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Published: October 6th 2007
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Crown on Everest
Is Mother Nature implying something about the highest mountain in the world? A knock at the door....gradually one eye opens, and then the other. Slowly I slide one arm out of the blissful warmth and comfort of my sleeping bag. Ohh, the eyes need adjusting. I squint and look at my watch, 5:12am. Ohh man that's early. The knock comes again. In that confusing dimension between being asleep and awake a momentary stroke of genius enters my mind, "black coffee! bin!(please)" I spit out in the groggiest of tones. Oooo, that's better. Man it's cold. As I exhale my breath looks as though I'm blowing out a big puff of smoke. Casually I reach my arm out toward the window. Dangling from its latch is my mini-REI thermometer. Let's see how cold it really is...28 degrees, damn....it is cold. There must be 6 inches of fresh snow outside on the ground. Oh well, I've seen plenty worse...but wait, its still summer, I've never seen the 26th of September look like this. Retreat!! screams my mind and back under the warmth of my down-filled sleeping bag I disappear. I quickly doze off without giving it a second thought. Another knock on the door....I look at the watch...5:26am.....Tek (my guide, coolest name ever) swings it
Sunrise in Gokyo
The lake near the base of Gokyo Ri in very early morning sunlight. Maybe even something erotic about the way the whole thing turned out. open with my cup of hot coffee on a tray....Nice, things are looking better. "Danyevad"(thank you) I declare and get to work on my hot beverage. There's not question that mornings are not my specialty (Mom, you know this better than anyone). Snow storms in September, of all the warm places I could be right now, you've chosen this? asks the poignantly rational half of my brain. As I near the end of my coffee, my eyes wander around the room as though something is missing...Near the window sill I realize what my sub-conscious was searching for.
I pick up the book and open it to the neatly bookmarked page, "As one goes deeper on the path, as one releases oneself from the prison of one's own mind, ordinary experiences start taking on extraordinary colors. An ordinary flower becomes a wondrous experience..." I skip a few lines and something else catches my mind's eye, "you are the prison, you are the prisoner, and you are the one who has imprisoned you..." again I skip ahead, "It would be a great calamity if human consciousness were imprisoned by somebody else. Then freedom would not be in your hands; then freedom
Osho's Flower
Simple beauty at its finest. would be in somebody elses hands. It is marvelous that you are imprisoning your being; hence, the release can happen instantly. It is only a question of a little understanding, a little intelligence".
I put the book down. The words of the brilliant Indian mystic Osho resonate deep withing my core. All fear, anxiety, tension, angst I ever experience are mere delusions of the mind. When specific subconscious expectations clash with the reality of the world, with mother nature herself...that's where negative emotions are born. Osho is right, it is I who hold the key, part prisoner and part jailer at the same time.... Is this what my sometimes grumpy mornings are all about? My mental projections of the way I want things to be....my own personal jail cell of which I am the warden? I look out the window again...snow....lots of it. Yes, things will be as they will be. Words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama suddenly pop into my head, "why should you ever worry about things that are not within your control, as there's nothing you could do about them anyways?" Ahh yes...remarkably simple, yet delightfully profound. I look around for someone to hug...oops...this is
Everest and Nhuptse
Everest summit: 29,035 and her sister Nhuptse: 25,941 a solo trip. I see my down jacket on the empty bed next to me...you'll do just fine. A big hug....Patagonia, thank you for caring about the people who come to these mountains and for creating products to keep us warm and happy.
On goes the jacket. On go the boots. I leave my tiny room and step outside. I stare out across the snow swept landscape. Huge Himalayan peaks ascend into the sky in nearly every direction. Everest just up ahead...I stop and think,...ponder....and then it comes to me....I'm here....this is my temple....this is my religion, my God....my own personal dogma. It's completely within me but at the same time it's everywhere else. Emptiness. Nature. Unspoiled landscapes of the most awesome mountain range on earth. My senses are overwhelmed by the sheer insignificance of a single human life amidst these mountains. I reach into my pocket feeling for the key. It's there...but that's not the one I was looking for....It's not there....gone? I've left it somewhere behind. True freedom is in my hands. The jail cell unlocked...The door wide-open. Bliss, ecstasy, joy, happiness, love, feelings of excitement flow freely in and out of my head.... Ohhhh, this is
Gokyo Ri View
Looking down at the lake I just climbed up from. good. I take a deep breath and the cool air fills my lungs. Even at 17,000ft. with 53% less oxygen than at sea level, the clean mountain air makes me feel high...Ohh, this is reallly good.
As I turn back toward the lodge, with its neatly stacked stone wall, snow-covered tin roof, and picturesque chimney, a clear stream of thought enters my mind...an overwhelming feeling that wants to connect me wit those I know and love, but who right now seem so far away................Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Is the glass half-empty or half-full? Is life a prison or a playground? Ultimately, these choices...these viewpoints reside nowhere else but within ourselves. Each of us holds the unique answers in life that are perfect for you and you only,...so look no further than the end of your nose! We are all painters, standing there.....anywhere....brush in hand, staring at the blank canvas of life, pondering what we see...ready to get to work. What will your painting look like?
Before the thought disappears I head back inside and look for my journal/sporadic-thought notebook/intellectual dart-board, whatever you wanna call it, and quickly write down what just came to me....When I
Amphu Gyabjen
Summit is 18,579ft. Hard to believe I climbed a peak in India over 2,000ft higher than that frightening looking mountain. finish I notice the quote I've scribbled on the inside cover...words that seem to tie it all together....
"What has brought them to the temple...no single answer will cover...escape from everyday life, with its painful cruditity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from his noisy cramped surroundings into the silence of the high mountains where the eye ranges freely through the still pure air and fondly traces out the restful contours apparently built for eternity"...
Awesome!...poetic genius courtesy of a young Albert Einstein, circa 1918. "Restful contours apparently built for eternity", yes...this is the place, this is the temple where I worship and where freedom of thought is as pure as the cool Himalayan air. I realize how completely free and open I am to every delightfully unique experience this day will bring. No expectations, just sheer appreciation.
...The light begins to shine more brightly...pain, suffering, sadness, anxiety, loneliness...temporary ailments in a world of infinite wonder and limitless beauty....As I glance outside, warm radiant light pierces through the clouds and strikes my window...that's it!!...This genie's out of the bottle and he's
never going back inside.
Morning Light
As the sun paints beautiful colors on the face of these mountains. Ohhh yes, this feels goooood. Today will be a beautiful day. And then it dawns on me...it was already a beautiful day before I even woke up.....all I've ever needed to do was open my eyes.
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Mikki
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Mom and Mary and the East coast family
First--your photographs are beyond gorgeous! That's it; your calling is to photograph the world! I had a blast with Elizabeth and Mary. What happens when 3 women with STRONG personalities live together for nine days? Laughter and love all day and half the night. They met a dozen cousins here in New England and more in Florida..someday, you too??