Wilderness teaches you to have a quiet mind.
One thing you learn from wilderness is to be calm, and have a quiet mind. What I mean is there is so much beauty up there, you learn to pay attention, and just take it all in. There is plenty of peace up there. I think it comes from the touch of the Creator on the forests, mountains, and streams. Up there I feel closer to Divinity than I ever have in a church.
I am headed up again on Sunday. I have gone over many possible destinations, but the one I am tending towards is a 11 mile hike up a long valley, from 8,000 feet up to 12,000 feet. It is such an incredible place. I went up there last year in June, and in four days did not see one person in that high valley - just deer, coyote, moose, and elk. I likely will camp in the trees just below treeline, and go up hiking across the alpine plateaus when the weather is good. They already have snow on them.
I am looking forward to it, and expect to have a great time - just me and my dogs, on the trail alone. Every time I go up there I can't help but say a prayer of thanks for these dogs, who are such good companions, and who love the wilderness every bit as much as I do. I also offer a thanks for the health and strength to hike up there, and pray that it continues for many more years. I am realistic about it though. There surely will be a time when I won't be able to carry a heavy pack up to timberline. And knowing that I enjoy it all the more, while I still can.
