J.S. Chase

J.S. Chase

" I fortified myself behind my knees ..."

Jan. 17, 2018
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from Yosemite Trails

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In this unusual passage Chase recounts to us, a dream.
That this passage finds itself towards the end of
his Sierra journey, somewhat mirrors a few such passages
in ' Desert Trails ' albeit under more harrowing
circumstances, but still yet, as his journey winds down.
Perhaps a symptom of trail weariness? Chase, tongue
in cheek, chalks it up to " the onion, a potent and
treacherous vegetable. " Whatever, Chase doesn't leave
words laying around unscrupulously, and I find its
inclusion and content revealing. It finds Chase
somewhat uncloaked. That the passage ends with him
starting the day ' ready for fresh imprudences, '
belies a bit of weariness, but evidently back to his
old self. And,once more we are not looking back with 
Chase, but are with him in the moment.

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Physiology and psychology meet in the borderland of dreams, and the onion
is a potent and treacherous vegetable. All night I walked precipices,
'scaped hair-breadth 'scapes and glissaded down league-long slopes of
pineapple sherbet into sardine-populated lakes; and when the sun rose sudden
and red above the low Nevada mountains, I fortified myself behind my knees and
slowly returned to myself. I remembered having once been awake and seen
the narrow waning moon swimming low down, like an ancient galley-boat,
in the early morning sky, while a band of horses galloped and thundered
around me, neighing wildly over some nocturnal excitement. I remembered,
too, that I had had a headache. But a dip in the creek changed all that; and 
with shining morning faces we presented ourselves at the breakfast-table,
ready for fresh imprudences. "

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