Musings Report 2019-32 8-11-19 The Rewards of Going Beyond Well-Worn Paths
You are receiving this email because you are one of the 500+ subscribers/major contributors to www.oftwominds.com.
For those who are new to the Musings reports: they are basically a glimpse into my notebook, the unfiltered swamp where I organize future themes, sort through the dozens of stories and links submitted by readers, refine my own research and start connecting dots which appear later in the blog or in my books. As always, I hope the Musings spark new appraisals and insights. Thank you for supporting the site and for inviting me into your circle of correspondents.
The Rewards of Going Beyond Well-Worn Paths
Sometimes small experiences lend themselves as metaphors for life. Here's a recent example that struck me.
A few days ago we took advantage of a break in our work schedules and drove to the Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park. The grove had been closed for several years for renovations, and we decided to go despite the busy summer season. Since all the Park campgrounds were full, we reserved a primitive (no water) Forest Service campsite outside the park.
The line of cars waiting to enter Yosemite snaked down the highway, and we waited about 40 minutes to reach the entry. A shuttle bus transported visitors from the parking lot to the grove entrance (5,600 elevation). Hundreds of people entered the short main loop, a boardwalk that replaced the previous paved path.
The hikers amongst you already know how altitude and distance both increase the decay rate of those continuing on to higher elevations: a mile in and 500 feet higher, the crowds had thinned by 90%. By 1,000 feet higher, the number of people on the trail had dropped to a handful, and by the time we reached Wawona Point (6,800 elevation and 3.6 miles), we were accompanied to the lookout by one other hiker. (This was fortuitous, as we each took the other's photo at the overlook.)
On the descent, we chose the lesser traveled half of the loop, and did not meet a single other hiker until we'd reached another trail at a much lower elevation. Despite the presence of hundreds of other people a few miles away, we had the entire section of sequoia forest to ourselves.
This astonished me. Here we were, in one of the busiest national parks in the busiest season, on a well-marked trail in a popular hiking destination served by shuttle buses full of visitors, and we had the entire grove to ourselves. We heard no human voices; we were alone.
We didn't have to backpack into the vast tracts of High Sierra wilderness to be alone; we simply had to walk a few miles on ordinary trails and climb a thousand feet to have a completely different experience of the giant sequoias than the hundreds of visitors milling about the lower loop.
The metaphor for life is obvious: when we make the effort to go beyond the well-worn crowded paths, only then do we gain a different experience.
The ascending trail is a physical metaphor for journeys that may be emotional, spiritual, entrepreneurial, romantic or creative. In every case, those who make the effort to move beyond the well-worn paths will have experiences reserved for those who escape the crowds and the paths they trod.
Best Thing That Happened To Me This Week
Three hikes through three different giant sequoia groves.
Musings on the Economy: The Aging Bull Market
There is a tug of war between central bank jawboning and "easing" and the realities of the slowing global economy. This is typical of aging Bull markets, when the bullish response to central bank dovishness pushes markets higher while real-world fundamentals erode bullishness.
Many commentators have explained that stocks have been rising not from bullish buying but from record stock buybacks, which reduce the number of shares outstanding and create the illusion of growth.
Corporate profits topped out years ago, and global markets topped out more than a year ago. The U.S. market continuing higher as fundamentals weaken is classic late Bull market action.
On a day to day basis, the market may appear relatively stable, but declining volume, faltering liquidity and increasing volatility are all historically important warning signs of a sea change in market sentiment.
From Left Field
How The Super-Rich Are Buying Up Bitcoin -- no surprise here...
$12 trillion in overseas USD loans-- USD going higher as demand for USD is global....
Millennials are reluctantly staying single because they can't afford to date - and #MeToo has made men more distant, study says
$100,000 Per Year Is Now The Bare Minimum To Live Alone In New York-- ditto L.A. and the SF bay Area
France Is Slowly Sinking Into Chaos-- my correspondent reports this is accurate....
Is Neo-Feudalism the New Nation-State? (via BrandonRox)
America’s Highest Minimum Wage Sparks Fight in Small California City
Will Genetically Modified Plants Save Us?
Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics: What Leaders Get Away With (48 min) (via Tim K.)
interview with the authors of "The Dictator's Handbook"
Apollo Missions Image Atlas
"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." John Muir
Thanks for reading--
charles |
|
