David Ryder - Designer - Blog
David Ryder – Designer – Blog
Spiritual, wilderness quotes
02 years ago
I like reading other authors’ work to help me put into words how I feel or approach an idea or philosophy. I especially like to read works of philosophy and anything dealing with the human struggle, soul, spirit, or wilderness because they are all at the center of my personal drive and inspiration. These aren’t mindless regurgitations; I hold all of these quotes in high regard and they have some important meaning to me in some manner.
If I were to ever choose who to summit a peak with I would without hesitation name John Muir. He and I may share some sort of descendant spirit.
John Muir
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
“The gross heathenism of civilization has generally destroyed nature, and poetry, and all that is spiritual.”
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
“The Mountains are calling and I must go.”
“Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
“I care to live only to entice people to look at nature’s loveliness. My only special self is nothing (I want to be) like a flake of glass through which light passes.” -John Muir
“In the midst of such beauty, pierced with its rays, one’s body is all one tingling palate. Who wouldn’t be a mountaineer! Up here all the world’s prizes seem nothing.”
“No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty. Whether as seen carving the lines of the mountains with glaciers, or gathering matter into stars, or planning the movement of water, or gardening — still all is Beauty! ”
“Society speaks and all men listen, mountains speak and wise men listen. ”
“If my soul could get away from this so-called prison, be granted all the list of attributes generally bestowed on spirits, my first ramble on spirit-wings would not be among the volcanoes of the moon. Nor should I follow the sunbeams to their sources in the sun. I should hover about the beauty of our own good star. I should not go moping around the tombs, nor around the artificial desolation of men. I should study Nature’s laws in all their crossings and unions: I should follow magnetic streams to their source and follow the shores of our magnetic oceans. I should go among the rays of the aurora, and follow them to their beginnings, and study their dealings and communions with other powers and expressions of matter. And I should go to the very center of our globe and read the whole splendid page from the beginning.”
“I . . . am always glad to touch the living rock again and dip my hand in the high mountain air.”
“The mountains are fountains of men as well as of rivers, of glaciers, of fertile soil. The great poets, philosophers, profits, able men whose thoughts and deeds have moved the world, have come down from the mountains — mountain-dwellers who have grown strong they are with the forest trees in Natures work-shops.”
Thoreau
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”
“He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate. ”
“That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.”
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
“To preserve wild animals implies generally the creation of a forest for them to dwell in or resort to.”
Tolstoy
“Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.” -Tolstoy
“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken. ” – Tolstoy
“Where Love Is, God Is”
“God is not love, but the more there is of love, the more man manifests God, and the more he truly exists…”
“Quite often a man goes on for years imagining that the religious teaching that had been imparted to him since childhood is still intact, while all the time there is not a trace of it left in him. ”
“The recognition that love represents the highest morality was nowhere denied or contradicted, but this truth was so interwoven everywhere with all kinds of falsehoods which distorted it, that finally nothing of it remained but words.”
Other
“You will be more inspired by these mountains in a year than a lifetime of reading inspired authors’ writings.” -David Ryder
“Only after the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught
Only then you will find out that money cannot be eaten” – Cree Indian Prophecy
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” – Mohandas Gandhi
“I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.” -Steve Mcqueen
“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth … the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need — if only we had the eyes to see.” -Edward Abbey
“Humanity is cutting down its forests, apparently oblivious to the fact that we may not be able to live without them. ” -Isaac Asimov
“In the mountain, stillness surges up to explore its own height; In the lake, movement stands still to contemplate its own depth.” – Tagore
“I think I could turn and live with the animals, they are so placid and self-contained. ” – Walt Whitman
“The smaller we come to feel ourselves compared to the mountain, the nearer we come to participating in its greatness. I do not know why this is so.” -Arne Naess
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
Disconnect from "nature"
02 years ago
Everybody enjoys their own version of the mountains. There is no limit to the number of attributes which draw an individual to the mountains and everyone can appreciate their own interpretation of the joy they bring. They are so simple yet they have the capability to attract the most complex and diverse pool of perception brought by man. You can derive that this leads to the realization that every human shares one instinctual characteristic – on a spiritual level – that connects us all: a subconscious draw to the natural Earth. The overbearing mounds of rocks that quietly exert their power over us.
This instinct however can be hindered – or inhibited – by a socialization that teaches us that humans and nature are two separate entities. That we go in and out of nature on our own cognizance. This however is disingenuous to our inherent relationship to “nature” as one could argue that we are born of the natural Earth and therefore there is no way to disconnect ourselves from nature, only to misunderstand our meaning to it.
We all have different appreciations. Different lenses that show a different beauty to each individual. So it makes this attraction unique – to all of us. Your level of appreciation may vary and it may very well be determined by the condition of your soul. If you can subscribe to the idea that natural entities have souls, or contain some form of a soul, then it would be easy to believe that your connection to those entities can be clouded or strained if you don’t have a healthy connection to your own soul.
Realizations, awakening, and goals
02 years ago
I started backpacking with my father when I was around 14. Fourteen years later, I have come a long way in my abilities and knowledge. I always felt I have done a lot but since I have been to Utah I have realized that my relative experience and knowledge has been dwarfed by how much is to be learned and experienced here. Between freeing myself from a shadowing relationship and coming to one of the most inspiring locations imaginable, my priorities, dreams, and celebrations on life have slowly returned. I’m reaching a point where I feel completely free and it has re-awakened part of my psyche and soul that I have long forgotten about. My sense of adventure, ambition, love, and deep passion for everything Earthly has returned.
I have done hikes and summits more strenuous and masochistic than Timp but I have never done anything so inspiring at a point of being where I could be so moved by something so simple. A series of events, experiences, and realizations have helped me to form a idea for the direction I want to take in conquering personal goals that parallel in ways to the common human struggle.
Immediately, I have a summer wish list of 7 peaks in the surrounding area that I want to summit once a week on a long (14-16hr) dayhike. These will shoot my endurance and climbing strength through the roof. Kings Peak, Deseret Peak, Lone Peak, Box Elder Peak, White Baldy, Thunder Mountain, and Twin Peaks. I want to do a winter summit to Timp with snowshoes and backcountry skis to go down. I want to do Mt. Whitney in the spring and in the coming 2 years take down as many of the CO 14ers as possible and become and intermediate climber before attempting a summit on Denali.
Mt. Timpanogos Summit
02 years ago
I knew Mt Timpanogos was a very popular destination, but I didn’t really have a strong notion of how unique it is. I spent the weekend at Timp and it was probably one of the most rewarding destinations I have reached. It was full of adventure, snow, and diversity. There is a suggestion that mountains are living, moving entities, and that they aren’t inanimate and unintelligent. I would have to agree with this sentiment and add that every new destination (for some) creates more desire to explore the unknown.
Lance and I started at the parking lot of Timpanoake trail in the American Fork canyon. The first day was to be 5 miles, 3,000 feet, and the establishment of a camp site. The second day was going to be a packless ascent to the summit of Timp. Approximately 2 miles and 1,000 ft would land us on the top of the mountain. Nearly 2 miles into the hike we came across Scout Falls and contemplated its beauty. The rest of the first day climb was fairly relaxed and we reached our destination at around 1pm. It gave us the entire day to nap, read, EAT, reflect, and contemplate.
We woke up the next morning and cooked some dehydrated breakfast and packed everything up. After stashing our packs, we headed for the base of the mountain. Nearly the entire surface of the Bowl and the faces of the initial ascents were covered in snow. At the ascent to the saddle we couldn’t see a trail so we were compelled to make our own. We weaved up our own blazed trail winding through switchbacks and steep, slippery rock faces. There is no doubt that without snow boots I would not have made it up, or likely would have slipped down the face of the mountain. There was surely an easier path but it was completely covered in snow.
Once we got near the saddle we saw a herd of mountain goats. Some juveniles that were born this season. And they weren’t giving way to us so we got close enough to smell them. The juveniles were extremely curious but the adults were fairly lackadaisical about our presence. We reached the summit and I sat and read a few chapters from Into The Wild. We headed around the ridge of the summit towards the glacier. Somehow me must have missed the actual trail and ended up at a dead-end that was a 20-ft vertical face to the trail. Not wanting to walk back to find the trail we decided to do an easy downclimb.
To the glacier. This was definitely the steepest and longest snow bank that I skied down. But, I stayed on my feet the entire time. This one of three slopes I “skied” down (with shoes) and at one point I had gained so much speed I faceplanted and tumbled over once (with my backpack on) and stood up and kept going. By far some of the most exciting portions of the weekend.
This is a great mountain to practice on for larger and more technical summits as it shares a lot of characteristics of larger mountains. I don’t think it would have been nearly as exciting without the snow and I look forward to a harsh winter so I can get some practice and conditioning for future planned trips.
Social Philosophy and Instincts
02 years ago
We are all born with them: fixed action patterns that are involuntarily learned. They are the primordial drive behind the acting forces of every human. They are nearly unavoidable and are the key to survival. Yet in such a civilized and industrialized society we are taught to forgo basic instincts and replace them with logical approaches to nearly everything in life. These instincts that at one time completely ruled humans are being quelled out of us.
At the most basic level instincts drive us to seek shelter, eat, and reproduce. There are however more evolved and complex instincts working behind the scenes. Instincts that encourage fear in particular situations, specifically that subconsciously tell us to fight or take flight in situations that warrant almost immediate response to confrontation. They help us survive when surrounded by a natural and dangerous environment. It’s the underlying force that decides what route to take when scrambling across a stream or up an unsturdy precipice.
Instincts are also believed to have social influences. Through the evolution of man cultural adaptation has given rise to instincts that work to create social relationships and determine on an individual level in what direction to take a relationship or how to approach another human.
The primitive man gathered socially for ceremonies that banished evil spirits, guaranteed bountiful crops, and generally protected themselves from magic. These activities were driven by basic social instinct. One could extrapolate from this that the phenomenon of organized religion is then to some degree instinctual. The desire to socially share a spiritual experience is somewhat based on the dependency humans desire to feel towards the group. So when did this personal and social experience become replaced with redundant and impersonal procedure? The instinct to discover spirit socially and personally has been superseded by the unnatural procedural gathering that is not only unexplantive but unfufilling.
Social mores and moral compass can also be said to derive from primitive instinct. Instincts that have been bestowed upon us by God and inherited from generation to generation. Some social philosophy suggests that instincts have been given to man by God to elicit activities that are later explained by reason. In other words, we are instinctively driven to explain our unexplained actions and motives by reasoning after-the-fact.
A more general explanation of social instincts can be applied to our ability to ascertain the truth from social interaction. I could easily argue that humans are driven to seek the truth and there is an unexplainable yet familiar feeling and/or aura that surrounds the suspicion of a awry situation. We may occasionally feel something is wrong given different cues given from a group or individual. It is a subconsciously driven feeling and I would derive this feeling from primitively inherited instinct. The passing of instinct to the early man from God was passed down ancestrally and remains today. Some people may lack an aspect of this instinct or simply have a weaker understanding of it. Some would call these people naive, blissfully unaware, or simply ignorant.
The point is, instincts that produce feelings or set off alarms, or drive us in a certain direction, in my humble opinion, should at the very least be thoroughly investigated or blindly followed. Instincts are what have kept humans alive and allowed us to adapt and to deny them would be fallacious in the insurance of our continued existence.
More reading:
The Role Of Instinct In Social Philosophy
The Social Philosophy Of Instinct
Barefoot hiking in Israel Canyon
02 years ago
I thought today would be a nice day to do a light hike with the dogs I am watching. Well, more like stopping themselves from killing each other. I chose Israel Canyon in Saratoga Springs since I can drive the majority of it. As soon as we got there clouds came in faster than we could have turned around. I had brought only flip-flops and when it started to sprinkle I had decided that I was going to be doing this hike barefoot.
I had recently read in article in Mens Health about a tribe in Mexico that race cross-country distances on trails completely barefoot. Studies have concluded that this is a healthy alternative, especially for people with flat feet. There is an aspect of it that allows you to find your natural balance point and is known to improve your stride. I already have an affinity to bare feet so I was looking forward to this. I knew however that it was going to be very painful. What I wasn’t expecting was the hail and thunderstorm.
I passed the spot that I got crucially stuck in once before when the snow was melting and I had to be dragged down a trench by a Jeep. This was by the way my crowning moment of shame for the Nitro. The Nitro is too heavy. Anyway, we passed a few gnarly spots where there would be no returning from if we slid into. For some reason going up is always more successful than down. This applies to hiking barefoot also.
The walk up really wasn’t too bad until the wind picked up. I would hear what almost sounded like a screech in the distance. This was a precursor to the heavy wind carrying rain sideways that was headed our way. It was only a few seconds that passed after I heard the sound that I was getting pelted with water. There was one point where I had to take shelter behind a large bush. For about 5-10 minutes I waited for the wind to die down. We were on the face of the mountain at this point and near the top so the storm was at its strongest. We came to where there was a great view of Timp but the skies were dark and covered with massive clouds. This was at ~3pm.
We didn’t realize we had reached the top until the wind blew what was left of the clouds from the mountain top. The radio towers were suddenly clearly visible and we subtly celebrated our victory. We took a few pictures and immediately headed down. Moments after we turned around the storm broke and fog lifted from the canyon. This was another victory, but I was learning how difficult it is to stop yourself from sliding down a muddy hill barefoot. This in itself was not a problem, however the rocks in the mud were. Mud would cake up in the arch of my foot and collect pebbles and rocks along the way. So when my foot slipped, these rocks tore down my foot as they rolled between my foot and the ground.
I got to the point where I didn’t try to find the path of least resistance, because there didn’t seem to be one. It was hailing at the top and it was raining the rest of the time up so I was completely soaked. I was enjoying myself though – that is the almost confusing point. It hurt but I wasn’t being seriously injured. By the time I got to the bottom my feet were either numb from the cold, used to the conditions, or some combination of both. We made it back to where the Nitro was parked and the dogs started circling the vehicle, barking aggressively, and jumping on the door before we even got there. They were wet, dirty, and likely tired. We all were. Needless to say the entire interior is covered with mud, some places 1″+ thicker.
The worst part wasn’t over. The most painful was, but not the most fearful. The Nitro weighs ~4200lbs and doesn’t have mud tires. And there was easily 3″ of mushy mud that we had to get through. The trail not only had a forward decline, but it also had a sideways decline towards the meeting of the road and the hill that goes up at a 60 degree angle. At this junction water had formed a 2′ ditch that many vehicles would not be able to get out of. When I got stuck the first time I was actually on my way down, and the weight of the Nitro, lack of tread, and steep sideways incline contributed to a momentous slide that I had no control over. At a dead stop I slid into an ice-laden gulley. I wanted to avoid this from happening but on the way down I didn’t feel I had any control.
At one point I actually slid into a fairly deep gulley and I couldn’t stop it from happening so I just stepped on the gas and hoped I could muscle my way out. The bottom kept dragging on the high point in the gulley and rocks laid about. We bounced a lot, and slowed down to a near stop but we made it out while fish-tailing towards the edge (the other side of the road). It was a unnerving experience but it created a rush that can’t be intentionally duplicated – unless you have absolutely no sense.
Natural embodiement
02 years ago
Tops of mountains embolden a sea of mountain ranges
Scattered through the barren desert like islands
A setting sun contrives a pink landscape
Shades of grey, red, and blue fill the sky
Inherited emotions escape the Earth
Spirited away by the all the commotion
That lies within a calming center
Offered by the Earth
The calm escapes with the advent of warmer air and a glaring sun
Regal snow peaks start a transformation into trickling streams
Shortening into their eventual seasonal demise
Blundering falls carve unsuspected caves beneath banks of snow
Trickling streams morph into a cascading river
Roaring water finding destination through the fold in the mountains
Crisp, cold, clear
Raging water flow contrastingly carries a gentle breeze
Spellbound, the mountains shall bring you peace
-Dryder
One night at silver lake
02 years ago
I hear the roar of the river in the background and the crippling silence it brings. It delivers a melodic rhythm that borders on oscillation. I fight the sleep it is tempting as I write.
With higher elevation comes lower temperature and greater clarity in the skies. Cleaner air, more serenity, and a greater sense of grandeur follows. And in this particular spot, a soft breeze is being carried along the path of the roaring river. Everything can be heard: the rustling of the leaves, the turbulent river, the wind roaming through the trees, and occasional animals scurrying along the forest floor.
There is an assured comfort in sleeping under the stars, albeit it is much more pleasurable to share with someone you love. The strength of the mountains is comforting and overwhelming at the same time. There is nothing out here to think about save what is immediately surrounding you. When you can feel you are a part of nature – as opposed to separate from it – it becomes so easy and rewarding to enjoy the simplest stimulus out here.
As I lay here on the soft earth with an unobstructed view of the sky – aside from the few pine trees – I think of the faith I have that I will be protected in my sleep by that which watches over me. I am completely exposed and vulnerable. However the view and freedom from the openness that comes with it calms any apprehension that is associated with this vulnerability. Small risk, small exhilaration.
Conquering dreams
02 years ago
Ok so there are a lot of things I have wanted to do in this world and I have been slowly conquering them. The thing is, until now I have lived in places that had limited geographic terrain so I could only do a few things at a time. This also contributed to moving so much. When I moved back to Kentucky when I got out of the navy I didn’t feel like there was anything left to do there. I was bored and the only thing that I enjoyed outdoors was sand volleyball. I had my friends and family, and even a serious girlfriend, but I wasn’t completely happy. I felt there were things missing.
So when I had the opportunity to move to Tampa (a spot as a service tech opened) I jumped on it. Swamps, palm tree forests, natural springs, white sand beaches, ocean kayaking, diving, spear fishing, boating, offroading… It was a blast. I potentially had an awesome life. I was in for a big shock. People in Florida are horribly miserable, out of shape, and physically stagnant. Besides the masses of retired people, I’m pretty sure all the douches in the country gravitate to Florida. They were not only vindictive, but they were very cynical and unhappy.
Anyway, I was on the verge of leaving APX because the new standards were going to make it very hard to go to school full-time. So when I got the chance to come to Utah it was some one of the most exciting news I could have imagined. I had a chance to do something I was going to school for and I would be in the mountains, in the center of the west.
I have so much to do here I don’t know where to start. With the scenery and terrain, biking is becoming something I seriously want to get into. Climbing, there are a lot of lakes for distance swimming, even camping is so rewarding because of the openness and views in the morning. River kayaking, lake kayak trekking, expedition kayaking, serious and gnarly offroading that has shamed the Nitro, finding a spot in the grass on the mountainside and sleeping till sunrise.
So, my love for Utah is growing and I’m very surprised. Aside from everything outdoors, there is also the people – culture, morals, confidence, competitiveness, respect, strength, beauty… So many things I admire and respect in humans are in overwhelming abundance here. There is also a strong sense of community and family that creates an efficient society as they are all fundamentally on the same page. Its amazing how much effect the people of a culture can have on your perspective of a region/area.
These are thoughts that I have literally have on a daily basis and they keep growing as I learn more about the geography, activities, and culture of utah. I know its not for everybody – but outside of San Diego I have never felt so comfortable and happy. So as I sit here atop Squaw Peak writing I suddenly had a thought… I have to go to work.
Good quotes
02 years ago
I know quotes can often be taken out of context but regardless, the following – in empty context – hold some truth, inspiration, and humor to me.
“In the future, will it be legal to poison, mutilate, or infect people, as long as you provide them with food, water, and space to die?” ~ Octavia Butler
“Letting opportunities pass you by leads to regret.”
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.”
“If you tell the truth, you do not have to remember anything.”
“Just because someone doesn’t love you in the way you want, it doesn’t mean that they don’t love you with all that they have.”
“Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.” – Mark Twain
When it is true love, you simply just know… you feel it in your mind, heart, and soul.
There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Don’t smother each other. No one can grow in the shade. ~Leo Buscaglia
Trouble is part of your life, and if you don’t share it, you don’t give the person who loves you enough chance to love you enough. ~Dinah Shore
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust
You don’t need a parachute to skydive… you only need a parachute to skydive twice.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves” ~ Mathew 10:16
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” ~ Nelson Mandela
“When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.” – Sir Winston Churchill
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” – Mark Twain
“Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.” – Albert Einstein
“Computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps only weigh 1 1/2 tons.” – Popular Mechanics, 1949
“A good programmer is someone who always looks both ways before crossing a one-way street.” – Doug Linder
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching.
If you were a tear in my eye, I would not cry for fear of losing you.
When you walk through life’s pastures, you are bound to step in manure; you can stand there and curse or you can look for the horse.
“Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend’s forehead.” ~ Chinese Proverb
“You can put a rattlesnake on a rollercoaster, but you can’t make it bake you a cake.” ~ Dr. Phil
“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” ~ Douglas Adams
“The past is only a guidepost… not a hitching post.” ~ Thomas Holcroft
“To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.” ~ Eva Young
“You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower