As the snow was beginning to thaw a couple of weeks ago, I decided to head to Koteewi and take a hike OFF the trails. (Rebel, I know!). The way the park is configured with the river running through it (reminds me of a movie I recently watched), there was a vast area of terrain that I was really interested in exploring. This large area of land is situated at the bend in the river, which also causes this area to be underwater once the river rises from the snowmelt and spring rains.
Even though I know countless people had walked these woods before, part of me felt like an explorer – discovering this new “frontier” for all of Hamilton County! (I tend to think a lot when I hike – sometimes strange thoughts occur to me.)
At the bend of the river I saw many signs of the power that rushing water can have. Trees were uprooted, stacked one on top of another against still-standing timber. This image of the tree branch being “caught” in the grips of another tree is certain evidence of the power that water has on items it grabs in its wake. I converted it to black & white in order to contribute to the starkness that the still-dormant scene provided my eyes.
I’ve been reading a lot of photography books over the winter and one author explained that we should approach shooting photos as a way to tell a story . As I was pondering this potential shot, my mind started racing…How long has thee limb been there; How high was the water when it got snared; How in the world did the limb get snagged around three different trunks; How far upriver did it travel??? All kinds of questions…a story in my mind’s eye.
An interesting thing occurred on the hike that told me I would actually be a HORRIBLE explorer. HORRIBLE. I’ll explain later.
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