Note 01 What 32 feels like—so far—

A fork in the trail— there’s a longer story coming here— two trails with two very different choices and ones that I have actively faced while out in woods before (Not even metaphorically). 

The choice to walk back down—through the well worn path towards the village that bears beautiful and known fruit, favorable conditions + certainty. 

And the small trail sign that points up the mountain—almost invisible through the wandering grasses. This trail hold all the unknown—but also the deep rooted clarity of alpine lakes, bountiful wildflowers + cliffside trails that open to vistas that take my breath away. There are no way points, no notes on what to expect around each turn— the weather app doesn’t work. The pause is in the uncertainty of rocky footing, of summer thunderstorms that soak—and also re-plenish— of nights under cold skies where you wake up feeling alive. 

-Next month I marry my best friend in these pivotal forests—alongside an alpine lake— 

-This summer I launch a new phase of this beautfiul work—with the help of now two wonderful new friends who helped me develop my voice—and cherished the journey of discovery with their own vulnerability + search for their own compass. 

-This year I document more intimate weddings, shoot more film and give myself the permission to navigate the “Two Trails” and wonder and marvel at each juncture. 

I am holding close the choice I know I will make—to take the journey up the mountain—and understanding that the village below is the place of safety and assurance and like magic—I can return to for limited time spans to re-fuel, pack up, and wade in the calm waters. 

More ahead—

“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inhales of unbounded freedom!”

— John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra (1911)