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| The Cover photograph is McClure Meadow along the JMT in late June The back photograph is of Sharon and me sitting near the San Joaquin River |
Fr. Dale Matson
One of my friend Morton Kelsey’s last books was Prayer And The Redwood Seed,(1991, Element Press). There are so many ways our
lives connected and now I think of him again as I published my latest book My
Favorite Central Sierra Nevada Hikes. He used to walk daily near his home among the
Redwoods in Northern California up the hill from the Pacific Ocean. It was an
ideal setting for prayer, contemplation and writing. He and Barbara were
blessed. I am also reminded of Luther’s comment about the Eucharist. “He is present
in, with and under the elements”. This is also true in nature with God as
creator and sustainer.
For me, the granite, trees, wildflowers and water are
restorative. Most of my hikes now involve others too. I have always enjoyed
sharing these experiences. I cannot offer the prose of a man so gifted by God
as Morton Kelsey but I included many Black and White photographs that also
speak volumes.
I am blessed to live in a city, Fresno California that
provides a central location for day trips to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon
Parks and the Sierra National Forest. One can even travel to the Pacific coast
for the day too. The Central Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is stitched together
with a thin golden thread called the John Muir Trail. It is a trail of
indescribable beauty and I have been fortunate to travel most of it in sections
over the years. When I close my eyes, I have images that pass in front of my
mind’s eye that return me to those places. Sometimes, like today at the altar,
time stands still, God is vividly present and I am at peace.
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