“Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” Zen Buddhist saying

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we move into the shortening days of Autumn, we are approaching the end of our visitor season for Sage Wall. This closing might sound premature or unimaginable for some of you living in mild climates, but at over 6,300’ elevation, snow, ice, and frigid temperatures make up 50% of our annual life here in this majestic and demanding environment. So, we need to be ready!

If you’re planning a trip to Sage Wall, there’s still an opportunity to book your spot by reaching out to us at: smc@sagemountain.org. The last day for visitors to see Sage Wall and the Trails for this year will be Sunday, Sept. 29th. We’re gearing up for some crucial late-season work to prepare our trails and facilities for next year, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience. Upcoming tasks include clearing drainage systems to protect the trails from erosion, cutting and splitting firewood, enhancing the main entrance with better signage, sanitizing our eco-friendly restroom, sprucing up the landscape, securing the harvest and winterizing the garden, as well as upgrading our snow plow equipment. Your safety and convenience are our priorities and we’re committed to making Sage Wall a pristine experience for 2025. Tours of the Sage Mountain Center facility are available year around.

Wanna know what our biggest challenge of the summer was? Our beloved Starlink satellite router died, leaving us without internet and phone for 10 days. Zero communication, just like that. Because of the mountains, we were already without cell service up here, so we solely depend on Wi-Fi phone calling. This made it extremely complex communicating with aging parents, friends, customers, and day-to-day business operations. This experience took Linda and I back to the formative years of this Montana property when during building I’d trek three miles to mail a letter to Linda, while she was travel-nursing across the country to pay for construction. Through our hand-written letters we’d arrange meetings and pickups far ahead of time, with weeks passing before we could hear back from one another. In a weird romanticized way, the router outage brought those simpler times rushing back in; there was nothing hi-tech that we depended on. In the end, Starlink did ship us a free, upgraded satellite system, but it took 10 grueling days to get it. It also reminded us of the fragility of our society and our conditioned reliance on invisible electrons moving through wires and space!

This year we also want to give a shout-out to Warren, celebrating two decades of embracing the Sage Mountain Center way of life! Trading the Los Angeles hustle and bustle for the tranquility of mountain-living, Warren transitioned from his humble beginnings of bagging groceries and then to retiring from grocery management. He was there for 30 years. He had no regrets when he finally took the leap into a life filled with the songs of birds, the satisfaction of cultivating an organic garden, and the rhythm of rural chores (…chop wood and carry water…). Warren reflects on this change as his finest life choice…..a sentiment we are all grateful for!

Stay tuned for our Fall/Winter enhancements on this platform, where we’re excited to roll out several updates and new features, including:

• -An expanded FAQ section providing more comprehensive answers.
• -A refreshed video gallery and additional resources for our business affiliates.
• -Exclusive access to our scientific studies on Sage Wall, including: Ground Penetrating Radar, Electromagnetic Mapping, mineral analysis of the granite, and Lidar data results.
• -Lastly, keep your fingers crossed that we can conclude our book endeavor, provisionally named “The Chronicles of Sage Mountain Center: Featuring Sage Wall.” This concentrated volume will chronicle our extensive history on the continental divide and share the latest enthralling stories of our center and the extraordinary narratives surrounding this ancient habitat.

In Peace,

The Sage Mountaineers: Chris, Linda, Warren