Solitude from Light & Noise

By: Andrew Thomas

Reset unplug turn off be present. Go from over 14 million to none. Solitude from light and noise. Go from road rage to peaceful meditation. Traffic Therapy. Switch from everybody famous to nobody known. Forget the forgotten world. In the “City of Lights” it’s hard to fathom the peaceful darkness speckled with stars when over 9,000 ft. elevation.

In this issue series on California the one consistent article has been about backpacking; whether epic or obscure. Symbolic of my passing into the necessity of nature when living in urban areas. It can be viewed as a reset button. 

This quick backpacking trip up to Mt. San Bernardino was to reminisce on my personal obsession of mountains. Back when I lived in Los Angeles, these mountains were my escape and it was a brief obsession. I managed to summit “Old Baldy” and “Old Greyback” back to back when both were already under snow. Adrenaline and achievement were the drive for these and many others around the Transverse Range and the Sierra Nevada over the next years. But at that age I didn’t really plan it and often would just wing it.

Fast forward to the mid 30’s. The mountains still summon me but it’s completely different. It’s not just challenges and hanging with friends but it is now an element of reflection. I go to disconnect. I go to meditate. I go to soak it in. I go to be. With the convenience of instant communication and gratification it can be good to be forced to be.

Don’t get me wrong, a little whisky still hits the spot when setting up camp. But the ability of spontaneity is long gone.

Regardless, I will always be drawn to the different types of the mountain escapes.