The creative words of wise, wild women...
"Remember when you chased the mule, you swam in the lake, you took your clothes off, you took your heart out, you tied a knot, you formed a bond? Remember all the laughter? Remember the wind as a river in your hair?"
-- Lulu Waks, Women's Trip 2015
"I remember running my fingers ~ through my hair watching the strands disappearing on the high mountain wind. ~ I remember running my fingers ~ down Sultan's silky midnight coat watching his withers shake. ~ I remember my fingers moving the leather reins until the connection was just right ~ Touching the earth constantly each day and night
I remember listening to messages on the wind swept pass punctuated by the Condors stealthy appearance. ~ I remember the sound of moving with our horses in the water along the lakeshore and keeping beat with my hips.
I remember the plaintively positive affirmations of the goat herds bleating yee-ahh ~ Hearing the storm approach and knowing peace in silence
I remember smelling steaks and curry and basil. ~ I remember how sweet the dust and sage brush smells after the first light rain. ~ I remember being scented by fire and horse. ~ The perfume of Argentina
I remember sampling the hail on my tongue in the thunderstorm as we huddled together in the brush. ~ I remember how I savored the crispy fat from the goat Jaime shared. ~ I remember tasting the sweet labor from the garden in every bite that sustained me. ~ Licking Mate off my lips."
-- Krista Miller, Women's Pack Trip 2015
"Every time I walk, ~ by foot or by horse, ~ up into those ledges, high valleys, ~ sheer passes, pristine seeps; ~ I am both cleared ~ and reignited. ~ I am washed clean of my ~ troubles and stagnancies. And I am ~ filled with poetry again. A sweet, ~ forgiving, intrigued understanding ~ of the world. ~ This is the power ~ of open sky, cold water ~ and brisk wind. ~ I remember my skin parched ~ by altitude, sun and air. ~ I remember all the windows of past ~ coming on strong with the sensation ~ of highness. I remember. ~ I know. ~ Eight women. ~ A chant singing ~ up through the Nire. ~ Condor wings. ~ Sincerity. ~ Laughter. ~ Silence. ~ The clatter of mountain shale."
-- Aly Moyer, Women's Trip 2015