Friday, September 30, 2016

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

"Allow mystery, which is to say to yourself, 'There could be more, there could be things we don't understand'..." B. Lopez
I once was able to watch a grey wolf at play when out on an adventure. This animal was a mystery in motion to me. At that time I knew so little about them, and yet found myself so very impressed by its grace of movement and its playful behavior. When it finally looked over in my direction and met my gaze, there was a moment there, where I wondered who was really watching who... 
"The Bella Coola Indians believed that someone tried to change all the animals into men but succeeded in making human only the eyes of the wolf." B. Lopez
"If you could be an animal, what animal would you be? Answering that question creates a powerful personal metaphor." Grey Wolf
Adventures are inherently full of mystery.
Isn't that one of the many things that may draw us to what is adventuresome.
I think I would like to be a wolf even for a day.....DSD  

Thursday, September 29, 2016

"Countless, Timeless, Forever..."

On top of this summit we touch a hundred million years.
Imagine what these rocks have seen; envision our brief history in relation to them; perspectives upon perspectives.
There, as we drift by those rocks of our Northern Shield lakes. we can know thousands upon thousands of seasons. So many passages of peoples, of animals.
So beautifully carved by tons of ice and countless storms of snow. 
Deep in this canyon we also embrace the millenia, the timeless, the endless... 
We raft through ages upon ages, eons upon eons, among layer upon layer of time. Time though, is an unknown concept to such a canyon. 
Yet it still shares with us, allows us to touch almost countless years.
What a gift in being able to enjoy the memories of such earth and rock and timelessness, in touching a hundred million years and more...  DSD   

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

"Forever Briefly..."

We only met briefly; two trekkers out upon that long trail. Him coming back in, and me just getting going. Him returning with that look of such happiness and weathering; me simply beginning with no dust yet upon me nor a sun or wind burn upon my face.While we were only meet briefly we did talk for some moments. Some great shared time, like that we all have had on our trails, to chat about terrain, directions, conditions, vistas to enjoy, and secret places to discover...But when I asked that other question, we often query about too; that inquiry over timing, what he said intrigued me even more..."I've no idea", he said when I asked how long its' been and how long its' taken. "No idea at all, because I don't really know...", "What day or date it is, or the time of day really either...".All this said with a smile on the face of one who doesn't care, about such definers or parameters, when they long wander out there...He was returning with such a wondrous gift, of perceptions like these. I was just starting to head out, only beginning to sense, to be reminded again of the value of this way of wandering.We only met and shared briefly; but I won't soon forget...DSD  

"Timings..."


“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”   E. Roth

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

"The Same Mountain..."

"You never climb the same mountain twice.
Memory rebuilds the mountain.
It changes the weather, retells the jokes, remakes all the moves...".  L. Tejada-Flores


Monday, September 26, 2016

"Such Resounding Quiet..."

"After a long day of walking in the mountains, the ancients sat alone and in the quiet...".  Deng Ming-Dao

In stillness we then rest, 
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Now calm and vividly remembering,
Every single step of our long journey.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
For a very challenging mountain had been chosen,
Knowing we would then embrace all then wildly given.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Atop the summit of a further elusive mountain,
Being present for all of that which has happened.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
After a descent as challenging too,
Then so tired, and now safe as well.

In stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Amazingly welcoming was that mountain,
With such adversity and then those teachings.

In the stillness we then rest,
Amidst the quiet, with our breath.
Having shared in those many precious gifts,
Meditative forever moments nourishing our very being... DSD 

Dedicated to those wonderful wanderers who are out there still,Adventuring For Another Reason. 

Sunday, September 25, 2016

"In The Quiet Places Of Nature..."

"It is only in the intentional silence of vigil and meditation, or in the quiet places of nature, that we encounter the song of the universe. Like the wind... this song echoes along the pathways of the cosmic web; it includes the celestial spinning of the planets, as well as the hum of insects and the dancing song of the grass; it includes the song of all the ancestors and spirits as well as the beating of our own hearts...". C. Mathews

Saturday, September 24, 2016

"Revealings..."

"It is the human spirit that brings us to the mountains.
It is the mountains that reveal the human spirit to each of us...".
R. Messner

"Still Seekings....."

"If we are seekers, then we shall find." Deng Ming-Dao

Adventuring, wandering, seekings...
Setting out towards serendipity.
Looking out there among our most inner terrain.
In the act, within the efforts, are the answers.
Seeking... 
The wonderful, the personal, the natural, the subtle, the surreal, the elemental.
The spirit of seeking is the key to what is being sought...
Seekers, seer's, sorcerers, searchers...
What we pursue, we become.
We seek ourselves, yet find so much more.....  DSD    

Thursday, September 22, 2016

"It's Still There..."

"The dark dangerous forest is still there, my friends. Beyond the space of astronauts and the astronomers, beyond the dark tangled regions of psychiatry, beyond those dubious psi-realms, beyond the areas policed by commissars and priests and motivations-research men, far, far beyond the mad, beat, half-hysterical laughter... the utterly unknown still is and the eerie and ghostly lurk, as much wrapped up in mystery as ever. 
And isn't that wonderful...".  F. Leiber




"We Can Choose Otherwise..."


"Once we face our fear, once we treat our anxiety itself as a thing, we can then choose otherwise.
Instead of filling the unknown in our minds with expectations of the tragic, we can choose to fill the void with a different expectation - the expectation of adventure...".   D.W. Jones


Wednesday, September 21, 2016

"Appealing..."




"It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not only new territory, but for new knowledge.
It should appeal to those with a good sense of adventure...".  F. Sanger

"Day To Day..."




"Adventure isn't just hanging on a rope on the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day-to-day obstacles of life. Facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the unknown and, in the process, discovering our own unique potential...". J. Amatt

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

"By Its Very Nature..."

"Adventure, by its very nature, involves overcoming uncertainty, fear, obstacles, adversity, and the unknown. The adventure attitude, particularly as used in the metaphors of the mountain or the sea.. can be applied to our daily lives".  A. Hobson
Many times, mostly in hindsight, and looking back over the trail, is when I realize how beautiful the unknown was..... DSD

"Wandering Unknown..."

"The acid test of a true adventurer, if presented with certain anonymity, is whether each of us would still have made the journey beyond the last blue mountain..." M. Clark  

Monday, September 19, 2016

"The Unknown Uncertainties Which We Love..."

“Walking on a path of uncertainties, 
Shuffling on the probabilities of uncertainties, 
Waging on the possibilities of uncertainties, 
Waiting for the occurrences of uncertainties,
Solving the mysteries of wandering uncertainties,
We move, lead and live.”   P. Rana

"To Roam About..."

“The word "travel" comes from the Old French word "travail" (or "travailler"), which means "to work, to labor; a suffering or painful effort, an arduous journey, a tormenting experience." ("Travel," thus, is "a painful and laborious journey"). Whereas "to wander" comes from the West Germanic word "wandran," which simply means "to roam about." There is no labor or torment in "wandering." There is only "roaming." Wandering is the activity of the child, the passion of the genius; it is the discovery of the self, the discovery of the outside world, and the learning of how the self is both "at one with" and "separate from" the outside world. These discoveries are as fundamental to the soul as "learning to survive" is fundamental to the body. These discoveries are essential to realizing what it means to be human. To wander is to be alive.”   R. Payne

Friday, September 16, 2016

"Of Exploring And Learning..."

"We shall not cease from exploration, and at the end of all exploring, will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time...". T.S. Eliot  

"Just Out Wandering And Learning Yet Even More..."

"You will find more in the woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters...".  St. Bernard  

Thursday, September 08, 2016

"Ascent For Alzheimer's - Soon Under Way!"

There it surely is once again,
Something far away quietly calling to us all.
On ancient mountain winds journeying through the trees,
Subtly shifting valleys of both pines and leaves,
Moving our deepest perspectives too it always seems...
There they are again we now hear,
Telling tales of effort, endurance, and so much else.
Saying all of what we each need to know,
Blending with emotions we all hope to feel.
As we listen even more closely now,
For our own echoes out there yet once more..... DSD
A dedication this day paying our respects to those wonderful Adventurers of  Ascent For Alzheimer's who are soon underway!

"Motivations..."

"There is no greater stimulation for one's own enthusiasm than self-determination.
Motivation is momentum from the inside. 
The critical dimension of self-motivation includes mind, spirit, and body.
It controls the will, stokes an inner fire, and lets us do things completely.
Motivation does not fall upon us. It is hidden in all of us. It only has to be awakened. 
Motivation is like bottled, concentrated energy. It is stored for a long time as expectation, hope, and dedication. 
I know that the strongest motivations come from the inner depths of the soul...".  R. Messner

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

"Time For Our Vitamins..."

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  

Tuesday, September 06, 2016

"Inspired Magic..."

"A lot of people think inspiration means magic. But really, inspiration means to put life into something...".   Avi



"What Seems Impossible..."

"Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible...".  C.M. Braun



Monday, September 05, 2016

"A Wee Bit Of Magic For Your Adventures..."

"Every time I went up there, a kind of magic happened to me: I felt a nameless wildness flow into me, a strangely serene longing for tundras, unbroken forests, rivers and mountains without end... I changed, into a benign kind of lycanthropy...".   R. Schultheis
"It was indeed magic to find that the initial commitment and inner strength can bring you back down alive in the midst of such an undertaking...".   J. Waterman
"The waving of a pine tree upon a mountain - a magic wand in Nature's hand...".   J. Muir
"Climbing... offers a wise canvas upon which to paint adventures. The mind is working, the body is working, and the spirit is working to get up this puzzling piece of rock. The same elements, I have found, exist in running rivers... tell of magic in that moving water, and its many gifts. Gifts of beauty and adventure, of battle and achievement, gifts of joy and skill, of the pride of mastery, gifts of solo endeavour, and of rich companionship...".   R. Robbins
"What made it incredibly tantalizing was that It, the magic, was somewhere inside me. It had always been there... waiting to be awakened...".   R. Schultheis
"Magic, as I am using the term, is a sudden opening of the mind to that wonder of experience. It is a sense that there is much more to life than we usually recognize; that we do not have to be confined by the limited views that our family, our society, or our own habitual thoughts impose upon us; that life contains many dimensions, depths, textures, and meanings far beyond our familiar beliefs and concepts."   J. Welwood


From within my musings around the flickering campfires out there, to the ponderings by the ancient hearthstones back here, thoughts begin to take shape about how we all sense the wondering importance of the magic of our wanderings...
As in the quotes above, we read and write such words quietly as we know of the elusiveness of alchemy. 
We each speak softly of these elements as we have experienced their ephemeral spells.
Adventurers seek out our magics among the mountains and valleys, rivers and lakes, coastlines and canyons. 
We quest through these journeys to embrace the conjuring mysteries and the sorcery within these wild place moments. 
Why?
Because we know as we sit by the warm hearthstones; we know these whisperings about such beautiful, natural magic - are all true..... DSD    

Sunday, September 04, 2016

"Even If Hidden..."


"Hidden in and under the mountain, and all around it, is a mystical, linear elegance, an atmosphere, the long jewel-like ridges. There is a meaning for us, an extended journey, a project of inspiration to which our minds will be apprenticed...".
"The mountains... are an exultant image whose mirrors create the effect of endlessly receding planes. Their image is suddenly clear, then is blurred, an expression of our presence..."
"The mountain... obscures itself among other mountains, finds secrecy in its weather and moods... There is a strangeness, one of a beautiful worth. A storm breaks. We are called to its prismatic, poetic mood, a beauty that pervades every part of us... for all that is given, and that we are blessed to know, and must leave hidden." P. Ament


Many life long mountaineers, like Ament, eventually journey to a waypoint where the mystery of their adventures' becomes as important as the places themselves...
Wild places, especially mountains, seem to inherently; yet subtly invite us to search out the mystery to be found out there within these elements..... DSD  

"Allowing For Mystery..."

"Allow mystery, which is to say to yourself, 'There could be more, there could be things we don't understand'..." B. Lopez

"Meditative Wanderings..."

"Life is a mystery... Mystery of beauty, bliss, and awe. Meditation is the art of unfolding that mystery...".  A. Ray

"To Wonder..."

"Wonder is surely one of the most profound kinds of wisdom..."   Anon

Saturday, September 03, 2016

"Such Mystery..."

“Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.”                 C. McCarthy

Friday, September 02, 2016

"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   

Thursday, September 01, 2016

"Dawning Of The Northlands..."

The Aurora Borealis, also known by many as the 'Dawning of the North', is one of many mysterious wonders of our wild places.
Aboriginal Peoples have believed these swirling apparitions to be travelling spirits, drifting across the winter sky. Spirits who entice us with their beauty and their tales, while drawing us further and further north.
They are said to inspire us to watch endlessly as their stories unfold...
While silent, you would swear on occasion that a crackling of sorts can be heard on the most quiet of nights out there during this dawning of the northlands.
Some say the breaking of the spring and this contrast of cold and sun brings out the most vivid of these swirling images.
The darkest nights seem best for these dancing lights and perceiving their intense colors.
When I stand quietly out there and turn my eyes to the sky in the dark, I remember...
These mystical lights while deep winter camping among our frozen northern lakes; when snowshoeing in the calm of a cold late night; while dog sledding down a snow bound valley; and when seeing images of animals, like birds, wolves, and bears, dancing with one another across the fabric of an old canvass tent as I stayed up almost all night, for no other reason than because I could - so I could muse for hours while feeding and watching that small stove fire.
Our more scientific colleagues would describe these phenomenon as the collision of moving electrons, molecules, atoms, and other particles in the coldest winter air.
Still others believe that further elements are in play among these visions of mysterious colors, movement, and perception. 
And that is what I believe too, in this dawning of our north.....  DSD  

"Grey Wolf's Gifts..."

"Find your places of power; where you become part of the magic. Return there many times; enjoy your experiences - then give back to those places...".  
"Elusive lessons hold the most to be learned...".
"Remember... The gifts of the four directions. The East is the new day, renewal, innocence, hope, joy, and new beginnings. The South is learning, preparing, strength, sensitivity, goals, and reflection. The West is the unknown, of dreams, meditation, going within, and a place of testing. The North is about wisdom, moderation, teachers, elders, fulfilment, and memories. There is no ending in the journey of the four directions...".  
"You will find more in these mountains than climbing...". 
"You will not find all your reasons in these mountains or on those lakes. What you find out there you had within you all along. These places are just a trail towards those lands inside of you that have yet to be travelled...".
"The symbol for what drives you, for the source that moves you, in many cultures - is fire. Your energy, your power, your enthusiasms, are all fire and flame. Read the coals and discover what you need...". 
"Collect experiences, not things, for that is what will truly nourish you...".
"Meaning is relative - your choices, where you journey, what mountains you climb, what rivers you paddle, the day you do so, the weather, your energy, solo or with partners - all relative elements that contribute to different meanings. Who is to say which is more meaningful, which has more value...".
"Yes, there are sacred things. A pine cone, a feather, bones, a herb - or even one of your stones. All are sacred because of the deep meaning given to them. Sacred things help you focus; yet consider where their real source of power is...".

Thank you, Wild One, especially for, "Let the mountains and the waters themselves be your guide...".  DSD