The wilderness has always been a place where my heart sings. It is, as one has said to me, my heart space. Where I feel free to let go of all, but the wondrous present. It is my wish that these places, these “heart spaces” remain so, for me. And so I do try, my very best, to leave all that is unwholesome; the current, ever-looming, ever-dooming minutia of all that is wrong with the world behind, left somewhere at the trailhead, at the car or anywhere else.

We are very good at this, mostly. It is these things, these notions I wish to “un-pack”. Those are the burdens I do not wish to carry with me into the wild. The backpack I carry instead is loads lighter. It is like having a very stressful job and being advised to leave all work-related burdens at the door. Never take it with you. Never home to your family. Never into your home.
That’s how I try to treat my time in the wilderness and for the most part, that has never really been difficult. It is as if that world outside the forest is not real. Like it does’t even exists whilst I am here, now in the woods or mountains. But lately, those shadows have followed me there… And I don’t like it.

What I suppose this tells me is, I have a lot of work to do.

I hope you’re all able to find your “heart space”, too. And sit there with a wondrous spirit, free from human, self-inflicted burdens. It might be simply a balcony or sunroom, or at a specific time of day like dawn or dusk. But these “places” are important, now more than ever.
Anyway, I didn’t take as many photos during this weekend’s trip. Too many river crossings to chance damaging my camera left me with few to show. I hope you all are staying well and as stress-free as possible.