I woke this morning to the sound of steady rain. Living here in Southern California, it's a welcome feeling. My mind wandered to the nearby hillsides that recently burned and how quickly from the ash, life will start to grow. My next thought was the nearby Sierra high country that Mark loves so much. There in the alpine air, winter has clearly arrived. Rain here means snow there - deep and pure white. Bears fat with berries and trees drunk with sunshine are settling in as the Mountain nods to sleep. All will be quiet now. The Mountain does not fear Winter. Warmth and Spring will once again come to melt the drifts, expose the rocks and fill the rivers with spectacular power. Then as before, the trail will lay waiting to guide Mark on his next adventure - and the Mountain will smile.
Mark is a friend from Backpacking in the Sierra. He has a warm heart, a comfortable smile and an endless sense of adventure. First day out this year, we're about an hour into the hike on a dusty trail. I'm just settling into the weight and altitude - my mind is focused on the 10 miles and 2000 ft of elevation we plan that day. First river we get to, He yells "lets go swimming", drops his pack and boots and jumps in the icy flow clothes and all. Yes, I followed him in and it felt amazing. I was reminded at that moment that the destination is not ahead - it's right here. Unfortunately, Mark shared the lesson this week all over again. A significant accident has left him on the edge of life. My heart goes out to him, his wife Angie and their son Nolan.
