I miss...

I miss the wilderness
I miss long days on the trail
I miss being around people who know what it's like to be cold at night and suffer under a heavy pack during the day
I miss people who understand why we do these things
I miss women who don't think it's strange
if I don't shave every day
I miss the cultural norms that I understand so well.
I miss the peculiar smell of Sierra granite in the summer
I miss the feeling of freedom
I miss the joy of instructing with a group
I miss the sense of community
around a specific mission
I miss the sound of the mountain chickadee
I even miss the Sierra late-August dust
I miss the feeling of near panic
when you are on a climb that feels slightly too challenging
I miss the feeling of being myself
and being understood.
I miss being high up in the alpine
with the snowy glory of the Sierra surrounding me.
I miss the sense of God's majesty
that I only understand when I'm out there.
But I think most of all,
I miss the community.