Alpine Realm
~ where earth meets sky ~

Ken James McLeod

Olympic Mountains © Ken James McLeod

His world was one of natural beauty: specifically the high alpine-granite land, where loafing among the meadow wildflowers, swimming in asure-hued lakes, and climbing japped peaks was the norm.

Here, he was always absorbed in the moment at hand -- sheding all civilized burdens and restraints. His mind here was clear, it would wander to other places and lands however, but his reality was never far from his next impending step or grasp upon the rugged alpine setting. All that lay before him was as if he belonged to it. Certainly, its hold upon his heart was as powerful as "being in love" which is often filled with the same type of immense emotion. And when not in the mountain realm, he felt indifferent, espeacially out among the growing masses of the world where all its problems existed -- war, famin, poverty, unemployment, strife, racism and the like.

At some point in his life, he knew he would eventually have to face perhaps his ultimate challenge...himself, at the crossroads between wilderness and civilization.

Was he a Muir diciple? Perhaps, but he tended to think spending one day among the rocky crags, alpine flowers and lakes or listening to ravens and hawks, was indeed worth "ten fold" to days spent in the confines of the concrete jungle in the world below. What really mattered to him, was the feel of the earth and the breath from the sky...only then was he truly alive . . .

KJM

(McPilchuck)

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