"Mystery Of Canyoneering..."

E. Van Tilburg wrote: "To Canyoneer...is to enter another world...one with cold water, slippery rocks, tight narrows, and tall sheer cliffs. A little Narnia world locked into its own."

Canyons offer opportunities for adventures full of wonder and mystery...

They are simply waiting to be discovered... I dreamed and mused about heading out canyoneering for years... Finally last year we made it to Utah. What an amazing adventure experience it was... After just sitting here, musing over some maps and pictures, I had to post again about these places of mystery...

Canyons themselves have often been described as inverted mountain ranges. I quite like that description. There is intense fun to be enjoyed there involving rappelling, climbing, scrambling, route finding, and endless lowerings...

Then there exists the surprise of discovering water and greenery in the depths of a desert, tracks of unknown creatures, and the simple joy of finding ancient polished rock... And of placing a few stones of my own as well...

Returning there will be special; if not this season, maybe the next... Thoughts like these are what often keeps us going and feeds the flames of enthusiasm...

DSD

"Painting Rocks..."

Rock painting is an ancient practice of placing images upon stone... The strength and durability of the stone was said to add to the power and presence of the paintings...

Aboriginal peoples on many continents have also colored and painted stones as gifts, rocks as markers, and rock walls as a means to record their histories...

At times it was the character of the stone itself that would also influence the eventual image that appeared. The paints themselves were often made of water and clays, berries, selected soils, animal fats, even blood. Some rock was also etched and then painted to enhance the chosen image with more than one dimension...

After collecting these little rocks on many adventures, cleaning and polishing them, musing over the stone, I now splash a bit of paint upon them, and then give them back...

Just my own simple way of passing forward and yet being a tiny part of an ancient past ritual...

DSD

(FlickR Images by: Top - Goblin Valley/Faca; Middle - Superstition Mountains/NatureMandala; Bottom - Brian9000)

"Twenty Years From Now....."

What adventures do you have on your horizon.....?

What hopes and enthusiasms will you create these seasons.....?

The time will pass anyway... So what do you want to do out there; to experience; to share; during these adventure filled days while out in our wild lands.....?

What do you want to try... Which different adventure do you wish to enjoy, even if only once...?

Hope is a process of keeping our adventure dreams alive...

Enthusiasms seem to be about staying connected to what creates fun and challenge for us within our adventure endeavors...

It is, for all of us, very much about small steps, initial goals, short terms plans... Yet the above quote re-minds us of the longer term perspective too...

I get a sense of this when I muse over how it is a wonder to me that I've tried so many different adventures, let alone kept going now for over thirty years...

We do seem to create our own adventure futures by present efforts... As in Blair's image of the "Once & Future Forest" above, what we plant and tend, is what will grow around us...

Such questions and musings may help us clarify and amplify our adventure motivations...

DSD

"Earth Teach Me to Remember....."

Below is a reading from the Ute Peoples of North America, as quoted by P.Novak, that I've mused by this week... When pondering over adventure and life lessons learned and experiences remembered...

It could be said that the Ute Peoples were among the first climbers, canyoneers, and rock artists out in our wild lands...

"Earth teach me to remember...

Earth teach me stillness

as the grasses are stilled by light.

Earth teach me suffering

as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility

as blossoms are humble with beginning.

Earth teach me caring

as the mother who secures her young.

Earth teach me courage

as the tree which stands all alone.

Earth teach me limitation

as the ant which crawls on the ground.

Earth teach me freedom

as the eagle which soars in the sky.

Earth teach me resignation

as the leaves which die in the fall.

Earth teach me regeneration

as the seed which rises in the spring.

Earth teach me forget myself

as the melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me kindness

as dry fields weep with rain."

Metaphors with such meaning...

Each day a new beginning...

Every day something worth learning...

All adventures within themselves...

DSD

Not So Seriously...

I was musing some about deleting last weeks post... It was a difficult week...

But a friend and mentor reminded me to be more aware of not taking it all so seriously; and where is it written that others are not entitled to their opinions; and also that such comments are actually what I myself invited anyway, and maybe may learn the most from, if I just relax and listen...

It would seem my challenge within this quest is to be passionate without being preoccupied, that this is a climb in itself to consider things important but not overly, that this is an adventure too in believing so much in stewardship without pushing my own attitudes upon others...

I recall the great human Ghandi, who wrote: "Almost everything you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it". And also what Bernbaum meant by: "Rather than conquer the mountain, the climber vanquishes himself, much as a hermit or yogi overcomes the enemy of his own pride and arrogance on the way...".

So much more to learn about adventures, giving back, myself, and others...

DSD

(Images by: Top - Brown; Center - Marrott; Bottom - Henry)

"A Somewhat Interesting Oddity..."

In the midst of this down time and injury, I find myself ruminating, pondering and in a mindset recalling I've had more than a few comments like this over the years... They usually speak to another's impressions of these little Summit Stones and assumptions about my intentions in placing them...

So... I find myself today, writing here, as in a journal I guess, and hopefully this will enlighten my day and lift my mood...

As for being 'somewhat interesting'... Well maybe, just maybe, if my efforts have gleaned even a little of your attention, invited a small turn of a smile on your face, some tiny bit of wonder to your adventure day, then its all good... If someone is curious enough to make a comment of this sort, I guess it affirms that people will make what they will of such an experience.

An 'oddity' can be defined as something reflecting a strangeness, an unusual event, something puzzling, also a 'fantastic object', even 'something wonderful'. So I'll consider this a small appreciation of sorts... Being an 'oddity' can also represent something non-conformist. Absolutely! To be any kind of adventurer, is to be an individual. So to be referred to as such, seems to reflect a little of my simple intentions after having placed well over a thousand out there now.

As Lewis wrote: "That's the area in which climbing becomes an art, because it allows for individual expression". This Summit Stone journey has been that and more...

What we 'see' in nature and our adventure experiences, is very often odd and unusual; yet these same things often hold a special interest for us. Efforts, like art, really are reflected in the 'eye of the beholder'...

When I think of the strange rock formations I've seen, the odd knotty krumholtz trees encountered, the results of how wind and waves act upon secluded beaches - I can appreciate such peculiarities... I believe, as Patterson said: "The whole country is filled with adventures... there is also adventure in the visual landscape... There is always something familiar, but if it looks too familiar, you just have to look a little farther for the oddity".

Do I often question my naive artistic abilities, have I at times doubted my intentions, worried that my actions may be intrusive to anothers experience in the wild lands, and have there been challenges within all the time and effort required to undertake this journey... Most certainly!

But what adventure does not hold such challenges...

And in more recent years, I have also had more opportunity to muse as well that while being an oddity, there too have been many acknowledgements on behalf of other 'finders' of these gifts... In how for many, these Summit Stones, and the Adventure Muse they were placed in, have become a touch stone of sorts, even invited a bit of mystery to their day, and for a moment put a small smile upon their face...

Thus being referred to in this way may just grow on me...

DSD

"Waterfalls and Stones..."

A terrific picture posted recently by Tom on Two-Heel Drive, sparked some memories and musings on the wonder of waterfalls for me...

J. George wrote: "To climb a waterfall, go to the foot of the mountains. Look for a cleft in the skyline... toward the mist that hangs over the canyon... the climb becomes steeper, the water wilder... hear the thundering roar? There in the sunlight plunges the waterfall. An artist might be there... He will probably tell you he has been coming back to this spot year after year trying to paint the spirit of the waterfall... Step out on the ledge. A writer might be there composing a poem about the many sounds of the waterfall... The waterfall is now part of you...".

Waterfalls are another simple magic to be found out in our wild lands... Discovering them is another style of adventuring... Visiting and enjoying these surreal interactions between water, rock, gravity, mist, and sound, has provided many unforgettable moments...

So many times, I have also let out an exclamation of excitement after finding perfect, small, polished stones near falls. Some that I have gathered, painted, and passed forward as Summit Stones... I recall also what P. Collins wrote: "The rock is what makes this waterfall".

Falling waters make for natural places of musings; natural environments for simple ponderings, waitful watchings... As in F. Sheen who wrote: "The silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds rest on a rosebud... a divine mystery... or a waterfall".

As George said, and as I believe, there always can be found a spirit within falling waters, an entity that will mirror your own spirit and enthusiasms, that reflects your own wonder, that inspires your very personal meaning for why you are there and what you wish to experience in your adventures...

I remember...

Yosemite waterfalls in all their grandeur...

Frozen falls and the excitement of ice climbing...

Falling water over cliffs and high rock hidden within the Rockies...

Finding secluded secret locations where streams & small rivers flow and fall and blend with our oceans...

And within all of these, musings and imagining, who had the first accent of these, and who will later enjoy this element...

By leaving these special areas in exactly the same way as we discovered them, we pass forward the same opportunity to yet another adventurous wanderer...

DSD

(Images by - Top/Walker, Middle/Farlow, Bottom/Lee)

Anonymity & The Last Blue Mountain.....

I had to also post this quote and images here as I have on my other closed blog...

They are so meaningful...

"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."

I find myself beginning another year of giving back, of anonymously placing these small 'Summit Stones', and now Blogging, while re-minding myself that this is not about me... Rather it is about you, the reader of these musings, and the finder of these gifts... Where such a gesture may just be a touchstone to spark adventure musings of your own... And if you enjoy these, just maybe you will pass forward a little experience of yours too...

Giving back, with no expectation, where the act is the reward itself, reflects on the essence of what can be discovered within adventure experiences.....

DSD

Throwing A Stone.....

"Fortunately, more distant summits are always being discovered... Man throws a stone - his desire - into the unknown, then throws himself in pursuit." T. Cesen

This is yet another of my very favorite quotes. It's a simple, yet profound musing, about what type of 'stone throwing' inspires each of us...

Like this early year Blogging, a developing of new outdoor interests, gaining momentum on our ideas and planning... which all reflect a genesis and movement towards new adventure objectives and wilderness goals not tried before. There are endless opportunities out there to kayak, hike, climb, canyoneer, or whatever...

And as I was told years ago, 'By journeying towards a goal; we give birth to children of our soul...'.

Just day dreaming about a skipping a few stones.....

DSD

"Simple Hiking....."

It seems that today has a bit of serendipity in it, as just after posting yesterday on 'Hiking' musings - I find myself today wandering through my early morning reading and meditations and the first is called "Simple Hiking"...

These musings are by Deng Ming-Dao, whom I have often read, quoted in the 'Adventure Muse', and consider posting on here. He writes: "There are times when simple hiking is literally the best activity. When one walks in the woods or climbs mountains, there is a wonderful unity of body, mind, and spirit. Hiking strengthens the legs, increases stamina, invigorates the blood, and soothes the mind... One is freed to observe nature's lessons... Erosion. Gnarled roots...The high spiral of hawks. Just budding bare branches. Gray rock, cracked, shattered, and worn. A fallen tree. A lone cloud. The laughter of plum branches. Even a little circle of rocks beside the trail - who put them there, or did any hand arrange them, and no matter which, what are the secrets of that circle? There are a thousand meanings in every view...".

Such words resonate with me...

I especially like the reference to rocks, placing, and secrets...

I have been reading and musing over these words for years. Maybe someday I will grasp more of the depth of meaning and experience they seem to reflect...

For today, I think the path to follow is to keep it simple and simply enjoy...

DSD

Hiking...Hiking...Hiking...

I've often began adventure planning by musing on hiking...

I page back through my C. Fletcher books, especially my early 1980's edition of the "Complete Walker". It's kind of falling apart now, and I do see the ironic reflection of myself considering yet another recent injury... Fletcher's books are full of notations, where I was trying to remember the rumination he was making and the quotation I was hoping to remember...

Like one of my very favorite ones: "You will discover as the years pass that hiking becomes a beautiful, warm, round pumpkin that sits up on a shelf, always ready to be taken down... It wouldn't be the same round and personal pumpkin, of course, if you hadn't grown it yourself... And its always sitting up there on the shelf - that big, beautiful pumpkin - just waiting for you to wave the wand and turn it into something more magical."

The adventure of hiking is one of my first enthusiasms. There have been those that took me through the Canadian Rockies, across coastlines and deserted beaches, among the Colorado mountains, meandering within deep canyons, more recently above the High Sierras, and those towards the many summits I've then climbed...

What has seemed to be a simple act of walking within our wild lands, has had a profound effect upon my life and so many others I know while soloing, being with family & friends, even leading challenging groups...

What often reminds me of these experiences, interestingly, is not just the pictures, but the checking out of gear... Especially the boots, the packs, and now over the last years the staffs and hiking poles I now use...

Lately I've been visiting and appreciating great Hiking Blogs like 'Two-Heel Drive', who have such a unique means of passing forward ideas, images, and experiences...

I have probably placed more 'Summit Stones' while out on long hikes and at hiking trailheads than on any other type of adventure. Even a short day out hiking has never been lost time... And as Muir wrote: "I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in...".

I recall too, within my current frustrations that, it was the Romans who would muse and say: "Solvitur Ambulando", which I believe means 'the solution comes through walking'...

I am so looking forward to the enjoyment of another season of growing more pumpkins.....

DSD

"Spirit Animals....."

When musing about adventure inspirations, for many reasons I often find myself thinking of connections to various animals...

Grey Wolf said, "If you could be an animal, what animal would you be? Answering that question creates a powerful personal metaphor." I believe that we are much closer to the meaning of this than many would expect... We are indeed linked... and in so many ways...

Have you ever watched an animal at play or their energy when they run or fly, or even the gaze of a wolf or grizzly...? They help us 'see' that our experiences out there are not just physical, mental, or even emotional; but can be very full of spirit as well... Sometimes we are allowed a glimpse, a glimmer, of energy and enthusiasms that are difficult to describe...

There are many kinds of spirit within the wild lands, like those felt around ancient trees, or near ageless rock, but it has often been the spirit of animals who I sense have shared something of their enthusiasms with me...

In my over a hundred summits, there were too many to count where I had the fellowship of an animal to share the climbing experience with. Many were highlands birds, others were rams and mountain sheep, so many were the small four legged furries who talk so much in their chitters and whistles... Then there have been the crows and ravens, who seemingly were laughing at my ordinary outdoor mistakes and trials; but who I eventually learned to chuckle along with as I felt they were trying to teach me to not take it all so seriously... All have shared something of their spirit with me , and all have become part of what I've needed for adventure inspirations...

What often gets us going, or carries us through, challenging adventures can be said to be found within the 'spirit'... Aboriginals in many cultures believe that upon birth, or later through certain quests, that the spirit of an animal may enter and become one with an individual. Powerful meanings can be found too in the Animal Totem's that exist out there, and also within the metaphors that these then represent...

R. Ridgeway wrote that in one such experience he found that, "It wasn't until I returned to my own world that I figured it out. In that shaft of light in the jungle, I'd watched the Yanomami transform into a wild animal. For the first time in my life... I had seen who I used to be...".

Grandfather, a Mountain Elder said about the spirit, the energies, we create for ourselves out on such adventures, that, "I see in you... A wolf who now walks as a man...".

I'm inclined to believe that he is very right about us...

DSD

Adventure Inspirations.....

"Inspiration is a fragile thing... who can say where it is born, and why it leaves us." M.Sangster

And that is reason enough for musing... Because as B. Cardozo said, "Method is much, technique is much...inspiration is even more."

Inspirations reflect imagination and can mean an in-spiriting, a breathing in, an inhalation of those energies, moments and influences, that animate & invigorate each of us... even in the midst of adversity or change...

Think of your own enthusiasms, the fire in your belly, and times that were for you ones of optimism and endless possibility. Inspiration can be like the coals the ancients carried with them that provided continual life for the tribe...

"Enthusiasm is the inspiration of everything great", wrote C. Bovee.

In my own journeys, such sparks came from Mentors, Mountain Elders, Guides, good friends & family, within moments of the adventure experiences themselves, and the many wilderness places I have seen, and aspire to yet see... Each style of adventure has often been an inspiration for undertaking the next...

Then there are the images, the readings, blogs, and posts, of so many others who offer unique perspectives on why we do what we do out there... Their quotes are not simple words but a language of enthusiasm and wonder that I breath in as I read, and which can illuminate as any sunrise can...

Then...when... "The well of inspiration dries up, and the muses fled", as C. Lint said, I know these sources are still there. Waiting to be visited again, especially during times of adversity, so we can recreate our passion for adventures...

These catalysts for enthusiasm may then become a means for creating and recreating our own enduring motivations, much like what I envision seeing in the face of a finder of a 'Summit Stone & An Adventure Muse'... And hoping that this may spark a few musings of their own as to what is inspiring for them...

Inspirations... A simple word, yet powerful meanings...

DSD

Page One Of The Adventure Muse.....

This is what is currently on Page One of "An Adventure Muse"...

"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 ridgeline, 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?

A 'Summit Stone' for you... May the spirit and meaning you create for yourself on your adventures be forever present."

There have been many versions of these page one musings over the years... I have tried to describe there my intentions and reflections about the Summit Stones that are given with each 'Adventure Muse', and as a simple introduction to the many quotations contained within this little reading...

Like the image of 'Whymper Musing' above, we all could take a few moments here and there, while sitting quietly, to ponder over our endeavors... (I am trying to ensure to acknowledge where many of these images have been saved over the years, and sincerely apologize when I am not able to)

I often re-read these words, and am doing so now with this injury, to re-mind myself how within each word of each sentence are portrayed many levels of meaning...

These may speak to musings about why we started to adventure, and why we still go, especially in the midst of turmoil and doubt. There are indeed so many different kinds of 'summits' and these will assuredly lead us down countless paths... Such lands are often more discovered inwardly even as we travel out there...

It has always been good for me to return to such beginnings and first pages.....

DSD

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