March 9, 2013
by David Ryan
7 Comments

Climbing the Stairs of Mount Taishan

Mount Taishan in Shandong Province is one of China’s five sacred Taoist peaks. My wife Claudia and I had the opportunity to climb Taishan in November 1996.

The gateway to Taishan, the town of Tai’an, is a nine-hour train ride from Beijing. When we visited it was well off the normal tourist track. We did not see another Westerner on the train ride to Tai’an, in the town, on Mount Taishan, or on the train ride out of town. It was great.

The route to the top of Taishan begins right in the town of Tai’an. By the time you get back to town you will have walked well over ten miles and climbed over 4000 feet.

A typical street scene in Tai’an, or for that matter any Chinese town, in 1996.

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February 19, 2013
by David Ryan
2 Comments

Wandering in a Quiet Place

A couple of days ago the dogs and I went wandering in a very quiet area of the New Mexico backcountry. When we pulled off the dirt road and got out of the car, the air was still; the sky was clear; there wasn’t even a contrail. It was absolutely silent.

I was starting to think that maybe I had found a place where there is no noise. But before I could strut too much, hubris brought me back to earth as an airplane flew high overhead. Except for the faint sounds of an occasional airplane, the only sounds we heard on our walk were our steps and our breathing.

A walk in a silent place is an amazing experience. You’ll find yourself actually listening to the silence. It will even heighten your awareness of everything else that is around. You’ll soon be able to hear the flapping wings of a bird flying overhead. Continue Reading →

February 12, 2013
by David Ryan
0 comments

Walking and Seeing

I once had a conversation with a young man at an outdoor store about the Appalachian Trail; he told me that he would never do the Appalachian Trail because one of his friends said it was just a long green tunnel. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Appalachian Trail is a lush green trail with something to amaze you every inch of the way.

For many reasons, there is no better place for a long distance hike than the Appalachian Trail. Going on a long distance hike is an opportunity to live life simply and with clarity. It is a world that moves only as fast as your step. At this pace you can take the time to observe the world around you and see all of its abundance.

The whole idea behind this website and the book The Gentle Art of Wandering is to help one cultivate the mindset to see. It is giving yourself permission to see something that you had nothing to do with and realize that it is a gift for you to enjoy. It is not about racing to the top for a “killer view” but about experiencing everything along the way.

And when you do this, you will find something no matter where you are. If you are fortunate enough to take a long walk on the Appalachian Trail, you will see plenty of bears, moose, and deer. But most of the life you’ll see will be little life such as this red eft.

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