Tag Archives: Nature

Advice From A Ranger

Tim Rains is a Ranger in Glacier National Park.  He is also a talented writer and photographer who posts regularly on Glacier’s Facebook page.  I love sharing his prose and the way he absorbs his personal experience of being in the wild places.  You feel the love he shares with this wondrous environment… *if you’re not connected to the Glacier National Park page do it now, I know you’ll enjoy it!

https://www.facebook.com/GlacierNPS?hc_location=timeline

Here’s one of Tim’s posts at the end of his season in Glacier (the photos are mine)…

Advice From A Ranger (tr)

remember to always wear your hat,

take a good honest look at your shoes,

they’ll be your friend for the next sixteen miles,

then repeat after me:

Rocks Under Water, Avalanche Creekwater is life, water is life, water is life,

take a drink even when you’re not thirsty,

and then look around you,

wherever you are,

you are no different,

Indian Paintbrush

than the alpine paintbrush or the grizzly bear,

than the aspen,

Aspen in Full Color, Blue Sky

or the mountain goat,A Goat Closeup

water is life, repeat after me, water is life,

and then take another drink,

pack a snack, and then pack another,

and then if you’re like me, pack one more,

and make it something nutritious,

something delicious, something to share,

like chocolate covered espresso beans,

or huckleberries, or honey jalapeno jerky,

or whatever makes you smile, makes you go,

one more mile, one step farther,

because you’ll need it here,

this is not a place for the mild at heart,

Bear Profilethis is a place for the wild,

say your “Hey Bears!”, respect their “Hey You’s!”,

their baaaa’s, and bleats, and albeit cute, tiny mews,

share the trail, share the lake, share the road,

and then find a place, wherever you can go,

close your eyes, put your hand to the stone,

take a much needed breath and pay respect,

to those who came before,

your ancients, your elders,

be they stone or cedar, or person,Rocks, Underwater, Running EagleForest Light, Trail of the Cedars

take another breath, and then one more,

and when you’re ready,

open your eyes, open your eyes, open your eyes,

for this is a place,

to look up,

to look out,

to look down,

and when you are done,

Rabbitt, Trail of the Cedarslooking up, and out, and down,

then look in, and listen,

and remember:

I’ve said this once,

and I’ll say it again,

this is not a place for the mild at heart,

this is a place for the wild,

look in,

and listen,

you, are no different.

Take another drink of water.

Heaven's Peak, Glacier, Fall Colors

Breath, Courage, The Soul

Spiritus – “breath, courage, the soul” in Latin.  Inspiration in English.

“Personal creativity is not about intelligence or information. It’s about inspiration, from the Latin spiritus, meaning “breath, courage, the soul.” Creativity is about being fully alive, living courageously, or as the painter Joan Miro´ says, “Expressing with precision all the gold sparks the soul gives off.” When is the last time you felt fully alive? What is it that calls forth your courage and trumps your fear of sharing your soul? Knowing this is the key to discovering the creativity that is waiting to be expressed through you.”

-Jan Phillips

Feel your creativity and all it means to be You!  Your breath, your soul and your courage are uniquely your own…

Raven Child Portrait

 

A Biography

“Animals are not just living things; they are beings with lives. Next time you are outside, notice the first bird you see. RavenYou are beholding a unique individual with personality traits, an emotional profile and a library of knowledge built on experience. What you are witnessing is not just biology… but a biography.”

(Jonathan Balcombe)
Charles Littleleaf Native Flutes

Deer Smacking Her Lips

Running Eagle

“I care not what people say of me so long as I do right. I shall never be any man’s slave.”

-Pitamakan (Running Eagle)

Running Eagle Falls3

Running Eagle was a Piegan Blackfoot woman warrior.  The waterfall on this post was named in her honor as she holds a prestigious place in Blackfoot lore.  Brave, smart, beautiful, kind, master horsewoman and bow and arrow shot, she was a leader, ahead of her time as a renaissance woman.

Given the name Brown Weasel Woman, by the time she was fifteen she was hunting buffalo with the men.  While hunting, her Blackfeet were attached by the Flathead, and when her father went down, she went back for him, defended her position, took out a few of the attackers, and got her father home.  She had become Running Eagle and a Warrior.

Not wanting to effect her warrior status she never married instead taking a widow into her home to take care of household duties.  This freed her to continue the life she had chosen.  According to the Blackfoot stories she led dozens of raids against rival tribes including the Crow and Flathead.

As her status as Warrior and leader expanded she was allowed to do a vision quest (only men did vision quests at this time).

The falls were named after her as she did her vision quest at the top of them.  Energy around the falls is quite strong and magical.

There is medicine there.

Running Eagle Falls2

 

A Fleeting Moment

Deer Crossing

 

“It’s a moment that I’m after, a fleeting moment, but not a frozen moment.”

-Andrew Wyeth

Greens through the Trees

 

 

 

This life is so precious and the wonders are astounding.  That is what compels me about photography.  You must be fully present to acknowledge these wonders, then make a choice as to what to frame, what moment to capture.  We’re doing that continually of course – making choices of what to focus on, what to acknowledge, what to see and remember.

Deer in the Woods

 

 

I’m choosing to remember and focus on love, truth, energy, small and large nature wonders, life’s grace…

 

 

“When you really pay attention, everything is your teacher.”

-Ezra Bayda

Moose, Cameron Lake 8

Hear the Earth Sing

I love these words from other languages that can’t be translated in a single word to English.  They each evoke a deep feeling and connection – not a mental abstract.  They speak of our intimate and interrelated chemistry with Nature… our partnership, rapport and love.

I found these words on a blog called “Mother Tongues” and the Tenalach Irish word mentioned on a Facebook page called “Discover the Forest”.

Tenalach (Irish): used to describe a relationship one has with the land, air and water, a deep connection that allows one to literally hear the Earth sing.

 

Pasture, Back Road, Grasses

Komorebi (Japanese): The scattered, dappled light effect when sunlight shines through tree leaves.

Summer Forest with Soft Light copy

Gökotta (Swedish): To wake up early in the morning with the purpose of going outside to hear the first birds of spring sing.

Bird in White Flowered Tree

Aloha aina (Hawaiian): This phrase means “love of the land.”  Hawaiians are the land, in the sense that the land provides food, water, clothing, and shelter. Showing care for the land, while visiting, is a wonderful way to show care and respect to the people of Hawaii.

Misty Morning, October

Dadirri (Aboriginal Australian): An ancient word that combines contemplation, deep inner listening, and quiet still awareness of creation and the Creator, Dadirri is like a crystal clear water hole that calls us to be replenished and revitalized. To embody Dadirri, is to be at peace with yourself, with others, in nature, and with the Creator. Be patient with yourself, with your neighbor, and wait upon the seasons. Become aware of the sacredness that surrounds you. Hear creation breathe and follow her rhythm.

Leaf with Two Suns

 

Live in the Sunshine

“Live in the sunshine
Swim in the sea
Drink the wild air.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunrise on Beach, Amelia Island

The sumptuous fullness of August is a womb of comfort.  Every morsel of forest and of lakes and of mountains and of oceans have come into fruition.  The sky is big and bountiful.  Rains have come.

There is sweetness in this ripe completion.

We have only to absorb it all.

Lush Greens, Glacier, White Flowers