"Of Callings..."

"If you are willing, and if you listen very gently and carefully, you will sense that this mysterious wisdom is ready to lead you, guide you to where you need to be. It is your wilderness calling." G. May

"Keep Going..."

Just when we don't think we can, we find our means to further go.
Just about that time when our breath seems gone, we then experience that which truly takes it away.
Around that time when the adversities appear overwhelming, we uncover moments of encouragement to keep on.
In those minutes when the storm almost overtakes us, we now turn into it and discover new strengths before unknown.
Many times when our adventure objectives feel to be beyond us, we then learn it is we ourselves who are the elusive ones. 
Then we begin to understand that there is always, always, more within us then we ever before first realized.
So, just when we might have given up, we sense what depths we really, truly, have deep inside.
Then, just when the trials seem to have drained away our commitment, we learn to appreciate what real endurance is all about.
Also, among those endless winds and waves, just when we think we can't, we start to uncover the ways we can.
And, just when we need it most, our partners always show us what real support and companionship truly is.
Then, once again too, just when we think we've experienced all we can out there, our wild place adventures gently remind us yet again, of awe and wonder, and we begin anew..... DSD 

Dedicated this fall too all those who keep going, as they 'Adventure For Another Reason'.

"Normal Day....."

"Normal day,

let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you,

love you, bless you,

before you depart.

Let me not pass you by,

in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you while I may,

for it may not always be so.

One day,

I shall dig my nails into the earth,

or bury my face in the pillow,

or stretch myself taut,

or raise my hands to the sky,

and want,

more than all the world,

your return...".

M. J. Iron

"An Elemental Nexus..."

The mist and fog we journey through is a special nexus of elements. Where air and moisture mix and blend, to create something so much more. We adventurer's so love the grand vistas out in the wild places, yet when they become gently misted and slowly blurred over, when the fog quietly rolls in with its surreal opaqueness, we seem to enjoy it all the better.
We each remember our own adventures, like drifting far in a sea kayak, then resting while listening for the breaking surf, as the fog rolls over both you and your vessel, blanketing everything in such soothing calm and yet building anticipations.
We recall as well, the settling thick mists and very dense fog among deep low forested valleys, where the shifting of these elements eventually hides everything - except the rock of that singularly elusive mountain we are climbing upon in those exact moments.
Finally, then standing upon your own 'island peak', set out higher than the misted sea of summits encompassing it and you. This is a truly unique adventure experience...
We remember too, the distinct stillness of those foggy northern lakes, and then the quieting of everything else, including our own heartbeat and minds, so that in the midst of such diminished views everything becomes so clear.
Simply air and moisture, then just the right temperature, all blending, melding, and mixing into a sentient element that embraces us, and then always whispers to each of us too as we wander far out there..... DSD 

"Our Shared Tian..."

The cairns and registers we find upon mountain summits tell so many stories...
What we often discover there can be fun, historical, enlightening, and at times a real mystery of words and meaning up above those thousands of feet and more. I so enjoy pondering who wrote these things and what experiences may have prompted such musings. At times they have sent me off on other journeys too of looking to find the meanings of these notations. 
Here is what I've found out about two words written large, upon a single page, within the register of a favorite summit climbed again that past season.
They simply said: "Our Tian".
Now the oldest 'Tian' literature I discovered were references to certain kinds of 'Elders'. There was also a very interesting 'Treasure of Tian', which was said to be mysteriously hidden, yet somehow still available for us all. 
In my search for its possible earliest meanings I found that Tian seemed firstly to represent a 'summit' or 'mountaintop', but also interestingly refers to the top of our head and that which emanates from there. 
Depending upon which tome you muse over, Tian further reflects meanings of the weather & climate, sunrise & sunset, all of nature and the elements within, and what seems to be called the 'seven seasons'. Most intriguing for me are the Tians as stories of mystery, of the heavens and sky's, of that which is beyond human will, and of the celestial energy and spirit worlds both out there and within. These two words writ large were beginning to really engage my attention.
Tian is written about to also be an elemental but indescribable thing, the natural character of a being, something that reflects instinct too. It looks to originally be a Taoist or Confucianist reference. It is one of the oldest Chinese symbols that represents the cosmos, the heavens above us, and those hidden within us.
What a most interesting ancient phrase. What an intriguing high place to have found it.
I have returned many times to that same silent summit, and hopefully now too, I have come back with more of an understanding of what our fellow climber may have meant by writing "Our Tian"...    DSD  

"Ikigai..."

Ikigai: The search for our life of purpose; our Reason D'etre; what makes our living worthwhile; the meanings within our adventurous journeys; the 'why we do what we do' when we wander the wild places...

"Right Before Us..."

“In the midst of our worried searching we recklessly abandon the treasures that life has bestowed upon us in the mad hunt for that which we wish to bestow upon ourselves.” 
Craig Lounsbrough

"Nature's Simple Treasures..."

“Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: 
If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, 
life and living need not be so hard.”  

R. Mendoza

"Shu....."

A brief small note, a very old word.

Of an even older ancient language.
Two present versions of this quiet saying.
Among other even more subtle hidden meanings as well.

Shu... Means that of an art.
Art of efforts, and of purpose.
Art of dedication, and for determination too.
Especially an art, very much beyond.
That which we may first think is understood.

Shu... Also refers to those magics.
The magics of mystery and of wonder.
Magic from out there, and within our hearts as well.
Magic of what happens and those embracing results.
Yet more importantly, of the journey of becoming.

Shu of our enduring efforts.
Shu for our adventurous purposes.
Shu of heading even farther out there.
The Shu then of discovering within.
Such elemental Shu artists we all truly are.
Adventurers and magicians of yet another wonderous kind..... DSD  

"Imagine..."

What if we each did just one thing? What a gift this would be.

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...

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 traveled 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   

"Imagine..."

“Imagine in vibrant, wonderful detail your heart’s desire—a reality only you can envision, an adventure only you can direct.
Then cradle your creation. Caress it. Mold it. Coddle it until it comes to life.
And when your precious treasure grows so grand as to steal your breath away, set it free for all the world to experience. For that is how you live your dreams.” 
Richelle Goodrich

"Jonathan Journeys Farther..."

Thank you Jonathan,

for sharing in this adventure journey!

https://summitstonesadventuremusings.blogspot.ca/2007/05/tale-of-two-jonathans.html

https://summitstonesadventuremusings.blogspot.ca/2009/10/adventuring-for-another-reason.html

"Who Would Have Thought....."

Who would have thought, I mused once again, that such trials within our adventure trails, would create so many other potent experiences... 

Who would have thought, that on a mountain side like that, among those severe edges, testing of skills and confidence, that we would begin to realize things only known when we each take that step further. Who would think, that with those doubts out there during a snow storm, that almost never seemed to let up, we would begin to let go and then sense the wonder of the unknowns.

No one could have known that our anxieties upon that cliff face, would prompt us to go beyond, and discover more of what we each can then turn into powerful personal motivations. There were those chills too, in the midst of that mist and endless coastal rain, during our longest hike yet - no one had pondered how our best days would develop within such trying inclement weather. Who would have thought, that being so off course due to paddling through those relentless winds and waves, that we would again sense more within us than we ever first knew. None of us had expected that the wearing of the cold in our coldest winter camping trip, would be a catalyst for developing even deeper abilities for endurance. Who would have thought, that a whiteout above 10,000 feet, would help us now to see more clearly, how and why prior preparation and practice was so very important. 

Who could have predicted, that upon a northern lake and island, where we experienced so much of what was not expected, we would begin to embrace how wonderful the hidden surprises of the wild places can be. 

Who would have thought, that down within our darkest and deepest canyon, we would find even other depths within us, reflecting those out there among those ancient grounds. 

Who would have thought... I muse time and time again..... DSD 

"For Fur, Feathers, And Fins Friday's..."

"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way...". John Muir

Just pondering some quotes and gifted images from other adventurers, while I am 'Mixing In' some fine strands and bits of the wild ones fur discovered out wandering these many last seasons. They are often the last elements mixed in with my paints upon these little Summit Stones. I always hope they add to the character of each and feel they tell a story all of their own too. Muir's musing really says it all doesn't it my Friends..... DSD   

"Maps Do Not Just Chart..."

"A map does not just chart.

It unlocks and formulates meaning.

It forms bridges between here and there.

Between disparate ideas, that we did not know,

were previously connected...".

Reif Larson

"Inner Maps..."

H. Lodge wrote of us that, "How can your brain make sense of the staggering, impossible ocean of information that comes our way? The solution is brilliantly simple. Your brain makes maps. And not just a few maps, but maps of everything - thousands of them every second. Physical, social, and intellectual maps streaming in, emotional maps streaming out. To a large extent, you navigate your life from emotional maps".

"Uncharted Territory..."

"Uncharted territory,

I said.

These parts on the maps of our lives, that we don't understand.

In Cartographer's language,

They call these places,

sleeping beauties...".

Christopher Barzak

"Feeling That Way..."

"It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.”   Cheryl Strayed

"Of Fears & Freedom..."

"On the other side of every fear,

is a freedom...".

Marilyn Ferguson

"Discovering Gifts..."

"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