"Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley."
Theodore Roethke
My hiking and photography craze started in 2012 when we first went out west. Before that I'd been on trails but nothing like what I saw in California that summer. First time as an adult seeing mountains, ocean, desert, and the biggest trees all in one trip. It was life changing.
I came back to Indiana to find myself in a little bit of a funk missing the beauty I saw that summer. I went on a mission that fall to find beauty in my home state.
Because all great quests need a name I called it Hiketober. There were many adventures but my favorite was the day I spent in Yellowwood with my Dad. He was an avid fisherman, hunter, hiker, and all around adventurist in his day. And as it would turn out Yellowwood was just the first of many secret locations that he helped me to discover.
There was no way to fathom then how thankful I would be that he took me there. I never get tired of visiting and have been able to share it with other family members. It will always be a place that I can remember my dad and think about him when he was happiest in life and living how he wanted to live. Not only is it my place to remember him, it has become my family's place to think about my dad. We didn't hike it that day but my favorite Indiana trail (so far) is Yellowwood Lake Trail.
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out,
I found, was really going in.
John Muir
On the first trip we spent some quality time together driving all around the state forest, taking lots and lots of photos, walking, talking, and laughing. He even took me to his favorite spot — a quaint little boat dock. Towards the end of the afternoon after exploring Yellowwood Lake my Dad let me know that there was one more stop to another lake. He didn't know what it was called but was certain he could find it. I like to think of it as a "little secret lake" but it's actually called Crooked Creek Lake thanks to Google we found out later.
Even though my Dad hadn't visited the lake in years, he was thrilled that he knew right where the road was and he took us right to it. My dad didn't visit the State Parks or the National Parks, he liked to go to the less known, less traveled places where you could seek solitude and replenish your spirit. Yellowwood is one of those places and Crooked Creek Lake is even more so off of the beaten path.
After our scenic drive to the secret lake we stopped at a little spot to take a short walk in the woods. On that walk I happened to look up. Do you ever do that? If not try it. Just stop, look up and take a deep breath. You might see something that takes your breath away. I did.
There is something about looking at the sky through the forest and now I find myself doing it every time I'm on a trail.
My favorite part of this little walk? Well there were two things really. The first was the story my dad told me. He used to hunt here when he was a younger man. One of the times when he was out, duty called (if you know what I mean). He sat down on a log and got comfortable and proceeded to take care of business. After a few minutes he was ready to move on and continue hunting when he heard a voice from above asking “do you feel better?” Turned out he wasn't alone. Another hunter with a sense of humor was in a stand nearby. We had a good belly laugh as he recalled that gem of a memory.
The other thing that I will never forget him talking about a grove of pines deep in the woods that he really wanted us to hike to. He said it reminded him of places he had been before on trips out west. It was too far of a walk for that day but we'd make it back when he was feeling better. He also wanted us both to see them with snow on the ground. Sadly we didn’t make it back to see that grove of pines but I'd like to find them for us one day.
"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of
trees; and a blue true dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which
is infinite, which is yes.
E.E. Cummings
After that first trip Yellowwood became an annual stop with my dad during Hiketober. We continued to take scenic drives and little walks around the forest.
The very next year when we arrived at the boat ramp which was one of his favorite stops, I saw something I'll never forget. My breath was literally taken away at the way the clouds reflected in the water. The view reminded me of a song that came out that year by The Band Perry called "Don't Let Me Be Lonely". She sings "When you’re young you can fly but we trip on clouds cause we get too high" Anytime I hear that song it brings so much emotion because I think of that day, of those clouds that looked like you could almost walk on them. My dad was a person who could do anything and in his daughter's eyes he could walk on clouds. I hope that when we got out on our adventures he felt that way again like I did when I was with him.
So there we were back at this little boat dock in a small Indiana forest. There it was that feeling again. The one I had out west I was feeling it here in Indiana. That split second when your breath is taken from you because your heart and mind haven't caught up with what your eyes are seeing. If I take a moment to think I can start to recall each time that has happened to me. And folks, it didn't happen at home during "Netflix and chill" couch time.
In that moment I realized there is beauty everywhere. The thing is that you actually have to get out and find it.
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir
In October of 2017 I lost my dad. There are too many things for me to list out here that my dad was to me. He was my hero. He was always there for me. He saw me. Like really saw and understood me. He inspired me. And he was the first one to call me a photographer.
Every year my husband and I would go on trips and would often stop at places my dad loved. I would bring back photos so that he could see how the landscape has changed. He would talk and reminisce. During these conversations we would often get little leads from my dad for the next year’s trip. These times talking to him about my trips and looking though the moments captured in photographs seemed to really make him happy.
Looking back I realize that my love for photography wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for my dad. This blog is my way of sharing secret places through my photography and sharing that we can find beauty everywhere. Not just on our travels but at home as well. Even at a little boat dock in a little State forest.I decided I needed to start from the beginning, and this was the beginning for me. I love you dad thank you for your inspiration and for seeing something in me that I didn’t.
"I carry your heart with me. I carry it in my heart."
E.E. Cummings
Photo taken Father's Day Weekend 2018.