Life on the Shoulder: Rediscovery & Inspiration along the Lewis and Clark Trail

" Life on the Shoulder is about a journey on many levels. It is one that travels back through time, experiencing the places known and recorded in the pages of history and the journals of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. It is also a journey through the current American west, an area of diverse environments, staggering beauty and powerful natural forces. The landscape also proved to be one of emotional hills and valleys, mountains of elation, pits of exhaustion, prairies of boredom, storms of fear, anger and frustration, and stunning sun flashes of inspiration. "It was a discovery of self and my connection with everything outside of my being. The spiritual lessons taught on this journey made me understand how narrow our scope of life can be, how much energy is wasted on worry, and how, at the moment when we feel we are most alone, we are truly in the company of our most trusted and dependable guides. As a great deal of time was spent literally riding "on the shoulder" of many roads and passing many sights, I, in turn, was passed by many other travelers, be they in cars, trains or logging trucks. The analogy to life became quickly apparent. By living a "life on the shoulder," one allows oneself to step back and permit life's events to unfold naturally, at their own pace, with acceptance and without force. While Lewis and Clark have been credited with exploring the western wilderness, I believe the exploration of the greatest wilderness lies just beneath the skin in the hearts and minds of us all." – Gordon T. Ward