"Valuable..."

"A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. 

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. 

She did so without hesitation. 

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. 

But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. 

'I've been thinking', he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. 

Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone'...". 

Anon

"Faces..."

Do we not all carry and display a type of map upon our faces? 

Are the lines, the contours, the images not unlike the symbols we find on the maps we use out there?

Our adventure experiences and the challenges & successes, trials & lessons, enjoyment & wonder of it all would seem to create many types of impressions upon one's face. When looking at each other during our journeys, we can see where we have been, can envision where we will now be going, almost as clearly as when we spread our maps out upon the ground. The title of a 'map' for any day of wandering may be of a hiker, a climber, then a kayaker, later a canyoneer, or river rafter, among so many other wondrous adventure pursuits. 

The legend of these maps - their keys, helps us to understand what is actually being represented there. We read it closely to envision what is being told to us.

Again as we do when reading each others faces as we weather the elements, as we make our way among the wilds, when we look into that mirrored reflection upon those mountain lakes.

Maps need a compass too for knowing how to orient oneself to it, for clearly establishing north, and then understanding which way to turn and carry on. 

We enjoy mentally picturing such distances and heights, size and scales, depths and elements, both personal and of the wild places.

The maps upon our faces were not purchased though, but earned.

They are as valuable as any ancient mariners chart, and have been sculpted not by ink, but by the elements themselves and through our efforts.

I so enjoy learning to read, to understand, to envision and embrace, the many challenges and discoveries that the maps on our faces and in our lives present for us...   DSD

"Diversity..."

“We ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the universe. 

The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the skies so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.” 

Johannes Kepler

"This Vitamin 'I'..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"A Narrow Ribbon..."

“Going to the beach means walking in fresh air, listening to the sound of waves, feeling the grit of sand beneath our feet. 

The narrow ribbon between land and ocean is a perfect place to understand the mind of wisdom”.  

Deng Ming-Dao

"Becoming..."

“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, 

but what they become by it.”   

John Buskin

"What Emerges..."

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. 

Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”  Helen Keller
“There is nothing in life that does not involve trial. There is nothing worthwhile that doesn’t have a cost. There is nothing great that does not require a series of small acts. 

Rice suffers when it is milled. 

Jade must suffer when it is polished. 

But what emerges is something special…”.  Deng Ming-Dao

"A Little Loving This Day..."

"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  

"At A Distance..."

"To understand one's world, one must sometimes turn away from it! To serve better, one must briefly hold it at a distance. Where can the necessary solitude be found, the long breathing space in which mind gathers its strength and takes stock of its courage."  

Albert Camus

"Just Because..."

"An adventurous traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."

Lao Tzu

"We Each Can Do Something..."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." 

John Wooden

"Even Just One Thing..."

"Returnings..."

It was one of my most difficult solo climbs. The kind of experience out upon a mountain where we remember every detail, pretty much all the moments of our whole high place adventure. This stone has rested here at home for so long now, from that summit to our den, then in that old leather box with so many others. Years of seasons have passed along the way. So many times I have held it in my hand to recall again the challenges endured on that climb. I chose this cherished stone from that summit for a variety of reasons. It was first gathered up because I recognized it as very, very old rock. It was uniquely carved by the elements into a mountain shape of its own, there are also cracks, striations, and whorls upon it that reflect those of the ancient Scholars Rocks . It has now become a perfect medium as well to splash a bit of paint upon it, and to Mix In many special elements with that paint as well.
It seems only fitting now to return this wild touchstone back to its own summit home, as I have long intended to climb there once more...
Back then I had built up a small cairn as there was none there at the time so long ago, and I am hoping to see it too once again. Other than bits of new color on one side, this stone appears the same in most ways after so long, even though I have certainly weathered much more. So while these old legs can still make it up there, it is time to go back.
Like old good close friends, who have shared many long trails and unfolding climbs, and now have to part ways, I will miss this little stone, but it is time to now return it back home..... DSD  
My appreciation for your own images of your returning experiences my Friends.

"Discovering..."

"We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves.

After a journey through the wilderness which no one can make for us...".  

M. Proust

"A Favorite Musing For This Early Adventure Year..."

"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   

"Salutations..."

"Listen to the salutation of the dawn, look well to this day. For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief span lie all the verities and realities of your existence, the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of achievement. For yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes of every yesterday a memory of happiness. And of every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day for it is life. This is the salutation of the dawn..."  

Sanskrit Salutation

"Such Launchings..."

"A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are for...". John Shedd

The first time this was said on Outward Bound, it struck a few as funny because while this old quote reflected on ships and the ocean, we were deep within the mountains. Yet metaphors and Outward Bound blend together like summits and the sky, so the next few times we heard this we listened with different ears.
Now, looking far back to those origins and beginnings, many of us can see as well how Outward Bound had firstly sent us forth - launched our very selves and lives upon so many amazing undertakings. We have since propelled ourselves towards mountain summits, then launched further when rappelling on our return. We've initiated treks so far, taken first steps out in wild places previously only envisioned, gone forth on the open ocean and among canyons so much farther and deeper than ever expected.
Such launchings...
So many wonderful journeys, all from those first fledgling beginnings. We adventurers are born for this kind of experience. It is elemental, primal, an inherent part of us and what we do when we wander the wild places.
Soon, I am about to 'commence once more', for long days and as many nights, starting on a course that has taken years for it to come into being. I will launch with my sea kayak out towards my farthest, most elusive coastal island yet, with new expansive intentions, towards those dreams only known upon a map until those moments. My goal is the creation of memories, that would not have been a possibility, without being sent off in those truly encouraging ways, so long ago on Outward Bound..... DSD  

"Fathomable..."

"The greatest happiness for the thinking man is to have fathomed the fathomable, and to quietly revere the unfathomable...".   

"Over all the mountaintops is peace...
In all treetops you perceive,
scarcely a breath.
The little birds in the forest are silent.
Wait then, soon you, too,
Will have peace...".  
 J. Wolfgang von Goethe

So very many poets and philosophers, were first climbers and adventurers.
We sense why, don't we my Friends.
Dedicated this adventure day to all those who are enduringly Adventuring For Another Reason ..... DSD 

"Unfoldings..."

"The reward of climbing is climbing itself.

The justification of climbing is climbing, like the justification of poetry is writing; you don't conquer anything except things in yourself...".  C. Csikszetmihalyi

To all of you Artists Of Being Alive this unfolding new year adventure day.

"Beginnings..."

"The priceless lesson in the New Year,

is that endings birth beginnings,

and beginnings birth endings.

And in this elegantly choreographed dance of life,

neither finds an end in the other...".

C.D. Lounsbrough

"Prevalent in primal lore are stories of beginnings... Sacred myths and cherished legends narrate the origins of the cosmos itself, the earth and its life, and human beings and their purposes. Only if we know how things began, the primal mind seems to say, do we know how to continue..". P. Novak

"Happy New Years..."

A very happy New Years to you all!

"A Very Happy Holidays To You All My Friends..."

"My beloved is the mountains, and lonely wooded valleys, strange islands, and resounding rivers, the whistling of love stirred breezes, the tranquil night, at the time of rising dawn, silent music, sounding solitude..." St. John
A very happy holidays to you all my Friends! I am in from some quiet wandering and wanting to express my appreciation to all of you Fellow Placers who shared Summit Stones this year, to Blogger for supporting such a wonderful way for all of us to connect, and especially to the amazing adventurers who 'Adventured For Another Reason' these seasons. 

We have all shared in such a special year of wandering the wild places.

Now choose your present Dear Friends, as it is waiting for you out there someplace, as you dream and envision the horizons yet to be... The very best to you all! 

"Later Adventure Year Lingerings..."

A long ways back, after often finding myself the last one up, I slowly began learning of the wonderful moments to be discovered in also being the last one off, or the last one down, even the last one to launch depending on the kind of adventure day. 
Here was the experience, the natural lessons, when learning to linger out there.
Like within those special minutes when we put off the departure of our sea kayaks from finally leaving those secluded distant coastal islands.
Many of us also want to drag out those cherished moments upon an elusive summit, as so much has been given to get us up there.
The protracted time in a desert canyon becomes precious beyond words too, so we stay as long as we can amidst the eternities present there.
It all seems so natural. We can't wait to get out there, and are also then reluctant to come back. Kind of as I find myself moving even more slowly at the end of an adventure day, not only because of my age and an earned tiredness, but much more so as I don't want to leave that wild place just yet...
I want to grasp, and embrace more closely, all the lingering perceptions and emotions that have been gifted to us on our journeys.
For such determined, disciplined, and goal oriented adventurers that we all can be at times - there is such a positive tardiness we can also practice too. We are so wonderfully, naturally, paradoxical at times aren't we my Friends..... DSD 
Thank you once more for sharing your timeless images my Friends.
Dedicated this adventure day to all those who are Adventuring For Another Reason this season.

"Untold Treasures..."

"We must not fall into the trap of waiting so long

for the big things,

that we let numerous small chances slip right by us.

Sometimes,

if we would lower our sights a bit,

we would see all the beautiful oppotunities

swirling at our feet.

If we would but humble ourselves

enough to bend down,

we could scoop up untold treasures,

into our hands...".

Deng Ming-Dao

"A Farther Kind Of Gift..."

P. Stoltz & E. Weihenmayer said of some 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 gifts of purpose."

"Simply Profound Appreciations..."

"Appreciation,

makes immortal,

all that is best and beautiful.

It also exalts the true beauty of that which is beautiful.

It strips the veil of familiarity,

from the world,

and lays bare and naked sleeping beauty,

which is in the spirit of the forms of appreciation..."

P.B. Shelley

"New Ways..."

"Our destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things...".

 H. Miller

"So Many Ways To Share And Give..."

"A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. 

The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. 

She did so without hesitation. 

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. 

But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. 

'I've been thinking', he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. 

Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone'...". 

Anon

"No Matter How Small..."

"Acts of kindness:

A random act of kindness,

no matter how small,

can make a tremendous impact on someone else's life...".

Roy T. Bennet

"Giving And Gathering..."

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

"We Who Adventure..."

We who adventure.
We seek and we quest, we wander and we journey.
So very far, up so high, for long enduring awe filled days.
Then we each seem to discover, the forever moments far beyond the elements, within our adventures way, way out there.
These, then, also become wonderous treasures within...
To be truly among the elements, is to become elemental ourselves.
To be as...
Resilient as stone and rock.
Enduring as the endless ocean waves.
Forever committed as the sun.
Persistent as all the winds.
To be as...
Wise and knowing as desert canyons.
Eternally strong as the glacial ice.
Quietly reflective as our campfires.
Lively energetic as the wild ones.
To be as...
Flexible as any winding river.
As far seeing as our chosen mountain summit.
Open and welcoming as a coastal island.
Sustaining as our northern lakes.
To be as...
Beautifully enlightened as the flickering stars.
Forever sharing as the revealing moonlight.
And as giving as the essence discovered within each and every wild place..... DSD 

Dedicated to you all my Dear wandering Friends, and to my so appreciated Partners In Placing who pass forward many smiles along the way.

"A So Wonderful Musing..."

What would I have done without you...
Now, this is a pondering that I have often so intensely wondered about: what on earth would I have done without all of these adventures.
You glorious mountains and your elusive summits, with those cherished challenges, and endless subtle secrets that you have shared.
You memorable meandering rivers and northern lakes, reflecting all of what you have so generously given back, in proportion to our efforts to learn your ways.
You silently beautiful canyons, and those wondrous desert towers, with your contrasts, connections, and ancient stories about time and harmony.
You vast valleys and deep dark forests, with your slow, deliberate sharing of such natural power and mystery, from so far out there - only to then return me to the place I began, while teaching us all how to also finally then discover such magic back here as well.
It is very hard to imagine, what I would have done without Outward Bound, and the courses they set me upon of so many life directions those long years ago, when really, truly, introducing the wild places to one very young back then.
It is even more difficult to envision what would I have done without all that hard earned knowledge, shared with me by so many - the countless ways and means of navigating both the trails out there, and also those internal ones of our lives too.
What on earth would I have done without all of you elements, over these many decades, in the midst of my own trials of health and life, along with those forever cherished connections you also gave, in our close fellow adventurers as companions and friends.
Gratefulness is a concept we wanderers all deeply sense.
Gratitude is an experience that lingers longer than many others.
Thank you so very much, for what would I have done without you.....DSD  

"Untold Treasures..."

"It is from the small things that the larger events of life are composed.

You may be capable of great things, but life consists of small things.
We must not fall into the trap of waiting so long for the big things, that we let numerous small chances slip right by us.
If we would look at this differently, we would see all the beautiful opportunities swirling at our feet.
If we would humble ourselves enough to bend down, we could scoop up untold treasures into our hands...".   D. Ming-Dao

"Our Own Mountains To Climb..."

We all have our own mountains to climb and our own 'summits' to achieve. Our quest for these 'summits' is as important as attaining them... The arduousness of our quest is part of how we come to understand our motivation. Creating and recreating our own enthusiasm and motivation is the very essence of adventure experiences. There are many kinds of 'summits' and many 'adventure ways'. When we push our own limits at a level, and in an activity, that is right for each of us, with a focus on safety and especially fun; we journey along paths of freedom, happiness, beauty, and truth. The 'path' could be up a mountain, along a coastline, down a river or canyon, along a trail or ridge line, under the earth, across a lake or ocean, through any wilderness. The 'means' could be by going solo or in a group, with boots, runners, rope, crampons, bike, ski, snowshoe, kayak, canoe, raft, or... Achievement is determined by our own efforts and not just results. How will you arrange the elements in your life? What will your next 'adventure summit' be?   DSD  

"An Old Friend..."

"As I look for the route, a silhouette descends the skyline. A grey figure, quiet as memory, settles on a large block, pulls his ropes, then notices me... The climber wore an old style of clothing, I think, or was that the effect of dimming clouds...".  J. Auld