I can't really post this image without writing a bit, sorry. It is necessary to do as an artistic combination to summarize the rewards absorbed on a very fulfilling-solo outing. I crossed deep creeks and fell various times on a path that weaves through trails, abandoned roads and the abandoned town of monte cristo. It was a journey I started reluctantly at the late hour of 3pm, and finished on the dark-abandoned road at around 11pm. 12.5 miles in total for that day.
Some prose:
I travel up the road that is sparsely lit by a lazy and fading sun; at this point I am only bathed in a feeling of warm and comfortable security; the feeling that tells me that if my legs were to go out here, it would be a decent place to be stranded for the moment.
I pass the-small abandoned(perhaps haunted?) town where industry, love and future promise were once as prolific as the heather that laced the looming meadows above. All that fills the void of aforementioned currently, is a cryptic sensation buried within the trenches of any soul that passes by the abandoned-mining town ( add a notch to the sensation if traveling alone). Anything that was once home to activitiy and exuberance and is now barren creates a very haunting effect. Abandoned carnivals, desolate resorts, maybe it is the irony that chills us. I trudge upward, wondering how many generations of boot steps are sandwiched on top of each other. Each step, like the steps of those that landed once before, brings one closer to the destination of the journey:whether that be solitude, gold or sheer amazement.I scale higher and higher and finally reach an open section beyond the town and witness the crushing descent of weden creek in precession to the evenly lit peaks in their highest states. The creek swells and swells with fodder from the various cascades, until it explodes with amazing force in the form of an iconic falls to the area. I stand and revel in my accomplishment at the top, and breathe in the various emotions of those from the past that seem to still linger densely here.
[sigma 10-20, lee grad, polarizer]
Posted by Curtis Knight on July 15, 2007 at 10:53 AM
nicely captured and well-said Trevor. Sounds like a great day in spite of the stumbling and what I'm sure was mighty cold creek crossings! And you came away with a great photo.
I assume this is the Monte Cristo in Gifford Pinchot? I didn't realize there had actually been a town there. I thought it was just the name of a mountain.
Fantastic sky color and an innovative composition. I'd dodge out the dark water a bit, and selectively desaturate some reds and blues down there just a little. You could also correct that halo around the distant ridge. Both minor points. Sounds like a wonderful adventure in the mountains, much like some of my own recent forays.
The mountain and the hill in front of it look a bit too dark. I'll also go along with Marc's saturation suggestions. A little more processing and I think you have a a killer image.It sounds like quite the adventure.
Discussion
7 repliesSome prose:
I travel up the road that is sparsely lit by a lazy and fading sun; at this point I am only bathed in a feeling of warm and comfortable security; the feeling that tells me that if my legs were to go out here, it would be a decent place to be stranded for the moment.
I pass the-small abandoned(perhaps haunted?) town where industry, love and future promise were once as prolific as the heather that laced the looming meadows above. All that fills the void of aforementioned currently, is a cryptic sensation buried within the trenches of any soul that passes by the abandoned-mining town ( add a notch to the sensation if traveling alone). Anything that was once home to activitiy and exuberance and is now barren creates a very haunting effect. Abandoned carnivals, desolate resorts, maybe it is the irony that chills us. I trudge upward, wondering how many generations of boot steps are sandwiched on top of each other. Each step, like the steps of those that landed once before, brings one closer to the destination of the journey:whether that be solitude, gold or sheer amazement.I scale higher and higher and finally reach an open section beyond the town and witness the crushing descent of weden creek in precession to the evenly lit peaks in their highest states. The creek swells and swells with fodder from the various cascades, until it explodes with amazing force in the form of an iconic falls to the area. I stand and revel in my accomplishment at the top, and breathe in the various emotions of those from the past that seem to still linger densely here.
[sigma 10-20, lee grad, polarizer]
I assume this is the Monte Cristo in Gifford Pinchot? I didn't realize there had actually been a town there. I thought it was just the name of a mountain.
Tom