Yet Again.......

"Fall seven times; get up eight." Japanese Proverb

"The bamboo, which gives way, survives a storm, while the brittle oak may be uprooted...In the adversity of life's storms, we should bend, but we need not break." Deng Ming-Dao

"The ultimate 'trick' was simply this: to fail, learn, and start over; to fall, reflect, and rise again - to keep moving, to keep going on." R. Messner

Yet again have I injured myself... When in the midst of a powerful winter storm, I simply fell, and it feels like I have awakened an old river injury...

And there have been many as it seems that one of the prices of admission for being adventurous are lingering souvenirs such as this. I put my shoulder out in my teens while using a tree branch to clear a winter campsite, then my back when lifting a loaded kayak, and my achilles while training for a long trek foolishly on hard pavement... My knees now talk to me too with their funny little sounds after over twenty years of climbing and descending, as does my back and neck after so many years of carrying a heavy pack...

But I wouldn't trade these aches for anything, as I've earned them, as I did the lessons they taught me, during experiences that are priceless...

I don't know what that symbol is that represents both crisis and opportunity and do have difficulty seeing the upside of such an injury early on in the process. It is a challenge in itself to get past the frustrations. Sometimes I think these situations bruise the ego as much as they do the body...

It does seem to also remind me of why I have been drawn over the years to the many historical accounts like Shackleton, or more recently Simpson, who have experienced severe adversity during their adventures yet have endured so well... How I admire their spirit and the creative ways and means they adapt and carry on. They are so human in their mistakes, and in proving how we simple humans can find so much more within ourselves than we might have ever thought before...

So, once I've had my time getting myself upset, ruminating, and feeling sorry for lost time and missed outdoor opportunities - I think another kind of musing is in order. I think I will revisit these old friends, these many writers of adventure, and mine their experiences yet again for the gems of wisdom and fortitude they always have hidden within them...

Not quite what I had envisioned to start the year with, but I believe we all have a bit of Phoenix within each of us...

And when I am physically a bit more able, I will paint a few more Summit Stones, and ponder some other quotes, and look forward to placing these little gifts while planning to be out on another trail of my own...

DSD

New 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 year end reflections and our new year hopes, map musings re-mind us of what memories we have created and what adventures we wish to have...

DSD

"Just One Thing......."

What if we each did just one thing.....

What if... we each took just one step towards understanding our individual role in supporting the natural world we adventure in... Decided upon one small effort to maintain and preserve the natural environment... For one time our energy is expended for something or someone else... Or even one moment given for support and encouragement of another seeker within the wild lands...

These represent a different kind of generosity; one that is more about practicing a simpler kind of charity... I've mused many times regarding how it's not just about each of us, on our own... Rather, it is more about all of us, and even more so, about our stewardship for these special wild places...

I've pondered how adventures are not just about a focus upon an objective... that it can also be about a gesture, a very different way to expend energy, a reflection of a certain kind of effort... And then it is only a matter of letting this simple kind of philanthropy ride the wave of its own momentum... The impacts can be immeasurable...

Just imagine if even half of the people who enjoy adventuring in our wild lands did just one thing... made even one such gesture...

Some of my own simple efforts this recent past have been to put some extra time into restoring a much used trail, some moments of support in assisting a few young adventurers, giving a few dollars to an animal charity that unknowingly gave me something very precious years ago, leading a group of novices to their first 10,000 foot summit, and of course... gathering, painting, and placing anonymously these small Summit Stones...

This is not really about doing 'yet one more thing'... often it is only making such efforts part of the adventure experiences we are there for anyway...

We hike and paddle long distances one hour at a time, and are very amazed when we look back and see the distance we have covered and the height we have attained... We journey for many days and are in wonder as we reflect on the experience and how much terrain and how many emotions we have travelled through... If I can give back one small thing, then anyone can, and if anyone can, just imagine what could happen with just one thing.....

DSD

"Wind Musings......."

"My friendship with the wind has been long lasting..." Grey Wolf

"After listening to it in all kinds of winds night and day, season after season, I think I could approximate to my position on the mountain by this pine-music alone." J. Muir

I love wind swept shores, wind sculpted trees, wind blown snow, and especially the many sounds of the winds themselves... I would like to muse that the wind has been a fellow of mine as well...

I remember... wind caressed summits where I had a tear in my eye after the multiple efforts to be there... and just closing my eyes for a few moments to feel the wind and the rock to ensure that the memory would be forever present... I remember winter storms when camping by a northern lake, during a long dog sled trip, and cross country skiing at night... I remember gentle summer breezes and movement of the trees just before arriving back at so many trailheads, almost as if the wind was helping me along that last bit... I remember listening to the wind and then finding myself humming along endlessly with the words of 'Yellow Submarine' on a solo long ago... I remember wind driven rain and trying to look under my rain hood to see where to land on a tiny island... and I have a sense of the many voices on the wind of friends long gone, guides no longer present, and mentors I wished I could have shared the day with... I recall seeing those prayer flags and watching their movement while wondering who put them up in those trees...

I love the symphony of sounds that the wind plays for us, that are never the very same, and seem to often reflect the emotions we might be having at that moment...

It is not just the movement of water that polishes these little stones... the wind plays its part as well... and I do try to capture something of this element in the painting of the Summit Stones...

We may not be able to 'see' the wind, but we cannot deny its presence... nor can I not listen when I find myself preoccupied and the wind returns to remind me again about why I am out there...

DSD

"Rivers......."

"Rivers... are greater than their grandest canyons and biggest drops... for nearly all there is something more, something ineffable yet deeply satisfying, as we join with the ancient currents and flow, for a brief time, between the timeless banks." Bangs & Kallen

Grey Wolf also said, "Rivers... not only give life... but have lives of their own."

I have been watching our river slowly freeze over these last few days... and have been musing about memories of rivers in my life... Rivers are such a varied medium for adventures. We hike beside and across them, kayak and canoe upon them, play at that special place where rivers meet the ocean, feel the ebb and flow as we drift through deep canyons, and enjoy the sound and power of rivers as they flow and fall over rock and cliff...

River are often found in the wisdom literature as a metaphor for journeys...

I am often reminded out in the wildlands how water in its many forms is one of the primary elements within our natural world. I find the sounds of river water flowing especially pleasing to my senses... And I can watch the movement for endless hours... When we travel along this medium we often lose ourselves within, or give ourselves over to the experience... And of course, I have admired many stones that have been river polished...

Recently I read a quote by Twain that was discovered and posted by B.R. Thomas on his Blog "BRT Insights - Whitewater Kayaking", where M. Twain said: "The face of the river , in time, became a wonderful book... which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it had uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day."

Rivers weave their own magic through the lands, our experiences, and our memories.....

DSD

"Outward Bound..."

"Attitude is one of those words that gets thrown around like it means something. It does, but not what most people think. It's not about how you look, dress, move, talk, or anything else you can work out with your bedroom mirror. Attitude is if you see somebody struggling, do you help... It's walking a moonlit forest like you belong there. It's going up against real obstacles and getting knocked around. Once. Twice. A zillion times. Then getting up. That's it. Just getting up over and over until one day, you're up all the way. And it can be anything. Sailing. Sea kayaking. Canoeing. Rock climbing. Whatever...". Outward Bound

Oh, how I've mused over the years, about these very words... As a teenager I discovered Outward Bound but was not able to attend until later. I dreamt longingly of what I would experience there and was not disappointed. My first experience set the course for many adventures to follow. This was also not to be my only Outward Bound course either. I was mentored about attitude and adventure... I learned that what we often believe is only 'out there' we actually can create 'within' as well... And there was indeed 'more within me' than I had ever thought. My first solo was with them and these too have continued to be enduring, powerful experiences... Outward Bound is an experiential adventure metaphor in motion... and has been the first such exposure that many great adventurers found for themselves in their youth. Kurt Hahn and the Outward Bound Schools have such an attitude of service and have given so much to both individuals and their communities. I am proud of my OB memories and pins... and grateful for the instructors and their guidance... It was during these experiences that I first started thinking that if I can do these things, so many others can too, and if so many of us can then.......

DSD

"Grandfather......."

The concept of 'musing' was something passed on to me by many of my mentors...

If we are only open to the possibility of allowing ourselves to listen to the mentors, guides, and elders in our lives we may see that their hindsight and experiences can become our own foresight... I believe the original 'Mentor' was the name for the advisor of young Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey.

The soapstone sculpture above is symbolic of one mentor in my life... It was found on Salt Spring Island while hiking and kayaking out in the Gulf Islands. Unfortunately I cannot recall who the artist was. There have been many guides who shared with me... and took the lead on a classic mountain where I would not have otherwise reached the summit... who challenged me in swiftwater that I was doubtful about... upon Outward Bound courses where I relearned what was within me...

T. Des Pres said that such openly shared experience resonates with, "A deeper knowledge, an elder wisdom...". This kind of knowledge then becomes literally embedded in the cells of our bodies because of the importance we give it and the trust we find there...

And this is something worth honouring...

The mountain above is named "Grandfather", whom was an elder guide in my own life... I would like to think that such a mountain could have been referred to in his honour.....

Whom do you honour as an elder, guide, or mentor in your own life...?

DSD

Campfire Musings.....

There is a piece of music I have listened to countless times that has the sounds of flames crackling, old dry wood snapping, along with rain in the background... and a steady, yet subtly increasing tempo... I can hear it in my mind right now by just closing my eyes and listening again...

Musing and reading by the flames of a campfire or an old wood stove is an experience of joy... It is an environment that promotes the opening of one's mind and the presence of possibility... In the flames dance the muses themselves... We have only to listen to their music...

D. Brower asked, "Why is it that memories of campfires are so long-lasting...".

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

Painting these small stones, with a fire glowing across the room from me, has become a special time...

I have tried to portray something of the fire and the movement of the flames in these tiny Summit Stones...

Then I sit quietly back and remember...gazing at the coals, seeing the flames dance, listening to the comfort of the hiss and the crackle...finding the remains of fire's in those islands, in the northern woods, at trail sites not used in years, while pondering who was there, and what their adventures had been like...

Have you ever seen a face in these flames? Have you ever discovered meaning in the coals?

Do you ever wonder why we feel such warmth around these fires in our hearts, and not just on our hands or feet?

Just some campfire musings...

DSD

"Ordinary Adventurers......."

"We are all in some sense, mountaineers... and going to the wilderness is going home." J. Muir

"Some follow others expectations; a traveller out here awakens their own expectations."

Grey Wolf

Adventure is not just about the choice of activity, nor only about wilderness talent, or just one's outdoor skills, and is not really at all about age... I used to think that to be an adventurer it was necessary to bag summits, count climbs, record stats, accumulate kayak exploits, even tally up many epics... but that kind of collecting, while serving a purpose, doesn't always sustain us...

Adventure can be about being the person you want to be in a geographic place... as in what we may find in Geomancy... and that gets us closer to the essence of being an adventurer... as in what is reflected in our attitudes, desire, enthusiasms, and motivations... These things are more about energy, feelings, and emotions...

A. Hobson wrote: "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." I believe this gets us closer to the essence of adventure regardless of the chosen activity of hiking, climbing, kayaking, canyoneering, rafting, whatever... And in this sense we are all very much alike... We are, as the Greeks write about, 'ordinarius', in that we are both middling and remarkable at one and the same time...

M. Thomsen wrote to: "There is daring in the adventure of being ordinary...".

So many think we have to be like the adventure stars out there, they miss just being out in the wilds and enjoying the stars... I've often thought, being a middling person of very ordinary wilderness skills, that... If I can enjoy such adventure; anyone can...and if anyone can; then I can enjoy even other adventures...

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

It is a wonder that I've even tried so many adventure experiences, let alone kept going all these years, but from the seed of such ideas has grown over thirty years of fun and adventure out in the wildlands...

DSD

"Adventure Musing....."

"I have found power in the mysteries of thought, exaltation in the changing Muses..." Euripides

"Muse on nature with a poet's eye..." T. Campbell

When we ponder the meaning of our adventures; they become more potent for us; regardless of if we hike, climb, kayak, canyoneer, canoe...whatever...

Anon wrote: "To be in a state of wonder is to be an innocent forever..."

Consider that reflecting upon and better understanding where we have been, inherently may illuminate any chosen path before us, and the passion we create when we begin that new journey... I'm beginning to muse about this past year and also to muse about the next seasons...

DSD

Kayak Is A Verb.....

The word, the very concept of 'Kayak', is most often thought about as a noun...

But the essence of the meaning is found to me in how 'Kayak' is a being word, a verb of its own kind... To kayak is to feel the experience; to know it on so many levels...

S. Olson wrote, "Paddling along watching the skies, clouds, and horizons, there is time to mull such thoughts deeply and translate them not in one's own mind, but in the timeless background of hills and distance, the eternal and the immutable."

I remember... Northern lakes; Gulf Islands; the Broken Group; the San Juan's; and endless flowing memories that form a river in my mind.....

DSD

Some Passing Forward Thoughts.....

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

P. March

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DSD

"Profile....."

My 'Profile'...?

After being asked about this a few times in comments, I still am of the opinion that my profile is really not what this Blog is about...

I'm simply another average adventurer you might meet out on the trail, see wandering across the backcountry, maybe say hi to as we paddle towards each other, or share a few jokes at a common belay station...

Now... what seems very important... is what you perceive your 'profile' to be...

As in how you reflect on your own experiences, ponder about what things mean to you, muse again over why you are out in the wilderness and what the natural world has added to your life... Maybe, even consider what part of your 'profile', or the story of your life, might involve giving something back to that natural world of adventure...

If finding a "Summit Stone", discovering an "Adventure Muse", or reading journal entries on an older persons blog, sparks you to ponder your own 'profile' and what role you choose in your adventures, then 'my profile' is of no consequence.....

DSD

A Passing Forward Moment.....

I have just deleted what I thought was a rude comment about my approach to remaining anonymous...but it did provide pause for some pondering about those times where I have stepped out from that position...

A few summers ago, I remember...a scramble up WindTower in K-Country. This mountain is only one of many enjoyable climbs and scrambles in that beautiful area. Its views, especially of the Spray Lakes, is inspiring. The route ascends above West Wind Pass, and that day a buddy and I had seen some Prayer Flags along the route rustling in the very early morning breezes. They were set up in some trees and almost continually brushed by the winds that are funneled through the pass. There was a large group of youth who also were heading up WindTower that day. We were ahead quite a ways but could hear them with all their excitement and energy.

My friend and I were wiling away some time near the pass after summiting and as they began their own descent. Most of their group went ahead as did the trip leaders, with three of the youth catching up at the end. At the very end hiked a young man who seemed to be having a very challenging day...

My friend set out at his own pace while I shadowed these three for a while. At a short break, where I caught up, we chatted and they asked about some of the twists and turns in the trail as they weren't too sure of themselves. We decided to pace each other down the rest of the way. Them with their energy; me the slow one at the end, with the young man. He only talked a bit, kept his head down, and just kept going...even though he seemed really tired. He didn't say much about his day when asked. At the trailhead he slowed a little more, then quietly boarded the bus with his group...

I wondered what was going through his young mind at that moment...And moments are all we have... so I impulsively decided to introduce myself to one of their trip leaders. I asked about the young man and how his summit day had gone. Their leader said he had worked very, very hard...even carrying another youth's water...but he had not made the summit of WindTower...

It seemed he was the very last in his group both up and down the mountain and it might have showed on his face as it likely was his first possible summit...

This struck me as one of those opportunities where we all have to seize a tiny moment and pass something along...So I inquired with the leader if he would mind giving the youth something when they were later talking as a group about their day. I took out a Summit Stone and the note with it from my pack and explained briefly what I usually do with them...

"Would you mind passing this on to that young man", I said, and please tell him too that, "I've been climbing over twenty years and I didn't make my first summit either...", and that, "Many times those who work the hardest, are often not among the fastest, or the ones who make the top...".

Then I carried on...

I often wonder what adventure experiences this young man is out challenging himself now with...I remember how hard he worked that day...how stoic and quiet he was about his experience...I hope that he reflects on how we all have our 'own summits'...and also hope that maybe, just maybe, he will look at that Summit Stone from his WindTower day, and then pass something of his own experiences along to someone else he sees on their own journey...

There is always such a moment.....

DSD

Summit Stones & The Adventure Muse...

Summit Stones & The Adventure Muse...
Just posting a note from my other Blog that describes my intentions...
I call these small rocks "Summit Stones". These 'Stones' and the 'Muse' are only usually placed when out on some adventure. I have on occasion sent off a few "Summit Stones" to folks who are doing things who 'give back'.
Over the years, after gathering many of these rocks on coastlines, islands, beaches, summits, trails, and around waterfalls, I decided to splash a bit of paint upon them and give them back. Actually someone said something to me that helped me decide to do so. Putting a bit of paint on them was just my way of expressing ideas around the elements. The "Adventure Muse" was put together with quotes and perspectives discovered on many kinds of journeys as well as to share some thoughts about what the "Summit Stone" elements might mean. The quotes reflect upon the nature of adventure experiences...
I hope folks simply accept these small gifts in the spirit they were made in. I have placed them countless times with a summit register, on a deserted beach, at a trailhead, on a rocky shoreline, or even on another adventurers' car windshield when I've finished a journey and wanted to share some of it, even just anonymously...
This is not some kind of marketing gimmick. The stones are as real as they feel; the words of the Muse are as real as each of us might make them...They are just an offering and people will make of them what they will...
My hope is that the spirit and meaning folks create for themselves out on adventures will be forever present, and maybe they just might give something back of their own to the wilderness that gives each of us so much...
DSD