The lyricist wrote, "Miles from nowhere, guess I'll take my time...". Was he talking about the high country of the mountain west? Maybe. Certainly that sentiment pervades my attitude when I go.
Long miles, steep hikes. Sometimes with heavy packs. Sometimes with llamas to carry the load. Sometimes with horses. Always with food that leaves you wanting. And views that leave you wanting more.
This country was created and set aside for those who like the challenge of getting there, reluctant to return home. For those who will never get the opportunity to trek the rocky trails I offer the perspective captured from my lens: mirrored lakes, peaks afire with the light of golden hour, vistas of the vastness of this space.
Hiking into one of my favorite areas in the Sawtooths many years ago I met a man in his 80s. We were miles from the trailhead at a point just past one of the hardest summits on this particular trail. He moved slowly, purposefully - carefully, with the knowledge of one who had been here many times. And with the wisdom perhaps, that not many times remained. We stopped and chatted briefly, as new trail friends are wont to do, then continued our separate journeys. A lifetime separated us; the love of this place forever connected us. I imagine he is gone now, the trail a more lonely place for it. What remains are the pictures of the places he loved, the places I love, the places I have shared here hoping that you will love them too.