Rick McKeon - Sierra Impressions

Sierra Impressions

By Rick McKeon

Copyright 2014 Rick McKeon

Preface

I love wild places . I have hiked in the Alps, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro , and covered many miles of desert trails, but the first time I went backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California I fell in love! That was back in 1987. Almost every year since then I have been back including a through hike of the John Muir Trail in 2004.

Over the past 27 years of hiking in the Sierras I have collected hundreds of beautiful photographs and wonderful memories.

Stay out there for a while and the wilderness will seep into your soul. It will give you insights regarding your life and the world around you. Its as if wisdom and emotions flow in the air all around you. They flow in and out of you like the air you breath and the water you drink. This is the flow state of the Sierra!

This little book is my attempt to share with you some of the most beautiful places you will ever see and the thoughts they have inspired in me.

Hope you enjoy it,

Rick

Bullfrog Lake

L unch Break

We are lying in the soft grass of a high mountain meadow near a rushing stream. We have just finished our lunch and are soaking up the warm alpine sun. The air is absolutely pure and carries the fragrance of flowers.

The bubbling sound of the creek blends with the wind to produce a relaxing symphony.

Timberline Lake

A Quiet Rest Along The Trail

There is a quietness and a stillness here that is profound. It flows like water and seeps into my very being. All stress and tension is washed away, and I become part of the natural flow. I feel like I am floating, and I would be content to sit here all day!

Big Pothole Lake

C ompleteness

I am drawn to the mountains by a force that I dont fully understand. Its as if part of me lives here all the time, and when I come to the mountains I am reunited with that missing part and am whole.

Bishop Lake

C ontrasts

What contrasts we find here in the mountains! The flowers are delicate yet they thrive in this environment. The winter can be deadly and yet the Sierras have the worlds most forgiving summer alpine climate. One minute you may be sunbathing with your shirt off and the next minute it might be snowing. There are bubbling brooks and barren granite mountain tops. There are sheer cliffs that drop off for thousands of feet and lush mountain meadows with inviting gradual slopes. When I think about these things I feel fully alive!

Dusy Basin

L earn To Listen

I love to just sit and listen. A quiet clearing in the thick forest, a high mountain meadow filled with lush grass, or the rocky shore of a serene lake. These are wonderful places to just sit and soak up natures sounds. I put all worries aside and just let natures rhythms flow through me.

What will you hear? You will hear with your ears. You will hear with your body, and you will hear with your spirit. The wind and water speak a language you can feel on your skin and smell with your nose. Their energy you can feel on the inside. The lessons are joyful, exciting and profound.