Sitting by the Lake: A Retreat

13th September, 2009 - Posted by L. John Mason -

We camped by the North end of Baker Lake. It was a trip motivated by my son. He visited from his life in Los Angeles and wanted to spend time in the mountains or by a river or a lake just for the experience of NOT being in LA. We have a long history of being in the mountains together. When he was 4 years old, I took him on his first backpacking trip. He was well prepared with his Mickey Mouse day pack on his shoulders. He walked 3.5 miles of the 4.25 trail. We made it to the top and camped out up in the Sierras near Lake Tahoe. Most summers since then, we have loaded up and hit a trail or, at least, a campground. We both have great memories and a mental, emotional, and spiritual need to visit the mountains. The trip is always a time to “ground out” and leave our day to day lives behind. We have time to talk and sometimes just sit together and look out nature’s beauty. Our ritual includes making simple meals and often hanging food to keep the bears from getting to our provisions. We work well together as a team to prepare camp, meals, to get the tent to stay up, and, of course, to prepare for the evening’s camp fire.

The campfire is a ritual which is a Zen Meditation in practice and result. Gazing for hours into a campfire can warm the body and the soul. Smoke and mosquitoes only add to the ambiance of this ritual. Man has used the campfire meditation or the stream watching meditation or the waves rolling up on to the beach meditation forever. It sends the brain into a meditative state that creates an alpha wave rhythm on the surface of the brain that most people find relaxing. Have you ever lost your thoughts by watching moving water or a burning candle or fire?

So we sat by Baker Lake and spoke simple words. We watched the birds and the clouds and the mountains that surrounded us. The joy of sharing this ritual with my son warms my heart as I write and will remain with me until we travel again together on our next pilgrimage into the mountains.

Breathe slowly and enjoy the beauty of the moment. It is too easy to miss the simple joys of life and the value these bring.