This year’s design for the Hardrock 100’s 30th anniversary began as something entirely different. It featured the tallest peak and the darkest night sky—intended to explore the concept of individual shadow work. The piece was 95% complete when I felt an overwhelming need to scrap it altogether. For such a monumental anniversary, the original message no longer felt aligned.
During significant milestones, we often reflect on the community that helps us endure. With time comes wisdom—a gift to be shared with the next generation.
As I wrestled with the message I wanted to convey, one word kept resurfacing in my life: community.
“A tree does not grow alone. It is a community.”
– Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation
There is no better illustration of this truth than the aspens near the Chapman Aid Station. In the 1970s, scientists began to understand the deep interdependence of trees. By 2008, it was confirmed that the largest living organism on Earth is, in fact, a grove of interconnected aspens.
I quoted Oren Lyons above—I could listen to him for days. In his animistic worldview, he speaks often about the origins of the U.S. and the destruction of forests/clear cutting. His quote, though often tied to reforestation efforts, touches on something deeper: specific plants and medicines grow around certain trees, supporting the wildlife that in turn taught humans how to feed and heal themselves. Don’t we, too, need the same water and sunlight to survive?
Like the course map, it’s all a cycle. When runners stand tall—as if alone—like aspens in a grove, we also see the crowd on the sidelines. We see the cycle of wisdom come alive. The teachers are there—Dale, Blake, Kirk, Betsy, Darcy, and so many more. We see the wide eyes of the next generation.
It’s my favorite moment. Let’s continue to be medicine for one another. None of us stands alone.
Porfidia of @modernancientdesign in partnership with true allies @Altrarunning and @Tailwindnutrition bring forth the 30th anniversary limited edition hat .
Click here to see Porfidia’s old growth (ancestral) wood creations.
