"Man is the most insane species.  He worships an invisible god and destroys a visible nature, unaware that this nature he is destroying is this god he's worshiping" - Hubert Reeves

Take a moment to ponder on that.  

What is your first thought?  How do you look at that quote and what do you think of?  Are you immediately drawn to "god" or "nature" or perhaps, both?  Are they similar, maybe even synonymous?  Does it make you think about this most beautiful earth we are a part of and what we as humans are doing to it?  

The wild is something that has long been a part of me and my soul and spirit.  I relish my time in forests, alpine meadows, mountain summits and rushing rivers far away from neon lights, car horns and office buildings which act more like prisons.  Away from desks, cars and workspaces where our bodies are chained to make money, we find freedom and a true sense of who and what we are as we walk in the wild.  Does this mean we can't find freedom or satisfaction behind that desk, counter or office space?  Absolutely not, but for me, success in the chosen career has and never will equal happiness or satisfaction.  Like my boots, a job is simply an additional conveyance to the mountains and the trails which caress them.  My place of happiness and peace.  

"But Mike, I am not an outdoorsy or adventurous person."  

What a shame for you.  

How anyone can not feel at home among the towering trees and wind swept summits of boulders, talus and scree is something I will never understand.  Touch any body of water and feel connected to life all around you.  Close your eyes and feel the wind in your ears as the sun beats down upon your chin turned to the sky.  Feeling alive yet?  If so, you are my brother or sister.  If not, what a shame for you.

Trees.

All around us we find our brothers and sisters.  Their roots reach deep into the earth as their arms stretch to the sky.  Humans don't often stop to appreciate all that is around them.  Our wild spaces are nearby, no matter where your address may be.  Have you ever had a chat with a tree?  Have you ever paused, placed your hand on its bark and simply "listened"?  Listen to their stories and how they live.  Scan their trunks and canopies for history and for meaning.  Listen deeply to the beating heart within them and find yourself connected to everything around you.

"Mike...  Seriously, this is some weird stuff."

Is it?  Is it weird to show respect to something that can not speak for itself?  We do it with our pets all the time.  We talk to ourselves throughout the day.  Where are the differences?  I see none.      

I love trees.  All of them.  Aspens, Junipers, Oak and Elm, Poplars, Cedars, Maples and Foxtail Pines and the grandfathers of this world's tree families, the Ancient Bristlecone Pines.  They speak to me as I walk amongst them.  They whisper their stories as loud as the wind.  They tell me of seasons, fire, flood and bounty.  They speak of birds, sun and sky.  Their stories are etched in the xylem and phloem of their cores.  Dendrochronology teaches us about them after they have passed on to have their stories confirmed.  Some of us even mourn the loss of them as the circle of life moves through time and space. 

Walking amongst these brothers and sisters is special thing all together.  We admire their stately repose and gaze upon their magical colors.  In the spring, we look for buds on their branches.  A sure sign warmer days are ahead.  In summer, we find sanctuary in their shade as the hours pass by.  Maybe we hang a hammock from their sturdy arms for us to take in gentle breezes while sipping a beverage of our choosing.  In fall, we ooh and ahh at the kaleidoscope of colors which fall from their arms.  Their farewell to warmth with a finale which makes our 4th of July revelry look tame.  Winter is ushered in and our brothers and sisters stand tall, heads bowed low as ice, snow and cold sweep across the land.  They await the return of the sun and his warmth.  

Each hike I set out on, I try and find a tree which speaks to me.  I love the smell of crushed cedar in my hands as its healing nature courses through my body while my hands rub the oils from their needles.  I marvel at the sight of Aspens in the fall and the way they quake in the wind.  When the wind blows firmly and the leaves begin to fall, it rains gold over top of me and I have no choice than to lay down and let them fall on me, all the while thanking the Spirits and Guardians of these spaces for these magnificent beings.  My nose delights in finding a crevice in the bark of a Ponderosa Pine and seeking out whether it smells of Orange Cream, Vanilla or Root Beer.  As the scents pour into my nasal cavities, my eyes are closed as I thank this tree for allowing me to enjoy her aura.

Would I consider myself a tree hugger?  Absolutely.  Sadness washes over me upon seeing these organisms cut down, mutilated by knives or axes at the whim of malcontent fool.  Carving his or her initials into these beings without so much as a thought.  17,000 trees gave their lives for the building of the Cathedral at Notre Dame in France.  17,000.  For what?  A monument?  A building which has no life of its own?  Yes, I know it is a place of worship for Christians, but would not those trees be better represented by offering thanks to a Creator while sitting among them and honoring their lives?  A forest is an outdoor cathedral, church, mosque, synagogue and temple, similar to mountains, where Gods, Creators and Great Spirits should be given homage and honor, yet, we feel the need to fall them to create spaces to do just that.  Why?   

"Mike, you know so many things we have are made of trees?"

Yes, I am aware of it.  I understand the nature the need for materials to build with and utilize in modern society, however, as a lover of our wild spaces and forests, I wish there was another way.  Destruction and clear cutting of our gorgeous South American Rainforests, fires in the Sierra and in the Appalachians, overzealous football fans poisoning trees on the campus of their rivals.  When will it end?  When will we show true respect to our leafy brothers and sisters?  

At the beginning of every hike I offer a prayer, some rice and sage to the Spirits and Guardians of the mountains and forests.  Every summit I hang prayer flags and sit in contemplation and reflection while honoring the mountain and its Spirits and Guardians while asking Lung-ta (the Wind Horse) to carry the light and thankfulness I am filled with to all beings throughout this world.  A simple gesture of thankfulness for the presence of this place.  A blessing for the trees, rocks and waters.  Thankfulness for each of them and the energy they willingly give to our world.  Thankfulness for each stately tree.

The next time you find yourself gazing at a tree, playing in a body of water or sunning on rock, whisper your own thanks to the universe and to what is in front of you.  Take a moment to place your hand on the tree and ask to see its life and feel its energy.  Dip your fingers into the stream, lake, river or ocean and thank her for the life she gives.  Feel the temperature of the rock and imagine the stories it could tell over the eons of its existence.  Millions, and at times, billions of years old to be sitting here for you at this very moment.  

Om Mani Padme Hum.  I send blessings to you all.  May Lung-ta, the Wind Horse, carry them, swiftly, to you and to all sentient and non-sentient beings throughout this earth.  I hope you take a moment to reflect on this and that it brings a smile to you.  If you are a nature lover, tree hugger, modern hippy and free spirit, I am sure it will.

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

Namaste, friends.