"Blue Mountain Spirit..."

"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 

"Our Shared Mountain Spirit..."

"Shan: Mountain. The ancients believed that there was something called the mountain spirit...". Deng Ming-Dao  

"More Than ever..."

"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only Nation to Nation, and human to human, but human to all other forms of life...".  The Dalai Lama

"Farther Friends..."

"A friend is, as it were, a second self...".  M.T. Cicero

Thank you for sharing these images my Friends.

"Further Friends..."

"The best mirror is an old friend...".  G. Herbert

"Of The Sea..."

"There is no place in my adventure lexicon for cynicism, criticism, and doubt.
Instead, I've learned to listen, accept, and record...
You will understand the sea when you get there.
It will speak to you...
After blasting through the surf, I bobbed on the residual storm swell and settled into the silent, mantric repetition of paddling...".  J. Turk

"Of Perspectives..."

"As you sit on the hillside,
Or lie prone under the trees of the forest,
Or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream,
The great door,
That does not look like a door,
Opens...".   
S. Graham
To sleep, to dream, to wander, then to muse...
What wonderful perspectives are gifted to us then... DSD   

"Of Ripples..."

"I feel as though I found meaning while walking in the woods... A pebble thrown into a pond creates ripples of water which sends ripples into the air and so on and so forth... This rippling effect followed me back into society and strengthened my beliefs in the interconnectedness of all things. It boosted my beliefs that people must be good to each other, as the ripples aren't just in the water, but in the conversations and actions we have with each other...".  S. Haraldson  

"Endless Blue Mountains..."

Amidst winters deep embrace upon the wilds.

Endless mist and mystery among the valleys.

A windy breath so very cold.

Sun too though upon frozen waters.

With crystal jewels all a shining.

Clear sky reflections, endless blue mountains.

Crisp sounds to ponder,

Now time to wander.....  DSD  

"Dwelling In The Blue Mountains..."

"You ask me why I dwell in the blue mountains.

I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care.

As the peach blossom flows down stream and is gone into the unknown.

I have a world apart that is not among men...".

Li Bai

"As This Season Unfolds Abbey's Blessing First Heard On Outward Bound..."

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing views.
May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.
May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poet's towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you - beyond that next turning of the canyon walls...".  E. Abbey

My sincere appreciation for sharing your image with us.  

"For Fur, Feathers, And Fins Friday's: Our Adventure Animus..."

Everyone seems to agree it is fundamental.
Many have seen its impact.
Most have felt it presence.
While all know the truth of its origins.
Yet we all tend to describe and express our own 'Adventure Animus' in such unique and different ways.
Our 'Animus' is that spirit that animates our inner self.
That which moves each of us. That endless source of personal energy and drive, passion and pride, motive and enthusiasm, our courage and initiative.
Some say the substance of our Adventure Animus is drawn from the mind, the rational, the sensible - our intention and will.
Others feel that the essence of Animus to adventure out there is more about instinct and inner impulse, from our true primal self, even our archetype.
All would likely agree though, that the Animus is indeed the storm that moves us, and those winds we ride upon, the very way we breath life in, and that essential spirit we seek for discovering why we do what we do out in the wild places.
When you sense yours, Dear Finder, your own vital Adventure Animus, where will you next wander.....   DSD  

"Of Eternity And Stones..."

"The Stone grows old.
Eternity is for stones.
But I shall go down from this airy space.
This swift white peace.
This singing exultation.
And time will close about me.
My soul stir to the rhythm.
Of the the daily round.
Yet, having known.
Life will not then press so close.
Always will I feel time ravel thin around me.
For once I stood.
In the white windy presence of eternity...".  E. Tietjens

"Look Up. Look Way Up..."

Such a subtle transformation it was...
One of the processes of alchemy that Outward Bound Instructors are so well known for, as they lead wondering wanderers out there for their first time.
It was at the beginning of our course, with those heavy packs, the unknowns before us, some with new boots, others with doubts and fears, all inexperienced adventurers.
All of us were heads down it seemed, when hiking, when climbing, even as it felt at times when we were resting too.
If we looked up at all we would catch that inspiring glimpse of one of our leaders, head up, relaxed and contemplative. Mostly of us, but also of their surroundings, and even of something maybe not really seen, likely more elusive for those of us so new to these highlands.
As we so journeyed, we were coached and encouraged to keep our heads up. Initially because we would likely breath better, Later it was more about awareness... Of the wild places we were moving among, and the unfolding experiences we were going through.
As the long days became deep nights, and the nights evolved back to enduring days, then further to expansive hours, and more finally slowed to moments - one by one we individually found ourselves more heads up.
We began recognizing this in each other, and also saw the ongoing smiles this sparked within each of us.
The packs were still heavy. The terrain just as challenging. The footing as tricky at times. But we were no longer existing just with heads down.
These wild place perspectives had changed us as we had evolved farther while journeying through them.
From heads down. To heads up.
From enduring to enjoying.
From doubts to confidence. 
From looking to knowing.
From unknowns to welcoming embracements.
From just tired meandering to blissful wandering.
All with our heads up, way up, held high, with great big full wonderful smiles to be found upon everyone's faces.
Heads up my friends..... DSD    

For Outward Bound  

"Of Wandering and Wondering..."

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering". St. Augustine  

"Of Adventure, Artistry, And Goals..."

Mark Ivan Cole recently said of a musing here...
"This is personally poignant for me, DSD Stones. I've had the opportunity to do some exploring, some backpacking, a few short summits, and a smattering of rock climbing. I've been wondering if I can get to the stuff I've been wanting to get to for so long, not sure if there's time. Recently, I've felt like the universe has been telling me: "you're never too old." This is another reminder. Thank you."

To which I pondered, then replied: 
"A musing very meaningful for myself too Mark.
Never too old, never that out of shape, never too far, nor too much else going on, or too much commitment would it take - never...
We do what we can, with what we are and have, where we are as well. 
All is truly meaningful.
Each is a summit of its own kind.
Never is it a moment wasted.
The elements always echo out with such truths. Thank you Mark".

Then I also reflected over two quotes posted some time ago:

"The most invisible creators I know of are those artists whose medium is life itself. The ones who express the inexpressible... Their medium is their being. Whatever their presence touches has increased life. They are artists of being alive..." J. Stone    

"The real goal. It wasn't, oddly enough, the summit of a mountain or the top of a cliff at all. That's because the goal wasn't really a place, but a feeling. It was an emotion deep inside him, and inside all of us; a sentiment we all search for, but which always seems so elusive." A. Hobson 

How wonderful, yet mysterious, all these elements are. They arise with the sun, blend with our adventures, mix in with our longings, then we gaze out upon them with the setting sun too...

DSD   

"Spirit Of Grace On All Fours..."

"Oh wisdom
in your fur coat
and whiskers.
What don't you know?
Sometimes I believe 
I have seen my soul searched 
in your eyes.
How much time passes 
between us without word?
How much do you know
that I've just begun
to understand?
Spirit of grace
and humor
on all fours...".   P.Reinke

"An Enduring And Expansive Truth....."

"No climber truly stops, in the sense that there are many levels to climb at, and many ways to remain active: giving up storm-blasted mountains for sun baked rocks, settling for strenuous hikes instead of death defying climbs, or simply living a bit vicariously through the accounts of more active climbers.
But no climber, active or inactive, young or old, can help but look back to one of their earlier climbs with a sense that they had touched something beautiful and elusive, and had found movement upon rock and ice as creation.
Enduring friendships were discovered.
New strengths were found.
Horizons expanded...
These experiences may have been passing moments or month long expeditions, but in these remembrances most climbers find necessary definition for the rest of their lives...".  J. waterman

"Call Into The Void..."

"Stand at the precipice.
That existential darkness.
And call into the void.
It will surely answer...".

"The void should not be frightening.
Rather, it contains all possibilities.
Peer into it, call out, not just with your voice, but with your whole being.
If your cry is deep and sincere, an echo is sure to return.
This is the affirmation of our existence.
The affirmation that we are on the right path...".  D. Ming-Dao

"To Look, To See, And Yet More..."

"To look is one thing. To see what you look at is another. To understand what you see is a third. To learn from what you understand is still something else. But to act on what you learn is all that really matters."  M. McNair

"Of Remindings....."

When our amazing climb simply seems to unfold and end.
Then another blue mountain very quietly beckons us ahead.

When that storm has cleared and now slowly passes us by.
A beautiful crisp rainbow is discovered shining brightly out.

When we all listen closely out there for such callings.
They will truly echo out reflecting all of our longings.

When we are reminded always so gently yet once again.
That our endearing climbs only at seem at first to end...  DSD 

I wrote this in appreciation at the closing of one of my Outward Bound experiences.

Thank you once again my Friends for sharing your wonderful images.  

"Of Directions..."

"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving. To reach our port, we must sail sometimes into the wind and sometimes against it - but we must sail, not drift, nor lie at anchor...".  O.W. Holmes

"Where I First Met Raven....."

At the entry to a valley I have wandered in over the years is a wooded area full of life and noise and wonder. 

It was here I first met Raven. Such a large bird of glistening black with so irritating a voice. Having returned there so many times, this Raven and I seemed to develop a connection of sorts, that went from simple awareness to something very much more.

Every time I went back was usually for a different reason, some to just walk, many to hike further, even more as the approach to a mountain then chosen to climb. Raven always seemed to be there, watching and waiting. 

In the early years, Raven stayed up in the trees, and let me know I was not likely welcome with that loud call, the fluffing up, and the spreading of wings. During later times though it appeared we were becoming a bit more used to each other and I would even call back on occasion in fun. To my surprise, Raven would then pause and give me the most inquisitive look as if I had said something of some meaning... 

Those last years Raven actually came closer when I called back, flying over, landing near, hopping back and forth, all the while keeping those clear, sharp, curious eyes upon me. I am not sure when exactly our conversations started, but I think they began when I was returning from an unsuccessful summit attempt one year. I was upset by my route finding and less than optimal fitness that season. Raven probably heard me mumbling to myself as I neared and cawed out more loudly than ever before, "I know, I know", I said out loud in reply, and then took Raven's response to me as one of laughter over my overreactions and a reminder not to take such things so seriously. After then landing closely nearby, I looked over at Raven and that bird simply sat there, calmly and more quietly than I ever remembered, and just stared at me for the longest time. 

I couldn't help but just laugh out loud. 

Over the seasons and recent years Raven and I continued to converse about many things. Our chats became more personal as we allowed each other to get physically closer and I believe trustingly, more emotionally closer too. That loud brash voice so bothersome in its call, and yet so comforting in its messages... 

Our talks have gone on for over a decade and in that time I think we began to know the other better. 

We were more able to understand each of our worlds, and very much enjoyed a connection out there.

On each visit, Raven would hop about, clacking that dark bill, kind of whistle occasionally, peck at my pack, and remind me with a shrill screech that I wasn't paying attention to the moment. "I know, I know...", I would say yet again and again; and then laugh in response along with Raven's intelligent stares at me.

Raven always reminded me to remember the truly important things, always chided me when I was distracted, never allowed me to just wander past without pausing in those moments to say hello, and to share how each of our adventures were going.

Raven wasn't there that last season. 

I knew immediately something was amiss. 

It was too quiet and the silence lacked the welcome I had known there so many times before. 

I did later find two beautiful, long black feathers laying out there. Raven's last gift to me I am sure.

I like to think Raven's voice can still be heard out there though, all his kin seem to have taken up the call. 

To simply remind us to laugh and wonder, and to bring our attention back to those special moments that we mark our lives by.

I do miss you old friend. 

Your voice irritating and so very beloved. You were such a friendly cherished bother.....

DSD 

"Remembering....."

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

"Such Friends We Adventurers Have..."

"A friend may well be reckoned with a masterpiece of nature...".  G. Eliot

"A Further Language..."

"The language of friendship is not only words, but meanings...".  H.D. Thoreau

"Of Wild Loving..."

"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 Wanderers And Adventurers Are Such 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   

"Maybe Wendell's Most Favorite Musing..."

"It may be, that when we no longer know which way to go, that we have come to our real journey...".  Wendell Berry

"The Ground At Our Feet..."

"Our world is not only discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but also a very personal spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home. It is a journey we can make only by the acceptance of mystery...". W. Berry 

"Those Quiet Voices Still Echo Out So....."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Within their callings they point us towards ways of fulfilling our own longings. We adventure as we can, they must venture always.

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

We are an integral part within both of each others history and future. They are our most precious ones. They are an essential part of our family, can be our teachers, our guides, our healers. They are the most vulnerable ones. 

They need us, yet we need them just as much, do we not my friends...

What would the wild places be without our family of wild ones? We often hear their voices when they call in the dark, when dawn begins, and they can be heard too as we stop and listen and still ourselves when we wander out there. They are the quietest voices, strong but often scared voices, they call as much to us as they do to each other to listen, to hear, to know, to feel.

Strong as they are they are vulnerable too.

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

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

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

They are calling for us. 

They are quiet voices reaching out to each of us. 

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

"It's Different..."

"The struggle of man and mountains is different... Man then bows before something that is bigger than he. When he does that, he finds serenity and humility and dignity too...".  W. O'Douglas

"He Remembered Something..."

"When he got home, he remembered something about an organization called Outward Bound. He'd read about it in Reader's Digest once. The headline to the story had said, 'You'll never be afraid to try again'."  
Written by Alan Hobson about Laurie Skreslet, the first Canadian to climb Mt. Everest.

"Meeting Someone....."

After many long days, and even more challenging moments on my second Outward Bound course, it seemed time for some lingering quiet. 
So we further sorted and prepared our gear, took a full evening to talk about all of what had already unfolded, then each shared new insights about what this was all meaning for us...
It had become quite apparent by then, that nothing our Outward Bound Leaders said to us was in any way unimportant. Then, when heading off to our tarps and sleeping bags, one Instructor mentioned that during the next day it would be, "Time to meet someone".
We noted that with real interest.
Funny at times, I still so often muse, about how a seemingly simple comment sparks deep discussion and long ponderings.
We debated about who we were to meet - maybe a new leader who would introduce us to yet another farther kind of amazing adventure experience. Could be the Course or Program Director themselves were planning a meeting with us in the midst of our journey out there. Possibly a new student, but that didn't seem likely at that way point.
The next day on our high mountain objective, while practicing route finding when ascending long scree slopes, that comment and the inherent metaphor within it slowly began to take shape.
From the many lessons being shared up there, we were now being introduced to all the elements themselves, and the essence of then really meeting the mountain itself.
Much later, after a very long adventure day, just before completing an even more enduring descent, we were invited to ponder over one more lasting metaphor.
For it was the meeting and embracing of our selves, that the Outward Bound Leaders were very much referring to.
In those forever moments far out there, it was truly time to meet someone..... DSD 

My sincere appreciation for being able to include your wonderful inspiring images with these musings Dear Friends.

"In Such A Place..."

"Being in such a place is unlike any other place you could be; the fact that a human being could be in such a place climbing, moving upward, being in control, still making rational decisions is just a very exciting and almost mystical feeling...".  R. Briggs  

"Freely Seeing..."

"Our task must be to free ourselves... By widening our circle of perception, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Look deeper into nature and then you will understand everything better...".  
A. Einstein 

"Light To See..."

"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience...".  P. Henry

"See What We Mean..."

"Many things that people had been able to see, people just couldn't see anymore, because they didn't believe in them...".  P. Chodron

"Our Kin..."

"In earlier times, people recognized and respected animals as kin, as living relations sharing the earth. Through such kinship, animals were our totems, familiars, and healers long before they were ever domesticated...".  M. Fox  

"The Same Language..."

"In the very earliest of times, when both people and animals lived together on earth, a person could become an animal if he wanted to, and a animal could become a human being. Sometimes there were people, and sometimes animals, and there was no difference. All spoke the same language...". Author Unknown  

"In The End..."

"One sometimes loses the stark simplicity and romanticism of mountaineering.
Yet there is still a fascination with this.
There is also a game.
To be played as a game.
It is serious; it is exacting.
There are more pitfalls on mountains.
But surmounting these has its own special thrill and challenge.
And in the end you come back to the mountain...".  C. Bonington

"I Knew..."

"One day when I was out looking for crystals, I saw the mountain range outside Salzburg. I thought 'why not try climbing to the top'. So I left the crystals behind and climbed the peak. I was up there all by myself with the clouds. Sometimes they were all around me and I could reach out and touch them before they drifted off. And I could look out very far, and see down into the valley on the other side. I experienced that day what mountaineers feel on the summit. And I liked it so much that I knew I would do it again...".  K. Diemberger

"Signing On....."

Kind of a little ditty, a farther musing, from an Outward Bound echo from so long ago...

Here's the deal our adventure's quietly seem to say.
Before us is the open contract for all to see.
Clearly concisely written in desire and commitment.
Then formalized through our dreams and visions.

This kind of agreement will always rings true. 
While every one of the individual seasons abounds.
Whether between yourself or any companions too.
Especially among the wild challenges out before you.

Here's the deal, it resonates right from the start.
Here is the evidence of what we have agreed upon.
Also the fine print for that which we've taken on.
Even between the lines true meanings are there.

So now we each choose to sign ourselves on.
There within the terms of our efforts and dedications.
Openly sealed by our enthusiasm and motivations.
Always still keeping to those principles of our intentions.

The elements will forever hold us to these agreements.
As they are so loyal to those inherently potent meanings.
The only deal breaker may be the attitude we personally carry.
For we really know deep inside that is we who has chosen.

We hike, climb, paddle, and canyoneer further and onward.
Finding it that reflection of that lake or out upon the open ocean.
In the presence of what we have truly each signed on with.
We shake hands with our spirited selves, set out, and thus seal the deal... DSD  

"An Interesting Yin & Yang Of Climbing..."

"If hubris is the yin of climbing, humility is the yang..." J. Waterman

Pride does have a certain power, but likely loses its potency when it becomes presumption, loss of perspective, and at times even arrogance. 

An adventurer full of hubris is less aware of the cliffs between us and the horizon.

And this can be a dangerous precipice to balance upon.

Many ordinary adventurers I've met over the years have developed a kind of modest pride over their outdoor accomplishments, and then seem to carry themselves with a different quiet dignity. 

They not only are aware of the cliffs, but see way past them to the horizon. 

I admire that.

Theirs is a heightened sense of self - but self in relation to a respect for the wild places, others they travel with, and especially the inherent risks out there.

As for my own experience with hubris... 

There have been those days out where part of me believed I have climbed, kayaked, or trekked in perfect style. 

Only to then realize that where ever I was, on whatever path, there was always someone ahead of me, and someone just behind. 

That perspective allowed me to touch humility.

I would ask though, is it a vice to feel such confidence? Is there not an energy within such pride? 

Much here to muse over...

Over the years there have been many phases of each of these - hubris & humility, as goals were met, limits pushed, trials endured, and and when developing a bit of understanding of the dual impacts these two states may have, and how their elements affect our adventures and thus our lives.

What has also been surprisingly useful, is an awareness of caution, even of many anxieties, fears, and doubts that would balance out the giddy optimism and ego that adventures may give birth to.

I sense walking along this edge between optimism and reservedness keeps us safe while allowing for exceptional fun out in wild places.

I have also benefited from the sharing by adventure guides and mentors about these two perspectives.

Those who have themselves achieved that balance between real confidence while in dangerous surroundings.

Those who belay themselves across the high ridges, where we may surpass our limitations while still acknowledging our humanness in making mistakes and errors of judgement.

I recognize now too the importance of appreciation and gratitude in developing humility as the natural opposite of hubris.

Especially in beginning again after severe adversity; then dreaming about all the further possibilities out there. 

Also in acknowledging those who have gone before in setting our routes; while acting upon the need to pass forward to those yet to follow.

B. Blanchard, a Canadian Mountaineer of exceptional talent, said himself: "Humility is the key to being a good alpinist...".

Even though adventures are all about pushing personal limits, where confidence plays a potent role, there also seems a place for other levels of awareness.

I believe the crux between hubris & humility may be climbed past in developing an understanding that adventures in wild places are not just about 'me'... 

They are inherently about all of us, and the inevitable impacts we each may have in the wild lands.

Yet again it would seem that as in all things, especially adventures, and with these small stones, that the real summit to be attained is a balance within the experiences, lessons, and memories gained.

Maybe most significantly between hubris & humility..... DSD 

"An Interesting Pondering..."

"To the untrained eye, ego climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical.
Both kinds of climber place one foot in front of the other.
Both breathe in and out at the same rate.
Both stop when tired.
Both go forward when rested.
But what a difference!
The ego climber is like an instrument that is slightly out of adjustment.
He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late.
He's likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees.
He goes on when sloppiness of step says he's tired.
He rests at odd times.
He looks up the trail trying to see what's ahead even when he knows what's ahead because he just looked a second before.
Ho goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about something else. 
He's here but he is not here...".  R. Pirsig

Thank you for sharing your images my Friends.  

"Beyond Our Own Last Blue Mountain..."

"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
We all have blue mountains within our dreams, and distant endearing islands too,
Hidden wild places we very much hope to see, with so many possibilities awaiting there...
We all have blue high mountains within our dreams, and hidden islands too,
Elusive experiences we simply call adventures, our personal journeys of effort, mind, and spirit...
We all have blue stormy mountains within our dreams, and misty islands too,
Such ephemeral memories that are yet to be, true paths and trails we are each destined to share...
We all have countless blue mountains within our dreams, and endless islands too,
Always echoing from our ancient selves, while we forever seek such horizons to this very day..... DSD     

"Out Beyond....."

Out beyond those so very distant waters.
Higher still on the other side of our mountains.
So deep within those quietly welcoming canyons.
Near to the beginning headwaters of that raging river.
Also upon the far shores of our calming coastal islands...

Out beyond what we believe we know. 
Further than all of our prior experiences suggest.
Way beyond what only we have think we have seen.
Farther too than our prior perceptions have taken us...

Out beyond.
Are all of our adventurous life mysteries.
So much elusive beauty.
So many hidden wonders.
There rests many truths we hope to ponder.
Out there awaiting each one of us my Friends.
Simply out beyond..... DSD 

In appreciation for Outward Bound.  

"So Many Wonderful Pebbles..."

"The ocean and I have many pebbles.
To find and wash off and roll into shape...".  W. Stafford

"Even By A Pebble..."

"The least movement is of importance to all nature.
The entire ocean may be affected by a pebble...".  B. Pascal

"Being Curious..."

"Never cease to stand like curious children, before the Great Mystery, into which we were each born...".  A. Einstein