept for those of us who wander. We only need to witness its' magic once in a fellow adventurer, after seeing them so tired and worn out past where a person would be expected to last. Yet they do...
We see them discover a different source of energy, a whole new wellspring of enthusiasm and motivation to keep on going. It is then we ask: What is this means for motion have they tapped into; what elemental energies have they aligned with?
While as individuals we do vary in our physical makeup, in our internal energies of motivation and drive, and as well in how our external objectives then pull each of us forward - energy is the essence that any adventurer draws upon to make their wild place dreams become real.
Ability is only the beginning.
Energy is what makes it sustaining.
So, what does this mean - 'to go where the energy is'? Could it be about those places of geomancy where a force, some kind of latent power, emanates from the elements themselves?
Might it be the synergy of shared vigour and fun that group activity out there radiates in countless dynamic ways?
What is hidden behind that which incites each of us, that causes our hearts to beat so, that stimulates our mind, our spirit, the very core of our being?
Maybe it is the potential to be discovered within every new experience; possibly the passions each of us have that fuels our personal flames; or also quite likely the endless variations of the elements themselves that never cease to inspire each of us out there. So wherever your elemental enthusiasms wait for you Dear Finder, trek towards them, embrace them, allow yourself to be infused by them. Ask yourself right then, why does this stimulate me so, what is it that I want here, what do I want this to mean, why is this so important for me.
Such questions and the resulting musings will surely guide each of us to where your own lasting energies await..... DSD

"Yet Still, They Began..."

"The one thing that all famous authors, world class adventurers & athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors, and celebrated achievers in any field have in common - is that they all began their journeys when they were none of these things. Yet still, they began their journeys...".  M. Dooley

"In The Dawning Of Our New Day..."

In the dawning of a new day, within the dawnings of our shared early year, we may find so many promises...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These are the profoundly simple promises we may discover within the dawning of this new day among the dawnings of our shared early year... DSD

 

Dedicated this early year to all those wonderful wanderers who are Adventuring For Another Reason out there.

"A Beginning Year 'Why'..."

"The Greeks pondered the causes of things. If you had asked them, 'Why are there mountains' they'd give you four causes. The Material cause is the ground has the potential to become a mountain. The Efficient cause is that mountains are just elevated earth standing up. The Formal cause is the earth raised them up. But the Final cause is where it gets interesting. They'd say the Final cause of mountains is they exist because humans need to look up and dream..."
"I've always been fascinated by the why . You know, the oldest questions in the world...". J. Auld

"Our Shared Early Year Map Musings..."

"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

This seems such a natural time for musings during these early dawning days of a new year. To me, maps are visual metaphors for new ideas...

Maps are more than useful for finding one's direction or sorting out some kind of navigation. Yet they can also reflect a true genesis of creative ideation and imagination. This is pure fuel for our enthusiasm and motivation.

This timing and kind of effort inherently reflects new beginnings and the nature of our 'beginners mind', the ability to see things in new ways and with fresh eyes.

Such new year musings and map reading are all about fresh starts, about things worth wondering over, adventures to ponder about. There is so much fun to be found in the planning of climbs and scrambles to unknown summits, deep canyons to explore, kayaking routes to enjoy, hiking and biking trails to set out upon.

I have always been so intrigued by maps. And believe, as R. Schultheis said, "There are many potential maps of course; physiological, psychological, biochemical, theological, and anthropological." There can be many dimensions to maps; more so than are just apparent on a flat piece of paper.

Especially the exploring, of new places, of ourselves in those places, and of unique perceptions.

These are all means for adventuring.

I have so many maps. Those upon my wall, rolled in protective tubes, old worn folded maps, and those I enjoy discovering while paging through the endless excellent adventure guides to be found out there.

Further to our past years reflections and our early year hopes, map musings re-mind us of what memories we have created and what adventures we wish to have... DSD 

"It Begins Once Again..."

Once again, here and now, in these most precious moments, it all begins...
We truly sense this as we feel the first shift of our packs, as they settle upon our backs, when it begins. Then just before that first step, as we are getting underway, we sense that genesis of such emerging energy as well.
In those initial minutes, those moments of excitement & anticipation where it is all made real, where our adventure is now very much coming into being - it begins.
As our paddles reach for and touch the water, or when our hands first grasp that hiking staff, just as we feel the rock under our fingers and toes, here begins what did not exist before.
In those emerging unknowns, we are shown what will be renewed and then afreshed, coming into bloom like a large new moon, with that original vibrancy and excitement we have all felt before.
When we set out so, with each lovely new sunrise, we look forward to endless possibilities as we commence with our beginnings. Thus each moment among the wild places is born anew, and will wonderfully then transform each of us as well.
When it all begins we further embrace our origins - that essence, the source, for why we are there, for why we started out, and ultimately for why we will also then keep on going.
Then later, during what may seem to be an end to this journey, now instead we see the prelude for what is more truly very likely just the beginning of another amazing adventure. There is nothing more primal than new beginnings.
So once again, this dawning new year, it begins..... DSD 

"Of Embers Within Our New Year..."

When I ponder new beginnings, I also muse over 'embers'...

An 'Ember' is a seabird, well known for its' stamina and long voyages across amazingly distant wild places.

A time to 'ember' is a time for meditation; a time set aside for establishing perspectives.

The 'embers' found within our wild place campfires hold the hopeful potential too for new flame, warmth, and sustenance. There are always live coals still out there and within us adventurers as well. The glimmer of such 'embers' wait for us to rediscover them.

This energy, this source, is a powerful metaphor and can be one of the deepest wellsprings for our feelings of hope - perceptions that say we can trust in our futures, that give cause to possibilities not yet seen.

Adventurers are very familiar with adversity, with the unknown, and thus sense the importance of embering...

Such 'embers' are more cheerful expectations, that we will indeed be inspired once again, that we can believe that moments of trial will certainly pass, that regardless of any such storms, we will most certainly persevere.

These are the many promises to be found within the 'embers of hope' my friends.

We are all adventurers in such times as we share in, when embracing this early year.

The new fire that will assuredly take flame from such embers allows us to see beyond any kind of darkness.

The new horizons we will then see more clearly have always been there; they are just sometimes hidden from us.

All waiting for us, to find and fuel the embers of our shared hopefulness, and our adventure spirit..... DSD 

"Our Year's End 'Finis'....."

On the last page of this little 'Adventure Muse' is one of my very favorite quotes by Viktor Frankl . He said "The Latin word for 'finis' has two meanings: the end or finish, and a goal to reach...".
Every time I, or a Friend places one of these small touchstone gifts, I think about why I've included it. It was put just there, in the last bit, for many reasons. Then it just might spark some musings about its endless meanings.
As adventurers, I think we all sense, then feel, and finally know, the truth of these words the further and longer we wander out among the wild places.
We may come to the end of a climb but really are only just beginning we eventually see.
The trail may seem to be completed, yet our path is only truly getting going.
That ridge route appears finite, but the vista's and perceptions opening up are clearly not.
A longed for adventure experience may be in its last stages, but the callings we then continue to hear are even more pronounced now.
Our efforts out there are over and done, yet the echoes of what these mean are simply getting started.
We attain a point on the map, accomplish an elusive objective, then we go on to discover still other sources, even further energies, and destinations yet to be revealed.
Such passages may feel occasionally like they are in their last phases, but now we realize too they are reflections of endless possibilities .
We bring together the days end by eventually closing our eyes out in a tent or under the stars . Then we dream about new beginnings and the meanings for why we do what we do when out adventuring among the wild places.
What appeared final, we now know to be primal. What seemed last, we sense now to be first. What looked as closure, we discover to hold amazing potential.
Then Frankl's quote echoes out yet again and promises us all so very many further wonders and farther adventures..... DSD
A distinct dedication this year's end day to all of those who are Adventuring For Another Reason this season.

"Gazing Within That Kindle, Crackle, And Sparkle..."

A little kindle in the beginning, just some initial enthusiasm at first, only a bit, but essential for the whole journey, as here we go, kindling our way... Then comes the energetic crackle, as the momentum takes us further, farther along our adventurous ways. Now the fires of intention, commitment, and motivation are burning more brightly, consistently so strongly, then there we are, within the firelight and its' crackle... Sparkle is the inevitable result, the gleam to be found in our eyes, the smiles there too upon our happily tired faces. We sparkle with bright memories, and powerful connections now as well, never to lose that ground, gained through these wonderful journeys... Kindle, crackle, and sparkle... From musings by this warm fire, looking up at stars, and deep into those flames, then across at close friends, with such warmth in my heart... DSD 

"Of Ending & Starting..."

"If the trail you are following ends, the time has come to start your own." Dean K. Miller 

"Of This Year's Trail's End..."

 

"We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know it for the first time...". T.S. Elliot
That adventure day by the sea, when I could sense the end of the trail approaching, there was that deep emotion of contentment, and yet a gentle tired kind of sadness as well.
I recognize we all experience this occasionally.
When we each attain a really elusive adventure goal out there, with all of those so special celebratory emotions. Then at times we sense upon completion a touch of those other feelings of, 'Oh, Its over'...
Pretty natural it seems, to truly experience both, when we invest ourselves so intensely and purposefully within our journeys.
So, I did what we wanderers often do and pondered this a bit, while allowing myself to experience all those musings and emotions all at the same time.
Then much later, as I rested upon a further mountain, after having had that similar summit rush of these sensations, I reminded myself of that very old saying, 'that when one trail seems to end, another path always opens up'.
I reflected too on another old saying that, 'while we may shed a tear about such an experience being over, we can clearly smile as well for having lived those forever moments'.
There are many manifestations of these wise and wild old ponderings.
So, then, if we keep ourselves open to what is always out there on the horizon; if we accept that there is always more within us than ever first realized; if we blend with the truths that there is never an end to the creation of amazing memories, possible connections, and shared wonderful stories - then our trails will forever keep on going so much farther, higher, upward, onward, and inward...
Seeming endings always then become new beginnings and as Muir reminds us as well, "This grand show is eternal... It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapour is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in turn, as the round earth rolls".
Happy endless end of the year trails to all of you my Friends..... DSD

"If We Have Given..."

"If you always give... You always have...". Proverb

Time for celebration and enjoyment,
Moments of such connection and remembrance,
Then out upon courses we all hope to set,
So renewed in our enthusiasm and commitment.
A very happy holidays, and season of sharing, to you all, Dear Friends, Dear Finders, and a very happy new year to all of us who wander..... DSD   

"Be Well......."

 

A simple saying discovered while distant wandering resonates nicely for this time of year...

'Be well my friends, be well...'

In this time of celebrations, connections, and fun,

During a season that may, like adventures, both invite us and also challenge us,

In the midst of our shared holiday spirits,

Be well...

As we remember to focus on what is truly important,

Even as so much grasps for our attention,

If the pace gets more than a bit hectic, as when that storm rolled in off of the ocean, or those winds whipped up across that lake,

Pause for your moments, like you did on that elusive summit,

And be well...

Recall your amazing adventure experiences these last twelve months,

Draw upon those many wonderful wild place moments these past four seasons,

Breath them all in again as you share laughter and love with family, friends, and fellows,

And be well my Friends, be well Dear Finders,

Be well..... DSD 

"The Giver Should Be Thankful..."

 

"It is written even still... that the giver should be thankful; only then is it a sharing... Somebody accepted you through your gift...". Osho
"In becoming a giver... we establish an affinity with all creatures in the world...". Dogen
My sincere gratitude to you all Dear Finders, and Partners In Placing , for your having allowed me to gift you with a small Summit Stone..... DSD  

"The Wonderful Gift Of Experiences..."

Most of us bestow things upon one another during this season of giving.
I have often mused, and written about here, over the nature of another kind of offering. This is a deeper kind of present for another, or as an endowment maybe for ourselves, which holds out such potent and significant meanings.

Remember...

What you felt so strongly during that river rafting trip; recall the energy and emotions when out on those trails of your favorite hikes; think for a moment about when you were sea kayaking to that coastal island you were sure no one had ever set foot upon.

Feel again those same sensations, that enchanting sense of wonder, when you attained that very first summit; go back and relive that special time when a certain spirit animal appeared in the trees before you, just when you needed it so.

All of these knowings, and so many more from out there, are the gifts of adventure experiences. These are the gifts that the wild places wrap up for each of us, that we give ourselves too when we head out, that we also present to others in so many shared ways - the gift of experiences...

So, remember too, that canyoneering day when you pushed so hard to get beyond yourself; that very long rappel into the the mists so memorable; the times lowering into the depths of those caves so dark and yet so illuminating. All are also such potent and powerful gifts of experiences.

We do give one another, and ourselves, such nice things at times - yet a gift of experience holds another level of enduring beauty within it.

That which we experience out there, and then weave into our experiences back here, are truly meaningful offerings - of smiles and laughter, of challenges and effort, of sunshine and tears - these are bestowed upon us through journeys within the wild places.

They become branded in our memories; they touch us in our very hearts; and they are always there to further inspire our spirits.

Such life defining moments we meet with and undergo out there, regardless of when solo or those shared in fellowship, is what is really at the end of any rainbow. Then if we pass forward these adventure experiences, they then become a gift twice given.

And that is a beautiful experience too.

So, in the spirit of this season of sharing and giving, do I wish for you Dear Friends, Dear Finders, that the gift of experiences becomes a bountiful cherished present within your lives..... DSD  

"Of Gifts & Expectations..."

 

"A wonderful gift may not be wrapped as you expect...".  J.L. Huie

"Of Light & Giving..."

 

"As we work to create light for others, we naturally enlighten our own way...". M.A. Radmacher

"However Small..."

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted...". Aesop

"Your Muse's Gift..."

 

"The adventure of a mystery... Your adventure muse has her ways, she hides from you, comes to you in the middle of the night, at midday, at dawn... An elusive gift that can appear anytime...". M. Hart

"Gifts From The Sea..."

"One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea...". A. Lindbergh

"Our Shared Gifts Within Adversity..."

It may seem very unusual to wish adversity as a gift for one another within this sharing season, but therein is the power of natural paradox... At times in my own struggles, I may stubbornly resist such uphill trials and have difficulty in reframing them as growth through challenge... Yet the natural world is truly a wild place of such challenges, of constant order yet chaos, of heightened perception about the clear unknown, of desires and elements that push and test an adventurer to and past preconceived limits...

We may not always think about it in these ways but what draws us, what we often seek out there for adventure and fun, is in many ways synonymous with that which adversity itself offers us in return...

When I recall the adversity gifts bestowed upon me for example, I remember... Fears of open ocean, wind and waves... Multi day distant treks and getting very lost... Continuously elusive mountain summits... Unexpected impacts of terrain and altitude... Fitness challenges of injury and age... 5.9 routes that always seemed just beyond my grasp... Caving and my surprising reactions within enclosed spaces... among so many others...

Yet as Goddard & Neumann write about the adventure of climbing: "Realize why you climb. Climbing is not rewarding in spite of its frustrations. It is rewarding because of the very factors that can make it frustrating." Such enduring words as this are gifts of wisdom and insight too...

A. Hobson also said: "Adventure by its very nature, involves overcoming uncertainty, fear, obstacles, adversity and the unknown." F. Youngblood mused too how, "To those who have struggled with them, the mountains reveal beauties they will not disclose to those who make no effort." While Grandfather, a Mountain Elder, said... "Yes it can be a trial. Fear, doubt, pain, discomfort - these can be part of the price to be paid. Yet the gifts you have bartered for with your blood and your breath - what wealth! They will resonate with your very soul."

Such an amazing gift is the adversity within adventure.....

The present is often in the unexpected, the surprising things we discover - most often about ourselves... The reward is in the act itself of being out there in the midst of both the sunsets and the storms. And then we know too with such real certainty of the unopened presents to bestow upon ourselves of other future possibilities still waiting to be found within our wild places...

P. Stoltz & E. Weihenmayer said of this gift: "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."

Is this not a fundamental motive for why we cherish and wish to protect those wild places where we have devoted our precious energy, time, sweat, tears, hopes, and fears...

S. Covey himself acknowledges: "Adversity has inspired me to be an alchemist, to turn lead into gold." And that pot of gold waits for you out there at the end of a wonderful trail of tribulations...

Those who find themselves through adventure adversity are indeed gifted with awareness and abilities and memories so vivid and valuable... The tears we may experience of frustration can be alchemized into the tears we know within joy.

Because as E. Weihenmayer mused further; "Isn't there something incredibly riveting about the human struggle with adversity? Maybe it's because within the struggle lies the essential wisdom we all need to become the kind of person we hope to be".

So, wish upon those stars we may see within another sleepless night in the midst of trial by rock, water, wind and waves.

Trek towards a hard to reach horizon of your dreams.

Continue to seek out the possibility hidden in that alpenglow just before you begin your most difficult climb.

Keep looking for that rainbow wrapped summit that you have trained yourself for over so many years.

For within this season, all these things, and adversity too, do I hope and wish for you..... DSD

 

"Giving Of Any Kind..."

 

"Giving of any kind... taking an action... begins the process of change, and moves us to remember that we are part of a much greater universe...".  M. Creazzo

"Getting And Giving..."

"We make a living by what we get... We make a life by what we give...". W.S. Churchill

Dedicated this adventure day, within our shared season of giving, to those Partners In Placing who pass forward smiles all along the way... DSD

"Of Mountains And Gifts..."

 

"We were two men in a land of stone and we walked toward the same star...

That... was the gift of our mountains". G. Rebuffat

Stones and stars,
Rock and sky,
Wind and waves,
Wild wonders to ponder,
Elemental gifts while we wander...
DSD

"Within The Gift Of Joy..."

"There are souls in this world who have the gift of finding joy everywhere, and leaving it behind them where ever they go...". F.W. Faber

Dedicated this adventure day to all of those Partners In Placing who adventure so very far and also share smiles all along the way.

"Of Giving..."

 

"The heart that gives, gathers...". Tao Te Ching

"Truly A Gift....."

Each and every time out there is a gift,
Amazingly beautiful gifts within our journeys,
Every journey holds gems hidden within,
Hidden only though at the very first...
From the first time there are always endless wonders,
True wonders discovered as we long and far wander,
Our wandering adventures then become forever longings,
Forever moments from seemingly only simple steps.
Every step then a dearly and cherished memory,
Then all such memories are truly a gift..... DSD

Dedicated this adventure day to all those wonderful wanderers who are 'Adventuring For Another Reason' . 

"The Greatest Gift..."

 

"The greatest gift you can ever give another person, is your own happiness...". E. Hicks

"The Best Gifts Of All..."

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

"Gifts Within The Four Directions..."

"Remember... The gifts of the four directions. The East is the new day, renewal, innocence, hope, joy, and new beginnings. The South is learning, preparing, strength, sensitivity, goals, and reflection. The West is the unknown, of dreams, meditation, going within, and a place of testing. The North is about wisdom, moderation, teachers, elders, fulfilment, and memories. There is no ending in the journey of the four directions...". Grey Wolf

"Still Listening..."

We were not talking so much at this point way back then. A very long hike to an elusive high place that day, with much laughter and discussion about life's journeys all along the trail. We almost hadn't gone, such was the weather and the other distractions back here. But out there now, in those moments, I found myself not saying as much, but rather simply listening more attentively again...
Just simply hearing through my memories - for what our Outward Bound Leaders, those old wise Mountain Guides, and especially for that so very experienced Sea Kayak Instructor, who all seemed to be saying one clear thing: "Take time to listen", they all said in their own unique ways...
'Listen' for those so quiet voices from out over the waters and waves; for those voices of encouragement and commitment.
'Listen' for those special personal sounds among the trees and the winds; for whispers of motivations yet to be discovered.
'Listen' for your own music within the storms; as they will always share their wild secrets.
We each will surely experience our own adventure audibles, as we quietly listen in those many ways with our ears, our minds, and our spirit too. We each will truly hear personal messages as well from deep within our individual desires, dreams, and intuition.
I guess that I am very glad, just so happy that in remembering to hear their voices echo in my mind again, now I am simply listening yet once more...
Because I sense that if we stop listening so, then we might just lose our way.
We might possibly miss our wild callings, then not really hear the whispers of our adventure longings, for why we go, and why we do what we do within our wild place wanderings.
So grateful we are all still simply listening..... DSD  

"Of Listening..."

"Two voices are there; one is of the sea, one is of the mountains". Wordsworth
"We climb to hear - whispered in the wind, echoed in the stars - strains of that mysterious music". E. Bernbaum
"I heard nothing except the music that had seemed to accompany me throughout my climb". R. Messner
"On this sun-consumed rock pile, eternity is trying to speak - no, sing to me". R. Schultheis
"Listen... Listen to the songs of the mountains; the songs of the forests and the river... Then listen more closely, for you may see that it is you that has been singing". Grandfather, Mountain Elder

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

"Listenings..."

 

 

"If you lie out flat on the stones - it seems odd to try, I know, you will feel - here; that's it - the warmth of the sunlight emanating from the stones. Turn your head to the side, ear to rock, and you will hear the earth revolving on its axis and an adjustment of stones in the riverbed...".  B. Lopez

"Enlightenings....."

Now, this is not so much about storm chasing, as it reflects elemental storm questing experiences.
I especially enjoy the intense adventure of it when my intention is to both appreciate, and then to write about, what musings this whole experience sparks.
There is much immediacy, and potency, deep within the midst of a mountain or coastal storm. I haven't met anyone out there who is not both inspired, and yet also feeling a respectful awe, of the power of these darkly, then brightly clashing elements.
I am also a very careful wanderer who watches the weather patterns closely. Who is looking for safety of location as soon as any thunder voices itself, and ensures I am not by any means the tallest object around.
There are no metal hiking poles with me those days, no large single trees or boulders about. Although being close to treeline still does make sense.
The highpoints, outcrops, and overhangs, of the terrain are avoided. The lower points distinctly embraced.
My sleeping pad becomes a cushion I can crouch low upon too, as I tuck myself away when the sky and clouds deeply darken, and the winds begin to endlessly bellow.
When the lighting dims, the music begins, and the energy of it all is then so wonderfully released...
The sights and sounds are like no other.
The inherent inspiration to compose something becomes as momentous.
The blending of it all into both memories, and then words, is an amazing lasting adventure itself.
The little cobblestones I then always discover are truly a gift as well.
Seeking out those elements of thunder and lightning, then wandering, pondering, and composing musings while out there among them - is such a very enlightening experience..... DSD 

"Farther Meanings..."

"We seek an experience that adds meaning and perspective to our lives... Something that brings more meaning to everyday life... We will also find hardship, both in our wilderness excursions and in our life journeys, and if we don't open ourselves to it we cannot go far in our search for meaning... We may learn to see time, evolution, and life itself with new eyes; we may come to better know ourselves; we may place knowledge and truth in a broader perspective; we may become open to that heightened combination of awareness and aliveness called contemplation, and possibly experience a sudden flash of insight, an epiphany. All have helped me see the boulders in my river of life, and have shown me the surest route to the distant, shining sea... All are trusty guides, and true wilderness companions...". D. Backes

"Just My Pack And I....."

Such very old friends we are,
Good companions for quite long.
We've shared so many wild experiences,
Within endless days well out there...
We've journeyed far and wide together,
Carrying things for each other.
Me toting these old packs,
Then them carrying me as well...
No one else about this day,
Nothing more needed for our hike.
Just our own company yet once again,
As we begin the trail and the pathways up...
I so enjoy these adventures which we share,
Such moments seem simpler and then more clear.
Nothing technical to be done this time,
Only the essentials will we both carry...
I am always very happy to see again,
These old cherished well worn partners.
Much like their siblings from the past,
Who have become special for me as well...
Such very old friends we are,
Great companions for so long.
One more lovely day out there,
For just my pack and I..... DSD  

"Farther Blue Mountains..."

 

"The acid test of a true adventurer, if presented with certain anonymity, is whether each of us would still have made the journey beyond the last blue mountain...". M. Clark