Hail Brave hearts
A cool mist on a hot day, the temperatures rising, the tumbling cascade from a high altitude source, cools us. Heat is in the air, even with this early start, the day is warming quickly. Rivulets from rainfall dampen the path. The trail is a beauty though, as most of our experiences in this great wild are.
Our fine protected places, the finest in the world. Stunningly beautiful, the grandeur of high mountains, glacier, waterfalls and wilderness, all protected for us to adventure in. The world of wilderness, for our bodies, our minds and our souls. Our eyes are a witness to this spectacular landscape, the great Earth, as always, gifts to us it’s miracles, far beyond our own limited potential. Today we access this gift of mountain, rock, glacier, water and moraine, carved by millennia of weather and mountain building. On yet another fine day of wilderness travel, our hearts and minds are filled with joy. It’s fabulous!
The steady uphill walk to the rubble above tree line, poses no hardship. This is the destination which calls us, along with many day hikers and overnight guests, all striving to push those limits of physical fitness to achieve the possible dream.
Soaring above us, a lifeline starts. The precious, most necessary life line of rivers and streams, of mountain glacier, of that source of water that saves us. The water supply, here as cascading, tumbling, icy cold waterfalls and rivers, which are fed by the melting of glaciers close by. This is the start of the chain of life, that water brings. Tiny plants and small shrubs, find life support by the miracle of water, the miracle of life in this high alpine world. And life brings more life. Flies and bees, some butterflies and other insects, find food and shelter in this remote terrain. Wind plays it’s part in moving in weather fronts of rain and in scattering seed. The necessary, ongoing circulation of natural elements, which we call nature.
Nature brings us water from the high alpine, it brings us glaciers as a water source. Nature brings us all weather and restores itself. Nature gives us this miraculous world, a world for all eyes to see. Up here is these great mountains, we witness the birth of rivers and streams, caused by melting from several glaciers. The glaciers being the source of these lifelines. Freshwater for our consumption, for our use, for the vitality of the forests and the land.
This is a concern to us now. Where will we be, when the glaciers vanish, when the rivers stop flowing, when the natural faucet turns off and those lifelines disappear. The fragile life which clings dearly to those lifelines, loose their nourishment and the arid rockpile becomes lifeless again. The land that we call God’s Land, slips into lifeless death. Our responsibility soars as we struggle to protect these fragile, remote places, where the world begins. Our world begins with the basics of life, air to breathe, water to drink. As water sources dry up, so does our time. The clock is ticking, our hearts are still beating, heat and fire are bringing us closer to a final loss. The loss when Nature can no longer restore itself. Winter is still harsh and cold, but the glaciers reseed at an alarming rate. The world is too hot.
Science of Glaciers | National Snow and Ice Data Center
The grand beauty of the natural world, give us sights that we all need to see. Where does it all come from? Where will we be when it goes?
written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes
September 1, 2025
