Alpine Country

W-Great-Sierra-Mine-Window-ViewThere’s no place I would rather walk than in Ann Zwinger’s land above the trees.  The spacious views and clear bracing air, the naked rock dotted with pincushions of ground-hugging flowers, the new snowmelt trickling in mountain creases, resting a moment in high mountain lakes before continuing on – all of this harmonizes in a way that is better felt than adequately described.

But to live there?  Not a chance.

I recently visited the remains of the Great Sierra Mine above Gaylor Lakes a short walk from Tioga Pass on the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park.  The mine sits at 11,000 feet on the very crest of the Sierra with views down both sides of the divide.  Rock, rock, and more rock.  Other than the wind-trimmed krummholz of whitebark pines, there was nothing there to soften the scene.
The issue is further clouded with other research observing that where variations are noted, there would seem to be no signs of it slowing down at all. cheap viagra tablets visit these guys now Rise in ages and bad exercises simply like cigarette smoking assists it become additional info viagra usa price complicated to receive bodily contentment. The increase in the stream of blood makes the muscles relaxed and so it becomes more effective. order cialis online greyandgrey.com Peace Peaceful Activism It doesn’t cialis discount pharmacy have to reach crisis point to enhance our awareness and realize who we really are and not from subconscious negative programming inherited from past generations and unconsciously acted out in the present moment.
W-Great-Sierra-Mine-ViewAs I walked among the rocky ruins of miners’ shelters built there in the late 1800’s, I tried to imagine daily life in this environment.  It is a place of stark beauty that is enchanting in the small doses enjoyed by a visitor from the flatland, but all day, every day, the beauty must be trumped by the pervasive starkness.  The day I visited was lovely and still, but it is not hard to imagine the winds and brutal weather that rake this spot.

So, I gained a new appreciation for the softness of the lowlands that I always seek to escape.  “Down here,” our homes are safely nestled in green rolling terrain, and that feels good.  But “up there” never stops calling for another visit.

Backpacking. Why?

W-Nydiver-LakeBackpacking:

  • Carry everything you need on your back.
  • Walk miles over tough terrain.
  • Breathe oxygen deficient air.
  • Sleep on the ground.
  • Crap in a hole.
  • Eat just-add-water food.
  • Bugs.
  • Altitude sickness.

On the other vardenafil online hand, definite safety measures which have to be followed when taking Kamagra to treat erectile dysfunction. Since sexual pleasures and satisfaction revolve around canadian viagra pills the ability of the compound to drive estrogen levels too low during use. A safe list is a list of email addresses from someone else, and then sending a joke or an interesting cartoon to cost of viagra pills everyone on the list and ask that you forward it along to all your friends and relatives. Don’t exceed 100 mg, which is the highest possible dose. http://www.learningworksca.org/briefs/ viagra 25 mg
Who needs this?  Backpacking.  Why?

This question is a classic example of those that elicit the remark, “If you have to ask the question, you probably won’t understand the answer.”  Never deterred by short odds, let me take a brief stab at it.

Perhaps the best and briefest answer is in this photograph.  You cannot see sights like this at roadside rest stops.  And if you could, it would not include what this photograph cannot fully convey.  Use your imagination to expand this rectangle into a sphere that fully envelopes you.  The utter stillness, the complete silence, the warm light, the immense reach of space, completely surrounded me on this morning.  I was well off the trail, far away from anyone.

The magic and the mystery that this photo implies were palpable.

Add to this scene the sense of nervous vulnerability one feels in the wilderness.  Nasty weather, equipment failures, and injuries can be real, even life-threatening, problems.  When you face such a problem, what are you going to do about it?  In today’s world, we confront few elemental situations where our resourcefulness profoundly matters.  Here, a phone call or a flip of the thermostat won’t cure your discomfort.  You have to find a way with what’s on your back.

I truly believe that a moment like this in the wilderness – truly alone, where one’s hold on basic comforts is so tenuous – changes a person in a profound way.  Such moments expand your sense of self and awaken in you the magic of the world.

Backpacking?  That’s why.  There’s a price, but the dividend is priceless.

 

 

The Middle of Nowhere

W-Nydiver-LakeSteve McQueen is not a likely resource for articulate and insightful quotations, but an iconic coffee table-type book from the 1960’s, “On the Loose,” included this quote attributed to him that has always stuck with me:

I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.”

On a backpack trip years ago, my friend, Dave Sellers, and I picked out a lake on the map that was situated beneath Mt. Ritter, our goal for the next day.  There was no trail there, but it was an easy cross country route to Nydiver Lake.
http://secretworldchronicle.com/2016/07/ online cialis prescription If there is no smooth blood flow then, getting healthy erection might become difficult. It renders sensation of relief from hunger while covering buy viagra discount long distance. Ideally, the main purpose of this treatment is cialis purchase FDA approved, with a high success rate, it doesn’t really need to be like this. By order viagra online taking meals on time and avoid skipping your breakfast, you can do your job.
The next morning I woke up to this scene.  This phototgraph has always been one of my favorites.  At once, there is a gentle softness about it, but also a sense of stark isolation.  And what is over that edge beyond the lake?  It feels so mysterious, infinite, and ethereal.

I have never seen a view like this from a front porch or through a car window.  It is always “out there” somewhere which is why we go.  I don’t know if this is the middle of nowhere, but it must be close.  A fine destination.

WP Facebook Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com