Today I had a conversation with a friend, new, that lives in Alaska. We talked about the site, Bears Unlimited, my love of bears and my love of the mountains and Alaska. All the regular questions were asked but then she asked me one that has never come up. “What is my inspiration for wanting to touch the heavens and follow the bears in thier space?” Just sat there thinking about where and why it started. Then it came to me, my inspiration is music and really one particular song.
Before I tell you this song a little history. I was released from the Marine Corps on 29 June, 1971. I entered service on 30 June, 1967. Went to boot camp in beautiful Parris Island , SC. in the non humid months of July and August. It was really to hot to be worried about a little 96% humidity. Boot camp was cool, loved my DI’s and all the fun physical torture they meted out to us. lol. After surviving those 8 weeks of constant pressure and harrassment I went to some schools and then to serve with the 1st Marine Air Wing. Served in Hawaii, Okinawa, Japan and Vietnam. Fun times, tough times but genuine times of deep and abiding friendship with guys that became closer to me than my own family. Before the Marines I was a country boy living in northern Ohio. In my teenage years I worked on farms in West Richfield, planting and helping to harvest veggies and potatoes in september. I flipped burgers and fried chicken at Manners in Seven Hills. Guess I should tell the management now that I ate more than I worked. Great burgers guys, thanks. The farm work made the Marine stuff pretty easy plus I wrestled and played football as a kid. Pretty normal upbringing.
Back to 1971 now.
I move to Long Beach ,Cal, went to school and began my climbing career in 1972 at Suicide Rock near Idyllwild. My first climb was called the Breeze, a nice 5.7 crack. I will remember this climb to my death bed because I thought it would be my death bed. Scared the crap out of me. Wish I had real climbing shoes and real gear like my leader but that would come later. We accomplished a few easier climbs that day and then went home. I really disliked it the first day, day two was a little better. By day 5 I was telling people how cool it was and that I wanted to climb this coming weekend. A pattern here was already developing, denile. Keep that in mind. The disease had started.
At this same time I was pretty rudderless. But I was finding my place in the mountains, whether it was climbing, hiking or the beginnings of my ice career in the local San Bernardino Mountains. I would spend most of my free time climbing or exploring mines or just tramping through the hills. Some of these hills were over 11,000 feet so I also began to learn about these places. It was a different place than flat Ohio so I began to become a rudderless mountaineer. Drifting between two places, the city and the mountains. Knowing something was wrong but never being able to quite understand what.
Then I heard it, a song that seemed to be wrtten for me and with me in mind. A newer singer songwriter did this tune. I had never been to his mountains nor even seen them but I believe that mountains are all alike. His place was the Rockies and mine were the San Jacinto’s. That song that pulled at my heart was Rocky Mountain High. Only difference was I was 26 and not 27. But the story was my story and it pulled me in a direction to the mountains and climbing and bears and all that I love now.
Reborn at 26 to a world of beauty and peace. To seeing beauty each day around me when I was alone in the mountains. To learning new skills that brought larger mountains under my wings and new ways to explore these wild places. Observing the eagles and hawks souring to the heavens and tracking bears that walk 30 miles a day. I would walk with them and learn from them. My political science degree making less sense to me each day as I sat through lies and falsehoods that were being taught. My drill instructors knew more than these ignorant talking heads.
I became more comfortable in the wilderness and more comfortable with myself. I had found my church and my religion. It resided in the high meadows, streams and peaks of the mountains and in the wilderness. It resided in my all my animal friends and the heavens that gaurded the wilderness.
All this started from a song. A song that went deep to my soul and captured my heart for a life built around trees and streams.
I am sure that when my daughters read this it will be something that they never knew about me. Both girls have been involved in the wilderness and climbing. Actually they were very good rock climbers, 5.11 plus, leads. Both have been involved with the Attu childrens series and Libby is the managing editor for the series. She is the graphic artist and editor. Many wonder who that smart someone must be behind this series. Most could not believe that it was me. I am just the photographer and writer. Crystal was one of the main drivers at the beginning of the series. We worked out the concept and published the first book. Great kids, smart and well disciplined, go figure.
In one sentence in the song John Denver sings about how hard it is to understand how we can destroy all the beauty around us. So do I! And it makes me angry. We kill for a pair of tennis shoes or for a political thought. We destroy the forests for lumber and pollute streams for minerals. Never seeming to see that we are killing ourselves. We fight war after war for what? I still cannot understand Vietnam, 58,000 people of my generation, killed. And now we buy those tennis shoes from the same people we tried to kill. We fight for oil as we have an economy built in the 30″s and still living on the same principals. We have learned little and we will continue to learn little as we move forward. Yes, I am pissed and that is one of the reason I love the wilderness. The quiet solitude of the meadows and high peaks. The arctic waters that I challenge. This is my solitude away from all that is so insane.
And one wonders why I have little fear of bears. They are mostly gentle critters. I train to become a man that can challenge the forces of nature and win. But mostly to absorb the beauty of the forests and the seas.
This is where my inspiration started. A song by a gentle soul that saw life as I do. I still listen to John Denver’s music and believe that if more people did we might have a better place to live. I guess we can always hope. None of us are perfect but we must all try.
That is my inspiration. Yours is different as we all have unique experiences. My hope is to help and leave a little positive progress to build upon. My way is to help the wilderness through Bears Unlimited. I have had many nice comments about the content of the site. I love bears and want everyone to see them as I do. A noble and special animal in the world of animals. I hope for the support to help me in this goal.