Horseback Sauntering
Is there any better way to view camp’s 900+ acres than from the back of a horse? Earlier this week our horseback riders took a day trip to saunter all around camp property, exploring the miles of trails from the back of a horse!
These riders got to wander some favorite trails, canter in the field by Green River, and enjoy a picnic lunch. There are few places where you can feel as free and weightless as you do on the back of a cantering horse across a grassy field - it’s hard to not smile in such a situation. Though you are going somewhere quickly, cantering on a horse in a field has the same fun and carefree feeling as sauntering: you’re enjoying the movement, but not going anywhere in particular. The boys (and counselors) enjoyed the opportunity to do nothing but ride, savoring the day and the North Carolina mountain views from the back of a horse!
If you’ve read Albert Palmer’s, The Mountain Trail and Its Message, you might remember an excerpt about “sauntering.” It relates to our days at camp, and the importance of savoring all that our time outdoors has to offer. In the excerpt, copied below, Palmer described how some hikers are always prioritizing speed and rushing through the trails rather than enjoying them. Instead, he explained how his mentor John Muir advised people to “saunter in the mountains”:
“Do you know the origin of that word, ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages, people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”
Now, whether the derivation of saunter Muir gave me is scientific or fanciful, is there not in it another parable? There are people who “hike” through life. They measure life in terms of money and amusement; they rush along the trail of life feverishly seeking to make a dollar or gratify an appetite. How much better to “saunter” along this trail of life, to measure it in terms of beauty and love and friendship! How much finer to take time to know and understand the men and women along the way, to stop a while and let the beauty of the sunset possess the soul, to listen to what the trees are saying and the songs of the birds, and to gather the fragrant little flowers that bloom all along the trail of life for those who have eyes to see!”
This “secret of the saunterer” that Albert Palmer reveals is something that we can all take to heart this summer. Our time here this session is already entering the final week, but we can still savor every moment that remains. Today is Sunday and this morning we’ll be able to enjoy a more relaxed pace with an extra hour to sleep in, time to clean our cabins for the week ahead, and a reflective church service.
This afternoon however, we’ll be doing the opposite of sauntering! It’s the annual summer camp Ironman Triathlon today, and we’re excited to cheer on the boys competing! Whether boys are participating as athletes or supporting friends in their pit crew, it’s always an exciting day. We’ll be sure to fill you in on all the action tomorrow!