“Excelsior” Latin for “Higher”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1842

The shades of night were falling fast
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice
A banner with the strange device
Excelsior!

Ignoring all warnings, before eventually perishing in the snow
Doomed Idealism

Surrounded and Criticized
When the house is empty

Facade Fatigue
Disarm the harm
With humor

Dont think
Make them laugh

What are you so scared of
What will cease to be

If you drop your guard
For merely a moment

Why must we stay vigilant
Always concerned

Too let go of worry
Would be ...
53031

Freshly misted staghorn fern
Sour sorrel

Deep Blue thistles
Aromas of fresh soil & autumnal rains

Traversing the cloud forrest

Will the river be crossable
Will I be able to return

Have I taken to many treasures
Is this a punishment

Is it a true force
Or only, my mind

Mt.Olympus 53009 #Earth

3 Old roman coins

Dig a fire pit
Bury the coins
Raise the fire

Ash grey clay pot
Upon the flame
Brimming w/ tears

Sprinkle in freckles from a wild horse

Add equal parts

Possum Tail
Common Buckeye Butterfly wings
Oxidized Copper

Mix with mallow root
Wait until sunrise

53031 #hike #camping

Across Plains
Forced To Drink
Gypsum Streams

Buttes For Miles
Then The Foothills
We Crest The Headland

Above The Timberline
Beyond The #Mountains Ridges

Ambivalent Peaks
Benevolent Glades

Apprehension When Clouds Roll in
Beyond Mt. Olympus

Past #Cancers Claws
Home #Heracles

53061 #Hiking

At What Cost

We dig deeper
Our Heavy Hands

What other disruptions
Will we deem necessary

A debt we already owe Gaia
Yet More We Take

Could there come a day
When the natural world is so disrupted

Will we risk the blue sky
To Survive

53003

#plant #photography #Earth #outside #heal #nature

Kipple, Diatribe, Detritus, Rhetoric
They Manipulate The Form

Change The Meaning

Just recite the words upon the page
Nothing More

Media Is The Message

Don't use outdated tools to address modern problems
Don't fall victim to your own history

53073

#geology #Mt.Baker #hike #outside #nature #poem

For when we meet again

Out along the #trail
We are bound by lives we lead
But often we forget who to follow

A cycle of losing ground and catching up
Pace Yourself, Breath
Oxygen is Power, #Movement is Power
An Object At Rest, Stay At Rest

Retrace

Walk the circle in the other direction

53-49485

Life is more than the walls of the #labyrinth
Lift this curse away
What burden were you forced to carry

Bestowed a great gift
Are you not also so tethered
A companion for all time
Lest you struggle against one another

Free the Albatross ~ Free the Sunfish ~Free the #Minotaur

#ApeCaves #WA 53015

Further from you, at an arms length
Out beyond the wild sky
Do not cage your wings
Even though you may find safety within the cage
You only trap yourself
Life is short, your bones are weak
Take advantage of your own gifts
Dont sequester your #owl feather

GoFly

WA #Skykomish ~ 53-64855 ~ 34,000.ft

Adventurous
Bravery
Courageous

I found the object of devotion far out in the forrest
A great force of foundation, the trick is to not be looking
It doesn't matter where you are once you find it
It stay with you
Adventure inward30063

Forward, its not to late
Time feels short, but fret not
Breath Deep & Find The Trace
We all rush towards the great magnet
Don't forget to take your time and look around
Witness your own life
Acknowledge & Allow For Growth
Your Worth It
Good Luck Out There

Alaska ~ 02020 ~ Near Anchorage ~ 8/23