Reflections

There is no earthly domain so near the divine as the unsullied land at the very doorstep of the gods: the mountaintop wastes and wilds. Peopled only by their “lesser” children — the ants and pikas, ravens and goats, lichens and heaths — this rugged landscape is a realm of brutal dimensions, yet so cherished that its soaring pinnacles are first and last kissed by the Sun itself each day. Emulating this ethereal glory, human mortals may mount their conquering quests, yet merely ascend — and depart — on peril of Icarian wings. They are too tender, too frail to endure the savage beauty of these lofty climes. They may but foray into this formidable frontier and quickly withdraw to gentler habitations. It is here, among the creatures persisting on the very edge of the extreme and the extraordinary, that the order of the cosmos is revealed. Behold, O ye who venture hither: the height of human and floor of heaven!

© 2024 Anthony G. Colburn

Uh-oh! Please check back later or use this site's Contact form to let HesperosFlown.com know this link is broken.

COVID Kindness: Don’t Forget the “Social” in Social Distancing

I’ve always loved how jaunty little western fairy slipper orchids appear to grin so brightly from the trailside shadows at woodland passersby. As hikers, we, too, are used to greeting perfect strangers we encounter on wilderness trails (even if we aren’t so gregarious elsewhere) . . . … Continue readingCOVID Kindness: Don’t Forget the “Social” in Social Distancing

Land Acknowledgement: Social Justice Where Hiking Trails and Social Media Meet

Place names tell stories. They endure and evolve over generations, often holding clues to a forgotten past. Hiking around Washington, one encounters many place names that are clearly of Indigenous origin, but otherwise have little meaning to casual passersby or even lifelong local residents. … Continue readingLand Acknowledgement: Social Justice Where Hiking Trails and Social Media Meet