Trails yet needing to be blazed

Flower Dancing in the Wind sculpture, Chelan, Washington





Lyman Lake

Not all worthwhile destinations have trails. Some still need trail blazers to reach them.

It seems popular destinations have the most and biggest trails leading to them, which come in the form of four lane highways, and long lines. Yet isn’t the road less traveled often more rewarding?

Peace and justice issues usually require us to move in directions contrary to the popular public trails. However, as we all learned about lemmings in elementary school, sometimes groups run in mass of cliffs.

Lyman Trail

Many trails we head down we're likely never to reach the end destination. I've been down several trails which I know I won't see the end of, but are still worth the effort of traveling. I’m becoming increasingly okay with simply walking the challenging course, whether or not the destination can be reached in my lifetime. Working in the field of mentoring these many years there were always many more children than we could find mentors, but when we were able to find the right mentor for a child it often resulted in a dramatic life altering relationship for both parties.

Along with many others I've taken up the fight against the invasive species, Buckthorn, which is spreading rapidly and dominating the undergrowth of parks and forests, it even overtook the lilac hedge in my backyard. Like so many invasive species, it may not be eradicated, but we can work to contain it so that our ecological diversity isn't overly compromised.

While it’s great to have a destination, is not the real beauty of life in the journey itself, not simply the destination? I’ve had the thrill of winning a few road races in my youth and discovered how the quickly fading cheers after the race. I'm reminded by Lilly Tomlin that even if we win the rat race, we’re still rats.

Railroad Creek and Dumbell Mountain

Trail questions…

Are there some trails where you feel still need blazing?

Who are the trail blazers in life you admire?

What is it about these people you admire the most?

What are the trails you’re on that may be popular, but might not be getting you some where you really want to go?

Rainbow over Lake Clelan

Travel to Holden Village

Train conductor

I'll be putting up a series of posts in the days ahead on my two week trip to Holden Village, located down lake and up the mountain from the town of Chelan, Washington.  Holden occupies a evacuated mining village.  Many millions of tons of copper were extracted from the mine between 1896 - 1957.  Holden is now an eccumentical retreat center rooted in the Lutheran tradition. 

There is no easy way to get to Holden.  My journey began by car, which took me to the Amtak train station in St. Paul, Minnesota.  From there is was something over 30 hours on the Empire Builder train to the town of Winatchee, Washington.  An hour bus ride c/o the Link Transit Bus (#22) then brought me to the Chelan Boat Company, in the town of Chelan, where I boarded The Lady of the Lake for a four hour ride across much of Lake Chelan to the port of Lucurne.  Lake Chelan is surrounded my mountains and is over 1,500 feet deep. 

Once at Lucurne a Holden bus transported me and the other visitors 10 miles up the mountain, which part of the Cascade Range, in the Wenatchee National Forest.  Upon arrival a host of folks from the village were on hand to cheer for newly arrived guests.  A similar departure ritual occurs when villagers wave to those departing on the bus.

The departure home went smoothly, with the one exception, that being a four hour train delay.  An accident occurred in Washington that then further delayed the train as it made its way back east.  While the train was considerably slower than airplane travel, it more than made up for it by comfortable seating, ability to carry on plenty of baggage, food and beverage and great scenery all along the way.  It was a much more relaxed atmosphere than the considerably more stressful airline travel.

New traveling friends

Horse coral outside of Shelby, MT

Montana fields

Signs of the past

Harvesting wheat

Palomino

Moving fall landscape from train

Pronghorn antelope

Columbia River

Shadow of trestle over Cut Bank Creek

Whitefish Lake

Early morning view of Columbia River

Moon along side train during stop

Bus between Wenatchee and Chelan

Lady of the Lake on Chelan

Lake Chelan... duh ;-)

 

Lucerne Landing for Holden Village

 
 

Farewell for bus passangers leaving Holden Village