Hidden Hilltop From RC.Com

About Hidden Hilltop:

Good bouldering area that has seen some development but still has potential. Discovered by Kris Kline and Mike Artz on the cross-country thrash that located Hidden Rocks, initial development was by Mike Gray and Melissa Wine. The majority of routes developed are on the east side, facing Hidden Cracks- getting early morning sun and breeze, and drying first, but the south end- great all day winter bouldering- and west side- shade in mid summer, and the highest lines on the Hilltop- have many awesome problems as well. Rock quality can vary wildly at the Hilltop.... check your holds before cranking. To reach Hidden Hilltop- Approach as for Hidden Cracks, but do not make the final hillclimb up out of the stream bed to the right bank. Continue upstream, passing trail to Upper Hidden (large boulder about 30 yds from stream, right side), and stay with the trail until well past Hidden Roofs and the Cave. Look for a scree field, descending from the left (about 50 yards past the stream crossing from right to left bank) and contour up the edge of this, heading slightly left. This will bring you out near the Flying Circus Boulder, with its distinct roof. Left of this is the North End and the shorter approach to the Front Porch, Pinnacle, and Sphinx. Be aware that this is the sunny side so although this may be shorter, it can also be much, much more vegetated, as well. Greenbriar and assorted wild berries thrive here, as well as poison ivy. The routes/problems below are listed from the Flying Circus boulder, proceding to the left, clockwise around the Hilltop. This list does not by any means comprise a complete record of established lines. Ok Folks The above info is taken from RC.Com.  The best way to the Hilltop is to go to just before where the new blow down has been cut.  Exit trail to the left at flat rock.  Follow trail up the finger and onto Hidden Hilltop ridge.  Follow the ridge west till you come to the bouldering area. 1 Dream of Wide Turnkeys 5.10b 1 Front Porch Roof 5.10a    1 The Pinnacle 5.8        2 Flying Circus Traverse V1 3 Brittannia V0    3 Hat Trick 5.9    5 Where's Monty? V0    6 The Flying Circus Roof, aka Horns of the Dilemna V0        7 Anthrax Ripple V0 7 Carrisa's Joy V5 8 Dinsdale 5.8    9 Killer Sheep V0    10 Don't Getcher Backup 5.10a    11 Sunday Cruise V0    12 High Water Wall Traverse 5.9    14 Buzz Saw Traverse V1    16 Cere Bellum 5.10a    21 Hidden Head Boulder V1        21 The Sphincter 5.7 22 The Sphinx 5.10a 27 The End 5.8    28 Climb Wounds All Heels V0    29 Thunderhead V0

Goon Rocks From RC.Com

About Goon Rocks:

After you enter Hone Quarry, pass through a section of residences and hunting camps before reaching the first and second pullouts for Hidden Rocks parking, located about a hundred yards apart on the right side of the road, directly across from Squire's Camp, one of the last private holdings in the Quarry. Parking here puts you within ten minutes' hike of the rocks, and avoids conflicts with other users/authorities. Goon Rocks borders the road just past a jutting outcrop of rock almost touch the road on the right shoulder, between the last Hidden lot and the Hone Quarry picnic areas. A faint trail leads up from the road to the base of the Hang Em High panel. Left of this are the Discombobulator and the faint trail to the other Hone Quarry boulders. 1 Brownie Corner 5.4 1 Discombobulator 5.12a    1 Goon Traverse 5.10a 1 Hang Em High Left 5.7 1 Hang Em High, Middle 5.8    1 Hang'em High 5.5    1 Sunny Afternoon 5.11c    1 Sunny Afternoon Direct Finish 5.11d    1 Sunny Crack 5.7

Buzzard Rocks in Elizabeth Furnace

Welcome to my Buzzard Rock Project
(Well Not Pyro's Project but usefull info)

Buzzard Rock is a comparatively unused climbing area near Front Royal, VA. It offers some excellent slab climbing. Most routes can be led with a mixture of existing bolts and smaller pro (like Aliens). All of the routes can be top roped. The slab offers excellent climbing but be forewarned that because the rock doesn't get much use, it can have a build up of lichen in places.

Links-
Topo map to get you in the area. Click here
Climbing area map to help find the routes. Click here Note: click on the climb to see a photo.
GPS Users- downloadable GPS Coordinates. Click here

Driving directions-
Take I-66 West to Route 55 West towards Front Royal. Stay on 55 West until the town of Waterlick. Turn left onto Powells Fort Road (Route 678). Drive about 1.2 miles on 678 then turn left onto Mountain Road (Route 619). You will pass a fish hatchery. Stay on the road for 1.2 miles. You will come to a Buzzard Rock trailhead parking lot on the right. Pay attention cause it's easy to miss. Drive time from the Sport Rock III gym in Sterling to the trailhead is about 90 minutes in light traffic.

Approach-
It will take about 45 minutes to walk in using the white-blazed trail that leads up from the trail head parking lot. Follow the white blazed trail in for about 1.5 miles. The trail is well marked and doesn't get steep until the last part. You'll know you are close when you negotiate a switchback where you can see to the north for miles & miles. From there you have about 430 meters to walk along the trail to the beginning of the climbing area.

Finding the routes-
While the white-blazed ridge trail parallels the rock, some of the routes are not immediately obvious from above.
If you are new to the area, you can try spotting bolts from above or you can print the map and move to the base of slab. There's an unimproved, unblazed trail that connects the climbs along the bottom. From the bottom you can use the map to figure out what route you are looking at.

Misc-
Bring a 60 meter rope
You don't need a big rack to lead out here. The routes are very friendly to those just learning to lead.
Bring your own water. There's none on the ridge.
Nearby Passage Creek makes for a nice dip in the water after climbing.
If you are new to slab climbing don't be fooled by the angle of the rock. It looks easy but it ain't. The finger holds tend to be smallish. Upper body strength counts for very little here and it's all about precise footwork. The dry, powdery lichen will also make you pay attention to how you place your feet.
If you are going to top rope, I recommend a top belay with a grigri.

TOPO! GPS Data Format DegMinSec NAD83 ElevFeet UTC-Time

ALUM TUBE,38,56,30,-78,18,8,1245,07/18/2004,14:29:42,

ANON FLAKE,38,56,27,-78,18,9,1201,07/18/2004,14:29:43,

BUZ RK END,38,56,22,-78,18,12,1370,07/18/2004,14:29:43,

BZ RK BEGN,38,56,33,-78,18,5,-6450,07/18/2004,14:29:43,

BZ RK PRK,38,56,16,-78,17,19,-6450,07/18/2004,14:29:43,

KEEP OFF R,38,56,28,-78,18,9,1231,07/18/2004,14:29:44,

KIMBERLY,38,56,31,-78,18,8,1194,07/18/2004,14:29:45,

LONG SLAB,38,56,30,-78,18,8,1226,07/18/2004,14:29:45,

PRAJAPATI,38,56,23,-78,18,13,1311,07/18/2004,14:29:45,

PULP FRICT,38,56,32,-78,18,6,1181,07/18/2004,14:29:45,

RAISING AZ,38,56,32,-78,18,7,1204,07/18/2004,14:29:45,

ROCK FIN,38,56,23,-78,18,11,1341,07/18/2004,14:29:45,

UNK NO1,38,56,33,-78,18,6,1220,07/18/2004,14:29:46,

UNK NO3,38,56,27,-78,18,9,1163,07/18/2004,14:29:46,

Pyro's World Video Blog

A lesson in navigation.

A LESSON IN NAVIGATION

It all started out innocent enough.  I was out at Bear Haven and i wanted to get some photos of the very unique rock formations.  I had been here many times in the past.  It was only going to take around 30 min to make the circle around the upper formations and the lower ones to get the shot that I wanted.  So here is where I made my first of MANY mistakes of the day.  I decided that since I wasn't going to be out for long I really didn't need to bring my pack with me.  That was strike number one.  Strike number two came when I made the conscious decision not to grab my camel back out of the truck.  I mean after all I’m going to be an easy 10 minute walk from the truck right and only out for a short time.  Why carry the extra weight.  Ok gentle reader, you are probably sitting there in your easy chair right now thinking too yourself that you would never do these things.  You have too much back country experience to make these rookie mistakes.  Besides you are (insert your name here) you don't have to worry about it. You are too good at wilderness skills to ever think about getting lost in the woods. Especially somewhere take you have been many times in the past.  You have no worries. Right? Well you’re wrong!  It can and will happen to you!  It happened to me.  Not to sit here and blow sunshine up your ass about how good I am or anything like that but i will give you a few of my qualifications, I have taken many different land navigation courses in my time in the US Army.  I have navigated my way throughout North and South America and other wonderfully engaging areas of the world with no issues.  I have instructed land navigation for over five years for both the Military ROTC and the Scouts. I know land navigation. Ok and now for the coups de grace and for strike three.  I didn't leave an itinerary with anyone and had only told one other person where I was going to be and that was only in the vaguest of ways...  I have now dotted all the I's and crossed all the T's on what could be my own death warrant.   Now all that I needed was for that one little thing to throw everything into a spiral.

So, now to get on with the story at hand.  I left the truck sitting in the parking lot after grabbing my camera.  You know the big one with the long lens. I obviously wasn't thinking about weight at this point. The day before had been a wonderful day, meeting new people and climbing on some new routes at Reed's Creek.  It was a very full day of climbing indeed.  I decided at the end of that day, on the spur of the moment that I would head up to bear haven.  I camped in the campground and got up early with visions going through my head from times gone by when I was happier and younger and hadn't yet seen the world with that thin vainer of decency ripped away. It was a simpler time.  I was young and out on an adventure with my family. My mom was there and my dad.  We had stopped here on our way through to somewhere else and discovered this amazing place that none of us had heard about or seen before hiding here on this little piece of a ridge tucked in next to Otter Creek wilderness.  I was remembering the that I had in days past running ahead of my parents and exploring all the canyons that looked to a little fellow like the grand canyon.  I remember thinking to myself that day as a child that I wanted to be able to climb on rock.  That I wanted to be an explorer and climber and how cool it would be to stand where no man had ever stood before.  To climb the un-climbable.  Too be, THE MAN. The thoughts of a child have turned into the memories of a man.  To say I was distracted as I was walking down memory lane would probably be the understatement of the year.  My mind was a million miles and a quarter century away.

                So now you know the circumstances surrounding how it happened.  I could have changed the outcome by any of the precautions that I would have normally taken.  Like just picking up my day pack and taking that along like I normally would have.  The contents of which would have saved me a lot of time and a lot of walking.  I always have in the pack, Water, Toilet Paper, A Compass and some power bars.  Just these few items can and will keep your sorry butt alive. You will see where I’m going with this in a little while, so, bear with me just a little bit longer and you will see for yourself how just how much one single think can ruin your day and maybe your life.

            It all started out as harmless enough.  After about an hour walking down memory lane and doing some light bouldering and exploring the lines of misplaced bolts that I found, I had to use the bathroom.  This is never a really big deal.  If I had brought my pack with me I would not have even given it a second thought.  But, I didn’t so I had one of two options left.  I could find some nice soft leaves to wipe my butt with or I could beat a hasty retreat to the parking lot where there was an outhouse.  I chose option two.  Now as anyone will tell you the shortest distance between two points, is almost always a straight line.  So I picked the direction for the parking lot and headed off.  It was at this point that I realized that things where stating to get a little desperate and that I needed to pick up the pace.  So if you are not familiar with the area let me give you a run down and a few pictures.  This is one of the few crags that still have giant rhododendron growing around the rock.  At most of the Craig’s they have been cut down and basically destroyed. So in between all of the different rock formations the brush and the under growth is very thick. It is very reminiscent of a double canopy jungle in a few places.  So you have giant rhododendron bushes, Blue Berry bushes, thick pines and Hemlock trees, a lot of which have succumbed to the blight now and have turned into blow downs.

In the picture above you can see a little bit of what the terrain looks like and just a little bit of what the foliage looks like.  I was heading through it head on.  I had a very pressing situation to take care of before my lower intestines exploded everywhere.  I don’t really know at what point I became aware of the fact that I was fighting a losing battle, but eventually I did and I did the only thing left to do.  I dropped my pants and leaned back against a rock and defecated.  Feeling much relieved I started the process of looking for some leaf’s that looked like they would be nice and tender and not cause too much damage to the tender area’s  but still get the job done in a quick and clean manner.  My choice, giant rhododendron leaves. Slightly rolled, between two hands until tender. This seemed to work very well while still not causing and damage.  So I have now taken care of the bathroom problem.  Now, to get back to the trail, and get on with the walk down memory lane.  Oh but wait a minute here, in my rush to get to the outhouse I have forgotten another very simple tool of navigation.  Look behind yourself as you go.  This may seem like a very simple thing but you would be surprised at the difference that it will make when you have to retrace your steps on the way back out from where ever it is that you went.  Just take that second to look over your shoulder and take in what you see.  Your brain will just about automatically store the information until such a time as you need it.  After a while it becomes second nature and you don’t even have to make the conscious decision to do it.  But this was just one more thing that in my rush to the outhouse that I had forgotten.  As I looked around, I realized that I wasn’t a hundred percent sure of where I was at any more. So I went off of what my gut told me to do.  So I started off in the direction toward where I thought that my truck would be.  After around 600 yards fighting the brush and the giant rhododendron it finally dawned on me that the parking lot was not this far on the walk in.  So now gentle reader here is where I finally dawned on me that I really didn’t have a clue as to where I was or how to get back to the truck.

It was at this point that I realized the gravity of the situation that I had gotten myself into.

It started with leaving my pack in the truck with my maps and compass.  Then I didn’t take any water with me. And I have a real serious thirst right now due to my time busting through brush. The third and the one that could have very well killed me, not telling anyone where I had went.  The deadly trifecta has come into my life.  It was at this point that I realized that this could well be my last trip. I could very well die up here if one other thing happens.  You know like falling off of a ledge, Getting snake bit, falling down and breaking a leg or arm climbing through the blow downs.

            So now that you have found yourself in the deep end of the pool, just what do you do to get your proverbial butt out of the fire?  At this point you have a couple of options,

1.      You can try to backtrack yourself till you reach something that is familiar.  This is why it is a very good idea and I highly recommend that you turn to look behind you when you are walking through the woods or on a trail.  When you head in the other direction you will be amazed at how much different things look.

2.      You can orientate yourself by looking for a prominent terrain features.  An example of this would be if you are standing on a finger coming off of a ridgeline.  You can see that the finger comes down into a valley.  In the valley you know that there is a river.  You know that by walking up river you will reach your vehicle.  So from the terrain around you, you now know that you have to walk down a finger into a valley then follow the river, up river to your vehicle.

3.      You can get to high ground from where you can orientate yourself from.  Ok this one sound’s very simple but you can get yourself into trouble with it.  What you want to do is get yourself up as high as you can.  This is very useful if you are in a very brushy area.  Get yourself onto a rock outcrop or up a tree.  From the elevated position you will be able to see over the brush and orientate yourself relatively easily.

There are a few things that you don’t want to do,

1.      Wander aimlessly. If you do this you will get yourself hopelessly lost and more than likely start walking in a big circle.

2.      If you are unable to orientate yourself stay where you are.  It will make the rescuers job much easier if they don’t have to track you in wandering circles.

3.      DO NOT TAKE UNDO RISKS!  I cannot stress this enough.  Don’t compound your problems by breaking a bone from taking a fall.  If you do you will be lost and immobile which means that you will almost be dead.

Ok now that you have a little bit of an idea of what not to do, and what to do here is what I did.  I immediately started to make some guesses as to where I needed to go.  I have spent the last 25 years of my life not getting lost anywhere in the world.  I’ve got this.  At least that is what I told myself as I walked in circles and wandered aimlessly around trying to convince myself that I had found where I needed to go.  I wandered in such a fashion for around an hour until I came to the realization that I WAS LOST.  So after this realization I knew the steps that I had to take to get back on the right track.  I tried to get the high ground but I just couldn’t get high enough on the ground to figure out where I needed to go.  So at this point I knew that it was up the tree for me.  As soon as I got above the brush I could see how the terrain laid and in which direction that I needed to go to get back to the truck. 

It is not a very nice feeling to be totally lost.  I hope that you never find yourself in the same position as I found myself in this tale.  But as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west if you continue to spend time out in the wilds, It will happen to you at least ounce.  I can only hope that some of the suggestions that I have laid out here may be of help to you.

Be well my friends,

Pyro

Katie Meets Superman

Another very good video from Ronin's Road.  The first lead is always special and memorable.  I'm glad that we could share it with you Katie.
 http://roninsroad.blogspot.com/2011/04/katie-meets-superman.html

The Mountain

I found this video to be amazing. I hope you all like it.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Pyro's World video blogs

Friends, Family and my five followers. In the near future I will be starting a new section on the blog. It will be based on my travels. It will be set up basically as a video diary and documentary of my travels. It will not just be a climbing video or a collection of pictures strung into a slide show. I have decided that I have a few things to say and some options to express. If I offend some of you then for that I am sorry. I will call them like I see them. Think about what I have to say and if you feel the need to comment then please feel free to comment here. I have a thick skin, and I can take criticism. Just be aware that after you present your point of view I will more then likely have a rebuttal. So my friends please stay tuned, the first episode is being finished now and will be entitled "Harthstone lake and The Pulpit".

15 April 2011

Weather looks good for tomarrow up until evening.  Looks like the Dragon gets a brand new route tomarrow.  Drill charged up and the bags are packed looks like im off to WV tomarrow. Cell will be good through tonight then I will be in the radio dead zone. Will also probaly be over Sat working at home if the weather permits anouther day.

A real good visit

I had a really good visit with my buddy Fisher this evening.  He took one look at my drill and my batery pack and just jumpted right in and wired me up a new baterypack and rigger the drill in away that if I ever decide to go back that I can.  So we went to Jaliscos to celberate andeat some fine food andlook at the waitres.  Had some really good conversation and then it was time for Fisher geton down the road.

Pat

LSC Rocks WV

LSC Rocks WV, a set on Flickr.

Lyndon State College Rocks WV. Thank you very much for all of the hard work you put in building trails and steps at Reed's Creek. You guys and galls are truely amazing. You are welcome on my rope anytime.

Pat

What the mountains mean to me.

This is Johns Last song.  It is called Yellowstone, coming home.  This explains what the mountains mean to me.

The Reverso ( This is what you DON'T want to do)!

Reverso3 - the ultimate belay/rappel device for... by Petzl-crew

I plan too look back on life and say, at least I didn't lead a humdrum life. Roam free brothers and sisters.

My thoughts on the access fund and climbers

Ok my friends, I started this post as a response to my brother Mikes post entitled "In my own defense" I personally feel he has nothing to defend against except maybe having to much belief in the peoples willingness to step up and do the right thing. But I digress.
When I started writing it was as a comment of encouragement but as I wrote and thought I started to get angry about my feelings towards the Impact I have seen at some of my favorite crags and the people climbing their. Then I realized that I was also mad at my own actions and inactions concerning said crag. It was at this point that I realized that in my distancing myself from popular crags and climbing groups in general I had become a part of the problem by not being a part of the solution. So on too my original writings in the original format. PLEASE let me know your thought and feelings on this issue.

Many good points here my Brother. I hope with all of my heart that people will take notice and understand the point being presented and not just jump to defend how much they have done by sending their check to the Access Fund and what they believe to be true. So I will do something that I seldom do anymore and climb up on the soapbox and give my views on a few things. So, here we go.
Point One:
We are all stewards of the land we use every single time that we use it, not just on trail day events and Access events like adopt a crag clean up. As a whole we need to be picking up our trash and packing it out with us. Even something as small as walking through the crag at the end of our day and looking for and picking up whatever is found and packing it out will go a long way. If every single climber would take 5 minutes at the end of the day to just do general stewardship duties when we have big events at the crags we could get a lot more done.
Point Two:
Ok now on to another issue. Trail maintenance, the trails do not just show up out of good wishes and dreams. They are put in by a very few hard working individuals donating their time away from loved ones, their sweat at the end of a long week working their real jobs, and the very blood that flows through their veins from smashed fingers and skinned knuckles, from blisters generated by working for you, the climber. Now knowing that all of this done so that you can easily walk to and from the crag in safety, is it to much to ask, of you the climber, to bend over and pick up that rock in the trail? Is it to much to ask that you fix the trail if it collapses when you walk along the outside edges? When you walk up a set of steps and see a stepping stone lose too put it back in place securely? These trails where put in for you, is it too much to ask that you take five minutes to help maintain them for everyone.
Point Three:
Ok now on to a subject that I personally find to be a source of heart ache and pain every time that I see it, OVER USE. There is nothing that pains me more then to see an area ounce beautiful, beaten into submission, vegetation destroyed, the turf non existent, erosion running rampant. Then you see dozens of people here every time that you are their destroying more and more, you see the problem getting worse and worse and you think to yourself something needs to be done. But still you come to the same crag again and again, climb the same routes again and again, and all the time thinking to yourself what this area used to look like and how someone needs to fix it. Well here is what needs to happen, water breaks need to be installed to stop the erosion, the area needs to be re-seeded, Vegetation needs to be re-planted including bushes and trees. Then the area needs to be closed to allow the area to recover. Which means that YOU will need to stop going here, you need to help in the effort of reclaiming and fixing what you have destroyed.
Ok friends, I’m off the soap box now. I will share one more thing on a personal note now and be done. I have lost my interest in many popular climbing areas and in climbers in general in the last few years. I had decided that if I didn’t like what I saw at the crags I would distance myself from them and from the problems their by finding and climbing new areas and by climbing alone or with like minded friends. I have re-thought that principle in the last year. I realized that I was a part of the problem and then did nothing to fix what I helped to screw up when I went off on my own trail. I am back on the right path. My brother and my true friend Mike has shown me that there are like minded people out climbing today. There are people out here today that toil away on their own time and dime trying to rectify years of miss use. They are building trails, packing out your trash. They are the ones re-seeding and re-planting vegetation, the ones building the water breaks to control erosion. They are the ones that are behind the scenes toiling and sweating away for you and your friends. Then they ask you, the climber, to please help in the easiest way, they ask that you not climb in an area until the vegetation has a chance to take root and grow. Because folks, the vegetation is the key here to stopping erosion. Now folks how do you repay all of this effort? You continue to climb the routes you always have you trample the planted bushes and trees, you grind the seeds into nothingness, you break down the water breaks, you destroy the trails. Then when the kind hearted individuals go on line and post what has occurred you call them liar’s you make snide comments, you belittle, you try to make yourself look big. You talk about the access fund. You talk trail days, you talk sir, and that is the problem, all you do is talk. So to the climber, I ask you this, what have you done for the good of your crag today besides write a check?


Pyro

Vision Quest

A vision quest is a rite of passage, similiar to an initiation, in some Native American cultures. It is a turning point in life taken before puberty to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. When an older child is ready, he or she will go on a personal, spiritual quest alone in the wilderness, often in conjunction with a period of fasting. This usually lasts for a number of days while the child is tuned into the spirit world. Usually, a Guardian animal will come in a vision or dream, and the child's life direction will appear at some point. The child returns to the tribe, and once the child has grown, will pursue that direction in life. After a vision quest, the child may apprentice an adult in the tribe of the shown direction (Medicine Man, boatmaker, etc).

The vision quest may be a part of shamanism, more exactly, the learning and initiation process of the apprentice for achieving the ability for shamanizing, mostly under the guidance of an older shaman.

A vision quest may include long walks in uninhabited, monotonous areas (tundra, inland, mountain); fasting; sleep deprivation; being closed in a small room (e.g. igloo). The technique may be similar to sensory deprivation to a rite of cleansing and purification. One objective is to commune with the other side.

In traditional Lakota culture the Hanblecheyapi (vision quest, literally "crying for a vision") is one of seven main rites. Vision quest preparations involve a time of fasting, the guidance of a tribal Medicine Man and sometimes ingestion of natural entheogens; this quest is undertaken for the first time in the early teenage years. The quest itself is usually a journey alone into the wilderness seeking personal growth and spiritual guidance from the spirit, sometimes Wakan Tanka. Traditionally, the seeker finds a place that they feel is special, and sits in a 10 foot circle and brings nothing in from society with the exception of water. A normal Vision Quest usually lasts two to four days within this circle, in which time the seeker is forced to look into his soul.

It is said that a strong urge to leave the quest area will come to the seeker and a feeling of insanity may set in. However, the seeker normally overcomes this by reminding him or herself of the overall outcome of the quest, causing the mind to stop wandering on random thoughts. The individual can generally find solace in the fact that he or she will not die in just two to four days.

Some have claimed grand visions on their first Vision Quest while others have not. It is an individual experience and often subject to the emotional, spiritual, and physical make-up of the person.

Native American totems are said to be capable of speaking through all things, including messages or instructions in the form of an animal or bird. Generally a physical representation of the vision or message such as a feather, fur or a rock is collected and placed in the seeker's medicine bag to ensure the power of the vision will stay with the individual to remind, protect or guide him.

Since the beginning of this cycle of time, humanity has returned to nature to connect with spirit and to seek answers to problems of the physical realms, especially in this timeline when the messages of prophecy reveal themselves to the seeker.

There is something about being alone in the wilderness that brings us closer and more aware of the 4 elements and our connection to a creational source. We go to seek truths and divine realization, just as many of the ancient prophets did in their time.

In its own way, the vision quest is an Initiation not unlike the days of the ancient mystery school teachings where one learns about themselves and the mysteries of the universe are often revealed to them. It is a time of internal transformation and renewal. Who am I? Why am I here? Physical surroundings allow the soul to move into the grid or the collective unconsciousness.

Though the Vision Quest is associated with Native Americans traditions - it is practiced all over the world. As an expression of the archetypical "Heroic Journey," the vision quest has been enacted in religious pilgrimages, mythological tales (including the story of the search for the Holy Grail), and our own daily pursuit of truth and purpose. Today, there are companies that sponsor these journeys. They provide a wilderness area in which it is to occur, and they give instructions and guidance before and after the event. It might take a day, a week, a month - whatever is necessary to complete the transformation and get the answer one seeks.






Preparation:


- able to fast
- able to camp out for long periods of time

- knowledge of first aid

- prepare sleeping equipment - or sleep on the ground.

- knowledge of spiritual things like meditation

- bring a spiritual instrument so you can play or chant

- be comfortable with the solitude

- if the weather permits you may wish to remove all clothing or cover yourself in a blanket

- create a sacred stone circle on the ground in which the person sits

- a journal to record your experiences


Now you are ready to go out alone in nature to spend the time seeking greater truths through dreams, meditations or hallucinations. This transformational experience has been sometimes been done with the use of hallucinogens such as peyote, mescaline, and the South American Iawaska plant during sacred initiation rites. These plants were held as sacred teachers from the plant kingdom. The insights during the sacred space allowed the veils between this world and the next to be pulled back and for the individual voyager to transcend himself and this dimension. You may, or may not, understand the messages received. It may take time for you to process affecting dreams, synchronicities and more in your life.




The benefits of a vision quest


Curing emotional, physical, spiritual illnesses
Discover your mission here

Commune with nature, spirit, your spirit guides or deceased ancestors

Move beyond outmoded paradigms

Find truth, balance and peace





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Vision Quest

A Vision Quest is an experience of deeper understanding of Nature and Spirit. It is a ceremony practiced by American Indians.

To prepare for this "insight" one must first cleanse the body and mind by going through a Inipi or sweat lodge.

Then with the help of a Holy Man is told certain things and must go to a spot, usually on a holy mountain, and stay 2 or 3 days

During this time no food is eaten and one does not sleep but spends the time in deep prayer and observation.

Many times, but not always, there is a vision. This vision is then shared with the Holy Man to help learn of its meaning.

Sometimes the meaning is not shown for several years afterward.

This is part of a vision quest I was told to share with all who may be interested.

Once, I went to pray at the top of the sacred mountain of my ancestors.

As I climbed to the top I heard voices singing as the wind blew the leaves.

At the top I saw, made from many stones, a large circle with a cross inside.

I knew from my teachings that this represented the circle of life and the four directions.

I sat down by the edge of this circle to pray.

I thought this is only a symbol of the universe.

"True," a very soft voice said.

"Look and you will see the Center of the Universe.

Look at every created thing."

As I looked around I saw that every created thing had a thread of smoke or light going from it.

The voice whispered, "This cord that every created thing has is what connects it to the Creator.

Without this cord it would not exist."

As I watched I saw that all these threads, coming from everything, went to the center of the circle where the four directions were one place (the center of the cross).

I saw that all these threads were tied together or joined here at this spot.

The voice spoke again, "This is the Center of the Universe. The place where all things join together and all things become one. The place where everything begins and ends. The place inside everything created."

That's when I understood that all of creation, the seen and the unseen, was all related.

The voice spoke one last time, "Yes, now you know the Center of the Universe."

I pray to the four directions.....hear me.

I pray to the West which gives us rest and reflection.

I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.

I pray to the North which gives us patience and purity.

I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.

I pray to the East which gives us energy and emotions.

I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.

I pray to the South which gives us discipline and direction.

I thank you for these gifts for without them we could not live.

Grandmother, share with me your wisdom, and I thank you for this gift.

Grandfather, share with me your strength, and I thank you for this gift.

National Park Service Releases New Wilderness Policy on Climbing Fixed Anchors

After years of anticipation and direct advocacy by the Access Fund, the National Park Service has released an updated draft of its wilderness management policies in order to provide accountability, consistency, and continuity in its wilderness stewardship program. The update covers a wide range of topics including the long-waited-for provisions specific to climbing fixed anchors. Iconic climbing areas in the U.S.—including as Yosemite, Zion, Black Canyon, and Rocky Mountain national parks—would be governed by this new policy.

The proposed policy acknowledges that climbing is a legitimate and appropriate use of wilderness and that each park with significant wilderness climbing activities must prepare a climbing management plan. However, the policy calls for climbing to be restricted or prohibited if unacceptable impacts to wilderness resources or character occur.

This proposed policy recognizes that the occasional placement of a fixed anchor for belay, rappel, or protection purposes does not necessarily impair wilderness, but it requires prior authorization for the placement of new fixed anchors (replacements or removals may also require park approval). The requirements and process for authorization are to be laid out in each park’s climbing management plan.

The practical outcome of this proposed policy is that climbers would need a permit or some other authorization prior to the hand-placement of new bolts in any national park wilderness area. Most parks currently require no such prior-approval. The public will have 60 days to comment on this proposed policy revision.