A dark-headed Junco perches on a post surrounded by colorful flowers at the P-Patch in Westcrest Park, Seattle.
Hello friends. I apologize for the late issuance of my quarterly newsletter, but my summer got very busy after June. Something came up that threw my schedule into a dumper. More about that later. A few scheduled plans stayed solid, but so much was left on the side of the trail.
I am here now with stories to tell and photos to share. I originally started this missive to you while sitting on a sun-warmed rock overlooking the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier during a 4-day backpack. My friend Jana, who I backpacked with a couple of times last year including a different trip on Mount Rainier, invited me on another autumn trip in the park. We had cool days warmed slightly by the sun and chilly nights. The meadows were golden and the flowers had turned to seed, yet the beauty of nature at season’s end was still there. Beauty could be seen in how the light made the seeded grasses glow in the meadows. The flash of red huckleberry leaves in the golden grasses and evergreen boughs drew our attention and camera lenses. The critters were scurrying about readying themselves and their food supplies for long cold days ahead. And always there was our fabulous mountain. She sometimes hid her face behind clouds or a ridgeline, but she was there every step of the way. I honestly can’t think of a more perfect way to end the backpacking season than with friends and Mount Rainier.
The reason I was so busy after June? Hold onto your hats, friends. I was asked by a friend of mine to supply the images for a new walking guide to Seattle. Signed a contract and everything, the contract obligated me to supplying at least 200 photos by October 6th. The book has 12 walking routes in Seattle that connect parks featured in the planning documents from the Olmsted brothers - you know, the guys who designed Central Park in New York. Well, in the early 1900’s, they supplied the City of Seattle a parks plan and many of the parks you know and love were on the plan: Volunteer Park, Green Lake, the Washington Arboretum. My friend Peter designed walks that connect the parks and parkways that if walked together will circumnavigate the city. Growing up in Seattle, I thought I knew my city. Walking these routes looking for photos has taught me that sometimes you never really know a place until your looking for that interesting little bridge or hidden public stairwell tucked between driveways. My shot list keeps growing and now that the images have been sent to the publisher, I will continue to explore these places. I had also forgotten that some of the parks I have always loved are still amazing places that deserve my attention. Another personal project, you ask? Yes, I think so.
And make sure you look for the book next October. Afraid you might forget? Do not worry, I will be reminding you as we go along.
In that mix of walking and re-walking miles of Seattle streets and parks, I was able to finish an essay about my first time in the Enchantments of Washington and how I overcame fears and confidence issues to open up to the experience. When I received the magazine, I found out I made the centerfold! LOL. You can find a copy here: https://www.mountaineers.org/mountaineer-magazine starting on page 22 or find the article on the Mountaineers Blog: https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/gaining-feet-and-fortitude-in-the-enchantments
Other adventures while trying to gather enough images for the Olmsted book found me calling it quits on a backpacking trip where the mosquitoes were so bad that I couldn’t breathe without inhaling one or two of the pests. One mosquito that had invaded my tent was so fat from my blood, she couldn’t fly. Even as I was applying bug repellant, they were landing on me as I was adding flavor to their human snack. By the time I got home, I counted 20 bites on my right butt cheek but only five on my left. The area was stunning and I do want to go back, just not at the height of mosquito season.
A camping and bicycling trip at the end of July helped me prepare for the Tour de Lavender in August. My second year on that ride and it is becoming a reliable annual event for me. Our company’s board meeting happened mid-August on the Oregon Coast so I took an extra day and meandered my way down the coast, stopping at locations I hadn’t stopped at before. Maybe there’s an Oregon Coast workshop in my future?
What have I got planned for the rest of the year? At this point not much. My external hard drive, my working hard drive, crashed on me at the beginning of July. I was able to recover many of the files however, so much of my time right now is cleaning up and organizing the files recovered. Because of this, many of my online social activities have taken a hit - Instagram posts are few and YouTube videos are at a standstill for a few more weeks at least. (Unless I can find a quick simple photo to document the behind the scenes of.) The Go Walk program in the Mountaineers asked for leaders, so I raised my hand. It will be another opportunity to explore places I haven’t explored before locally and I look forward to the more leisurely walks during the winter months. My sister will be hosting a haunted house for the neighborhood kids in Shelton - once again I will be playing a zombie in the graveyard. That is taking place on Halloween this year.
I wanted to chat a bit about opening yourself up to the unexpected. As mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to create photographs for my friend Peter’s book. His walking routes took me to places in Seattle that are well-known to me and several places where I thought, “Wait. This is in Seattle?” There were areas I was excited to explore because I knew I could get many images and others I thought I would struggle with finding anything usable. I have to admit, too, that there were a couple of places where I felt the need to have my pepper spray handy. Nearly every mile I walked, I found something to be joyful about. On one particular morning, I had to explore a heavily industrial area (walk past Boeing Field and huge box warehouses). I wasn’t in the mood to try to find anything picturesque in this industrial part of town as I walked with large trucks amid cement built on cement. Once in my car, I turned on one of my favorite photo podcasts: https://photowalk.show/episodes. The host began interviewing one of my photography idols on this particular episode, Dewitt Jones. Dewitt’s approach to photography has connected with my own desires of how I wanted to approach photography. His primary statement is to Celebrate what’s Right with the World through photography and living. Here is his Ted Talk on the subject: https://www.ted.com/talks/dewitt_jones_celebrate_what_s_right_with_the_world One simple statement he made during the interview reminded me that even in a subject deemed unattractive or even ugly, there is beauty - that “beauty isn’t in the eye of the beholder, but in the thing itself.” As I walked through this heavily urban area of Seattle, Dewitt’s words echoing in my head, I stopped and looked back on the path I had been walking - an urban trail I never knew existed - below me stretched a scene I had not expected that took my breath. While I am unable to share with you the exact image from that day, as it has been submitted for the design process and I don’t want to use any of the photos submitted until I am released to do so. The photo is one of my favorites from the experience, all because I was reminded to open myself up to the unexpected and see the beauty before me.
The image I shared above is also from walking the routes in the book but one I didn’t submit - I kept a few photos to myself. A lovely P-Patch in one of Seattle’s many parks had come alive with birds this fall and I found myself in the area longer than I had expected to photograph them like this dark-headed Junco framed by flowers. When you leave yourself open to the unexpected, you allow yourself the freedom to see the world.
Keep your eyes out for my calendar, also delayed because of the computer issues.
Did you know you can help support this journey into photography and nature by buying me a cup of coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/hiwalkerphoto
That is all for now, spend time exploring your worlds and I will see you on the next adventure.