Friends, Travels, Hikes, and More

It doesn’t get much better in life than late June in Montana. Something about the long days, the dry air, the lazy animals, or who knows what just seems to bring out the best in people – more energy, more smiles, more patience, more perspective on life. As I’ve said many times, watching a good sunset from Mount Sentinel can make almost any of my worries melt away.

This week my good friend SJ is in town from Bristol, England to visit. Here he is at Upper Holland Lake in Montana’s beautiful Swan Valley. It was a seven mile hike in, rising over two thousand vertical feet. We almost opted for the easier 1.5 mile hike to Holland Falls, but I was feeling especially adventurous and pushed for the longer journey.Here is a view from one of the overlooks along the way – Holland Lake is below. It was a bit too bright for the camera to capture the gorgeous mountain peeks in the distance. It was amazing, how around each new corner there was always something new and beautiful to be found: rock faces, flowers, gushing waterfalls, stunning vistas, etc. I felt like a kid again, running up the trail, eating snow when we got into it at the higher elevation, eating edible flowers (dandelions), soaking up the journey with every fiber of my being.

At one point I realized that this journey was not unlike the journey of life itself. You never quite know which path you’re going take, until you take it. Sometimes you can plan everything ‘just so’ only to have life remind you that your plans don’t really matter much if you can’t live fully in the present moment, flexible, spontaneous, in touch with the world just as it is. And so, even though we only prepared for a three mile walk and ended up hiking fourteen, it turned out to be an incredibly wonderful experience. Here I am on the way back at one point where there was no stream crossing. I would guess the creek here is about seven feet wide, and yes, I made it! Another metaphor perhaps for the little obstacles life can toss at you. Sometimes, you just have to LEAP!
On the way up to the lake we passed by fields upon fields of wildflowers practically glowing in the mid-day sun; beautiful shades of green, yellow, and purple (the camera really doesn’t do justice to the colors) greeting us as we passed by.

The night before we spent in beautiful Helena, Montana, where I was born and raised. Here is a shot of our famous St. Helena Cathedral taken from a lovely and historic housing district build up on Mount Helena.

I’m off for now; dinner at a friend’s, a Buddhist Puja, then to hot springs, Helena again, Missoula again for a night out, and then Yellowstone! For all of this, a life quite filled with simple joys, I am very grateful.

Oh, and more news will come soon about the vision board book I will be in (soon soon), and my latest article for Wildmind.org is up: The Art of Friendship.