Reflections from the Journey

After getting back to my camp at Roan Mt. State Park in TN, cooked myself a VERY tasty omelette and tried to decide on where to shoot next.  The combination of my early rising, hiking with a 30-ish pound pack, and full belly, however, made me quite sleepy so I opted to take a nap before making any decisions.  Yep, that’s just what I needed, a nice relaxing nap.

Ever try taking a nap in a campground in the middle of the day?

Doesn’t happen.  Between the kids, the dogs, and the gossipy women I didn’t get much of a nap.   For the record, if you are going camping and trying to decide whether to take your son or daughter’s bicycle with plastic training wheels, DON’T.

So having no luck in the nap department, I decided to take a hike down one of the nearby trails that followed a river for a while.  I wasn’t expecting much in the way of photo opportunities, but I thought the hike would be relaxing.  It didn’t take long for the noisy buzz of the campground to be left behind and replaced by the gurgle of the river.  I even found something interesting to photograph:

When I reached the far end of the trail I sat down on a bench built near the water to think and pray for a while.  It was definitely what I needed.  I don’t know how long I sat there watching the play of the light on the flowing water, because time had no meaning to me right then.  Suddenly I heard (in my mind), “Why don’t you photograph what you are watching?  Isn’t it grand enough for you?”  I can remember thinking, “No, it’s a just an average creek.”  Before I even really finished the thought I was struck with an overwhelming feeling akin to humility.  I realized that since I view photographing Creation as an act of worship of the Creator nothing in all of Creation should be unworthy.   Beauty is found even in the mundane.  After all, wasn’t I just moments before caught up in watching that very creek.

I don’t know why I hesitate to obey when I hear His voice.  I guess I still have lingering doubts to my own worthiness to fulfill the vision He has given me.  I’m also afraid of mistaking my own desires for His voice, though I know the closer I am the clearer His voice.

So anyway, I obeyed.  I experimented trying to capture what I was seeing.  That isn’t an easy feat capturing  fluid, moving water in a still format.  While I may not have gotten award winning photographs, it was a great exercise in both holy obedience and photography.

Feeling refreshed and invigorated in many ways, I headed back to my camp.  After cooking some dinner I climbed in the Jeep and headed back to Carver’s Gap. On the way there, this time, I stopped to take some photos to help remind me of one of the reasons why I do what I do:

My hope is that by teaching nature photography from an aspect of godliness and Creation Care that there will be fewer signs & destruction like this in the future as we learn to steward what God has given us.

I made it to Carver’s Gap and then drove further up the mountain to a parking area about a half mile hike from Roan High Knob.  There is a small wooden deck area at the end of the Cloudland Trail (the “real” one not the one I hiked on Day 1!) where I was to meet the other Carolina Nature Photographers Association members.  The trail was covered in a beautiful mist and I had to put on my blinders to make sure I got to the end in time for sunset.

I did, however, have to stop and shoot this one image because I loved the metaphor of renewal it portrayed:

A young hemlock sapling growing between the roots
of a dying mature hemlock.

Reaching the end of the trail, this was waiting there to greet me:

So, we really didn’t get a sunset, but none of us were complaining.  God is good.