Windtower
“The secret of the mountain is that the mountains simply exist, as I do myself: the mountains exist simply, which I do not. The mountains have no “meaning,” they are meaning; the mountains are. The sun is round. I ring with life, and the mountains ring, and when I can hear it, there is a ringing that we share. I understand all this, not in my mind but in my heart, knowing how meaningless it is to try to capture what cannot be expressed, knowing that mere words will remain when I read it all again, another day.”
This summer, my good friend Adrian and I decided to go on an adventure.
Windtower via West Wind Pass - what a name - echoing prologues of countless stories that include magic, adventures, peril… plenty to tickle the imagination.
I am not sure I have the words to aptly describe the day spent walking o’er hill and dale, navigating rocks, each new turn revealing a stunning new vista - or the final grind to the summit. Coupled with laughs, and conversation - the day was epically spent.
Standing on top of a mountain with abrupt edges, wind battering and clobbering - feeling very small - while eating a sandwich (like no big deal).. is unequivocal. Nothing quite compares, and nothing should. It is not everyday you can stand on the shoulder of a towering, ageless giant… while sheltering in the lee of a four foot, hobbled together stone windbreak, and just…be.
Thank you Adrian for the memorable day, the conversation and sharing your love of tall things, everything nature and the thrill of standing on a precipice. It was and will forever be a timeless day.
P.S. Thank you for capturing the day in video.