Green Beret on Veterans Day at Jay

Green Beret

a giant tree grows from the tiniest shoot
a great tower rises from a basket of dirt
a thousand-mile journey begins at your feet

-lao-tzu (trans. red pine)

Most people think the hardest part of a journey is the first step. It’s not. The hardest part of a journey is every additional step after the first one. People take first steps on intended journeys all the time. It is easy to take a first step when you are inspired or motivated. Sustaining that inspiration or motivation is the challenge. Seeing intentions through, resolving a step from an act into a habit, is the hardest part. First steps are trite (and not accurately quoted from the source material).

Green Beret

This outing began much like the last. Uninspired. I was tired from twelve hour work days and six day work weeks. But then, I saw pictures from other people on their own journeys, dealing with their own challenges. I’ve been down on internet stoke for quite a while. I don’t even like the word. Stoke. Who needs pictures to get excited to go skiing? I do, now, I guess. Or, at least, it temporarily tripped me out of my slumber, altering my gait.

Lately, I am connecting with ski touring in a different way. There is something about that sound, that cadence…

Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step.

etc.

4 thoughts on “Green Beret on Veterans Day at Jay

  1. Nice tracks and words. Most people would not have picked that route for an early season tour, good for you going to check out the rock.

    1. Thanks! I debated calling this post “Skim Milk” as I finished with Upper to Lower Milk. But I couldn’t resist the rhyme.

      Normally, I would not have picked that route for an early season tour. It was obviously not skiable from the top and there were no tracks at the bottom. I figured it would make for an interesting trail selection and I would have an untracked trail all to myself. Breaking trail wasn’t too bad. I went as high as the rock (the picture doesn’t do it justice, it looks massive without any snow pack below it) and the skiing was better than expected but still more worth it for the adventure than the turns.

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