Happy Visualizations

“After all the flaming Trolls; the heavy handed Troll Bashing; and the associated snarling and snapping that went with it, I have decided this week is for Happy thoughts.

While I know degeneration will set in quick (as in maybe a post or two); the rules are simple.

One paragraph, verbally describing a site you have visited that describes one of those moments that you were actually happy to be a backpacker.

Like this....



I was holding a steaming cup of coffee, while perched on the South Rim of the majestic Chisos in Southwest Texas, watching the first rays of a new morning slowly creep across the desert floor 3,000 feet below, bringing the arid land from what appeared to be a sullen shade of gray to a brilliant assortment of colors; shapes and sights that proved the beauty of life can be seen to unfold in just the shortest of moments.”

“I had just finished summitting Blood Mtn. in Georgia. I climbed up on a house-sized rock next to the shelter there, and looked around at the majesty of the cloud-filled valleys of the Appalachians.”

“Like the tee shirt my brother gave me says, "So many trails; so little time."

Clouds blowing through the gap after a summer downpour while somebody played Bach on a flute.

Doe and fawn browsing through the campsite while I ate breakfast.

Clouds blowing over Marcy, lifting for a moment or two to reveal the views, then closing in again like a dream.

Sitting out a thunderstorm, feeling the ground shake when lightning hit, feeling awestruck over the power of nature.”

“I was at Jordan River Pathway last Septmeber with cupp. It was the coldest morning of the trip (35 degrees), so the air was very crisp. I had gotten up much earlier that him, so I decided to make a little breakfast and coffee. After consuming the above menu, I sat cross legged on a picnic table and watch as the world woke up. To see the progression of life get on with another day put all of my worries in perspective. At least I didn't have to worry about being eaten this day......”

“Two moments...one ancient and one recent.

1. When I was a 15 year old Boy Scout we hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. On the way down the Kiabob Trail we watched a thunderstorm on the other side of the canyon. "Cloudburst" (from Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite) was going through my head.

2. Sitting on a rock looking at Precipice Lake (Sierrapalooza 2003).”

“The first time I watched clouds roll in below me in the Front Range. I was with my first wife and we were awestruck.

Spending the longest day of my life in Desolation Wilderness. We did a dayhike, came back to camp and meditated for an hour, went on another dayhike, meditated again, and repeated this with meals interspersed for what seemed like two days worth of time. It was the fifth day of our trip, and time began to take on a different meaning.”

“I was in the Smokies near Raven Fork one cool September evening. It was getting late; the fire had burned down to a small pile of coals and I was finishing off some hot chocolate. As I stood there enjoying the quiet, three or four deer came galloping through the camp at full speed, one just a couple of feet away from me.

After they passed by, I wondered... what were they running from?”

“I was on the AT in Va on Cold Mountain....you could see forever......we stopped for lunch....took off our boots and socks and just kicked back for a few hours......watching clouds......planes.......birds.....chatting......dozing.......with one of my best friends......wonderful.........”

“My first trip to the Hoosier National Forest this year.

* 6 inches of melting snow on the ground.

* 42 pounds of crap in my pack, 20 of which I didn't need.

* My knees giving out 4 miles into a 16 mile trip.

Knowing that it can only get better from this point on, priceless!”

“Yah, but at least you had knee gravy for your potatoes after that.”

“watching a mule deer graze about 40 yards away in a meadow one wyoming morning...”

“Chugging along the Sawteeth in the Smokies watching a thunderstorm come UP the mountain towards me! I learned to run with a full pack! Actually, it was more like a high speed scuttle.”

“I was sitting on top of a water fall in Yosemite drinking my morning coffee. It was one of my first solo trips. The waterfall was falling into a cloud and I could not see the bottem. I could could see the sun rising, the top of the clouds and blue stretching across all the other peaks. I was thinking " this is what it is all about".”

“Glacier NP while camping in the U-shaped valley and the color of the glacial water.


Rahwah Wilderness. Sitting on a peak, looking down the valley, a tarn with ice still around the edges nearby and deer in the valley. During the trip Big Horned Sheep appeared out of nowhere just feet away from us.”