As we approach the dawn of summer, I smile and eagerly anticipate the adventures and magic it holds.  The dreamer in me (which is me most all the time) finds my mind wandering to the high sierra and the mystique it holds.  The dark summer nights bring calmness and tranquility to my mind which is often crowded with the clatter of day-to-day life.  The serenity these mountains hold, tell the stories woven into the rocks, crags and meadows and makes the mind wander and explore to places of distant existence.  So many thoughts arise.  How many humans have been so lucky to stand under the light of the Milky Way and bask in its energy?  How many humans have sprawled under these stars to watch meteors, satellites and jets create magical light far away from the hustle and bustle of distant cities?  

These are the nights I love.  All around me is quiet.  My soul has the ability to think and reflect.  Sitting under those stars and gazing upon the tendrils of the Milky Way over the Sierra Nevada's is a site to behold.  The inaugural trip is planned for the spring/summer of 2018.   I encourage everyone who reads this, to consider spending a night or a few hours above 7,000 feet to "just be".  Be present.  Watch the galaxy.  Take your camera along and capture what you see.  Find a place far away from residual light (during a new moon if you can) and sit there.  Listen to the sound of the earth.  Listen to your thoughts.  If you don't have hiking boots or a headlamp, a good pair of sneakers and a flashlight will do.  I can promise you that during the time you spend in the mountains under these skies, you will find calm.  As you sit quietly, meditate, pray or talk to whatever deity speaks to you.  Listen for the response.  The universe is a thing of beauty.  

Take a moment to think about what your hopes are for this coming summer.  Are you taking time for you?  Are you following your passion?  Are you finding time for you own happiness?  We cannot be happy for others, if we do not find happiness for ourselves.  I encourage each and everyone of you to find a new adventure.  Do something new or go someplace new.  Jump out of your comfort zone of routine.  Adventure is different for each of us.  For me, hiking, backpacking, camping and astrophotography are the things I look forward to in the summer.  New trails, new friends to adventure with and new challenges to meet.  This summer will culminate with a trip to Mt. Whitney with friends to scale the highest peak in the continental US.  After that, I plan on a major new adventure to Alaska.  To hike the Stampede Trail (36 miles round trip) and start my fourth decade on this earth with something completely new, and outside of my comfort zone.  To challenge myself mentally and physically.  To let my soul be free over those 36 miles and leave behind any bad vibrations which have been harbored in my being.  To simply, be.  

With a smile, I leave you all to hopefully, sit and think.  To ponder things and to think about ways to get outside of your own comfort zone and seek a new adventure.  I wish you all a wondrous late spring and early summer.  May your laughs be long, your smiles be wide and adventures be full of happiness.  I leave you a piece I composed under these same skies entitled "Song of the Hiker's Soul".  For those of you who adventure with hiking boots on, I hope you understand the feelings it brings.  For those of you who don't, maybe you should seek out time in the wild?  It will touch your soul.

            Song of the Hiker's Soul

Rays of light spill over the horizon

and warmth rushes into my soul.

The mountain and I

Have become one entity.

My boots caress the fields of

Talus and scree.

One step after the other.

Basking in the resonance

Of what this mountain

Has endured.

Seasons pass softly

And winds of change

Rattle the gatekeepers.

Their loftly branches

Swing effortlessly

As if kissed by the gods.

The feeling of solitude

And the pleasure of solace.

Unforgiving is she as the

North wind harshly wails.

A strong heart and mind

Must the explorer have

To endure her squalls.

But that summit…

Oh, that summit…

Elysium and nirvana

Envelops my soul

As beads of sweat trickle

Down my unshaven face.

All that I feel,

Aside from the gentle kiss

Of the wind,

Is awe. 

"Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time..."

Namaste, friends.