Stop and look - A shift in perspective

The following is a poem written by my girlfriend, Jasmine. I wanted to share it as I believe it captures our adventures in and around the beautiful mountains surrounding Seeley Lake, but also is a reminder to stop and look at life from a different perspective.

Thomas Beers

The Pair That Started Everything

By: Jasmine Schreckendgust

Awake

Dive into you and feel immediate comfort

Vast country awaits

Each memory starts with you

Now begin my gray and blue

Take my feet

Unwrap this earth

Right beneath me

Each step unravels

The First True Test

Open the doors

Straight to the back

I look

So many options

Nike?

Pink and purple?

Blue and gray?

These will work

Check out

-less than 24 hours before

Surrounded by mountains

The waterfalls were, showing their strength

Sitting in the middle of the lake

Sunkissed

Swimming to the steep rocky cliff

1…2…3… I jump

The water hits my feet

Time to head home

It’s late

It’s dark

It’s early

I’m tired

Am I ready?

No training begins my worry

I lace you up

The race begins

The sun rises and blue skies appear

My feet are comfortable

Mile 6

is it over yet?

My calf’s ache

My hips hurt

Almost halfway

Mile 12

Almost there

I’m supported

Mile 13.1

We made it

First long journey

Flathead

Don’t want to leave

Peering down

A lake

Maybe another day

Snowballs

It’s time to head back

Our 10-mile day comes to an end

Thank you soles for making it

-worth every mile

A Day at the Peak

The road is steep and rocky

Truck moves slow as it climbs to our destination

Google leads the way

We begin our hike

Following a trail that was once there

Brush and overgrown trees engulf us

1.5 miles later

Are we going the right way?

Do we keep going through the brush that touches my hips?

Do we turn around?

We head back

Another 1.5 miles

My legs scratched

Be ready to go on

-lost

We travel up the steep road once again

2 miles later

a distinct trail!

Our intended journey begins

One step after another

The trail’s flat

It gets steeper than the steepest switchback of the ‘M’

Now rocky

Hundreds of the biggest rocks piled up

The peaks in sight

We climb the rocks

The view

We can see Missoula

There’s the Bitterroot

Frenchtown

Nine Mile

Turn around

The Missions

Take Me to the Lakes

We begin our warm July morning driving up the dirt road

Following Mr. Google

Problem: no service; Google is wrong; reevaluate

Turn around

We’re going the right way

The road narrows

Mountain gets steeper

SNOW!

Were stuck

In Bug spray

Sunscreen

Paddleboard

Fishing poles

Friends

Shoes

Swarmed by mosquitoes as the truck doors open

Lake 1 in sight

Paddleboard ready

No luck

We hike

2 miles later

Look down on Lake 2

Shallow, blue, beautiful

The hammock is up

Just as

Peace

Worth it

The End Is Not near

Waiting as the clock ticks

On the shelf

Never ending thoughts

Deciding

Every memory

Racing to get more

 

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