Double Delight

The pause is as important as the note. Truman Fisher

One of the highlights of my summer has been a hiking adventure to the Granite Mountain Lookout near McCall, Idaho. It was a relatively short six-mile hike, but steep and rocky. My hiking buddy and I talked as we walked, and lost our way on that mountain made of granite. But, the mistake led to something unexpected, something special.

Early in the hike, we missed the fork to our intended trail. We walked about a half-mile before we arrived at Twin Lakes and realized we’d taken the wrong path. As we paused a moment to admire the tranquil high-mountain lake, the glimmering crystal water mirroring the surrounding mountains and trees and blue sky captured my imagination. I was drawn into the mysteries hidden behind the reflections...the blending of reality and fantasy. But, we were on a mission to reach the lookout, so I dragged myself out of my reverie, took a couple of photos, and we turned back in search of the trail we’d missed.

On our second pass, we easily found our turn and headed up Granite Mountain. We admired wildflowers along the way, reached the lookout tower on the mountain top, chatted with the ranger, enjoyed the view and a snack, took some pics, and headed back to civilization. Over lunch, we rehashed the highlights, laughed at our errors, and then moved on with our day.

The beauty of the misadventures could have easily been lost in the challenge of the adventure.

Twin Lakes could have enchanted me for those few minutes, and then disappeared from my mind as I focused on getting to the top of the mountain. But, I was fortunate to have recently happened upon an OnBeing podcast, Tending Joy and Practicing Delight - an interview with Ross Gay, so delight was on my mind. After listening to the podcast, I was intrigued by the idea of practicing delight.

In the interview, Ross Gay described his experience of writing a daily essay about delight. He found that as he searched for moments of delight in each day, delight became more obvious. He developed what he called a “delight radar or a delight muscle.”

I want a delight muscle!

So, once home from my time in the mountains, I intentionally searched my memory for encounters with delight - and Twin Lakes came immediately to my mind. Looking into the peaceful and shimmering lake was truly delightful. And reflecting on that vision was a double delight.

Recommended Resources

OnBeing interview with Ross Gay, Tending Joy and Practicing Delight

The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay