Do you remember when you were a child? When you were naive and ignorant to the ways of the world, when fear had not yet replaced excitement and you bounded, unrestrained into the endless pattern of leaves and branches of the forest? And now, as reality has replaced fantasy and complacency has replaced adventure, our souls sink ever deeper into the despair of routine fueled by a fear of losing the luxury of convinience.
Only by having to live and exist [on the mountain] can you really bond with it and truly understand where you are and what you're doing. Only once you let go of the conventional thoughts that confine you to the path you walk everyday, can an entirely new world open before your eyes.
- On Mt Adams
I remember a fall evening I spent on a sandbar deep in the forests of the Olympic Mountains. I had just crossed a river over a fallen tree in the fading light of sunset, one slip would have plunged me into the cold, green rush. I found a small patch of sand just large enough for my tent and began to set up camp...
As the dark purples and blacks of the night sky chased the last of the light West, I huddled around a meager fire, hastily built in the sand and river rock. There is no sound except for the rush of water as the restless Bogachiel carries silt and sediment to the sea.
Peering into the ancient forest, a dense fog is on the move. Its misty fingers reaching out, coating fern and moss with moisture and grasp the air with its cold, heavy grip. Even the fire fades as the mist drifts through my little camp, forcing me to inch closer if I wish to stay warm.
It is in this moment that life changes. It is in this moment I realize what it means to be alone. There are now miles of empty, black forest separating me from the convieniences of my old life. However, I gather strength from the now snapping fire and focus on keeing it lit. Aware that a frost is on the air, whispering secrets to the creeping fog, the troubles of my everyday life seem trivial, and life is now about how I stay warm and how I stay safe.
Few have seen the true black that is the forest at night. Few choose to face the fear and doubt that linger in the dark, a dark so black it taunts your senses. The world for me, becomes a small circle of light, flickering out just beyond the fires edge.
- Camping on the Bogachiel River
My love of Photography started as an exploration of how I could share the wonder I see in nature with my friends and family.
There are a select few who choose to experience the transition of color that comes with a sunrise, the smell in the air after a deep forest rain or the feeling of remoteness on a secluded mountain ridge. So I offer my experience and my meager talent, in an attempt to share what I have seen. I invite you to browse through the photographs on the following pages by trying to place yourself in my shoes. Put your eye behind the camera and try to imagine...being there.
Feel the warmth on your face as the sun peeks through the clouds or smell the coffee in your cup as you sit around a crackling fire. Listen as the squirrels and ravens set about their morning duties or feel the trail beneath your feet as you race back to camp hoping to beat the evening rain.
I invite you to share your thoughts and feelings with me if an image strikes you. Art, after all, is better when shared and discussed.