With kids, practicality often wins out over idealism. When I camp, I would much rather be completely alone on a sage flat or next to a small mountain lake than in a campground choked with campfire smoke, people on cell phones, and car alarms gone wild. However, with a 4-year-old, having a flush toilet and running water is sometimes just…well…easier.
So we found recently found ourselves in said campground on an end-of-summer trip to the Sierra Nevada. I had plans to photograph a few locations nearby that I scouted earlier in the summer and was excited to be back in the Range of Light. But, pulling into our campground, I was distracted by a large group of my favorite tree–aspen–on the hillside above our campground.
It will be a month or so before photographers descend by the hundreds on the eastern Sierra, but I didn’t really care that these trees weren’t yet showing their golden set of leaves. Aspen groves have a distinct smell; something about the trees, the grass, and the leaves on the ground gives a very unique and comforting fragrance. After dinner on our first night, my wife and son went to bed early so I walked alone for a long time, enjoying the different “sections” of the grove–interspersed with sagebrush–each one idiosyncratic, each one with its own personality. I made some images, trying to capture the temperament of the trees, whether they were twisted and weather-beaten, or growing straight and true towards the sky. Visiting this grove felt almost like visiting an old friend.
Aspen Grove I, September 2012
As I wandered further from my campsite, I thought about how the eastern Sierra is crawling with photographers year-round, yet I did not see another set of tripod legs or hear any clicks of the shutter anywhere around me. Again, in about a month, that won’t be the case here. “Why are these poor trees ignored for most of the year,” I wondered to myself.
Then I thought that perhaps this is the gift these trees have given me. If for only one night, I can stand among them, or lay in the grass watching the stars overhead and be completely alone–completely welcomed by the calm and the silence–even if I do have to camp in a “real” campsite.
There is refuge here, and I’m not talking about refuge from a few rogue campers. There is refuge for the soul.
Aspen Grove II, September 2012
…Only shooting stars break the mold… I couldn’t resist. Very much enjoyed the message here and take that to the 10th power on the photos.
Wow, thanks, David. That’s a huge compliment. And I like your ad lib on the title of the blog post, too!
Like you, I’m accustomed to camping at large or only in the very funkiest of official campgrounds. But I’m visiting a friend who’s working at the Grand Canyon South Rim this weekend, so it’s the giant campground experience for me too. Gotta talk myself into a cosmopolitan mindset! But morning and evening at the Canyon ought to make up for a lot.
Beautiful examples of the aspen trunk genre!
Thanks, Jackson.
The benefit of visiting the Grand Canyon post-Labor Day is that many of the crowds will be gone. If you go during the week the campground might be relatively empty. Still, I get what you’re saying.
What amazes me about some of those campgrounds is that people are content to not leave their site all day. Do they not know about the Grand Canyon less than a mile away? I guess when I visit a place like that I want to spend as much time in awe as possible.
Have fun…looking forward to seeing your images; the Grand Canyon is one of my favorite places.
Without that ‘refuge for the soul’ we’re lost. Excellent post.
I especially like that first one of the trunks. Great piece of work.
Thanks, PJ. I agree completely…we are lost without refuge for the soul. Wherever that may be, it’s important we find it.
Greg, I love the aspen images but especially number 1. The message, as always, resonates strongly. The joy of course is that in years to come you will be able to go “off piste” as a family and a 4 year old will soon be 8 and then a teenager and before you know it maybe you will be asking for the flush toilets.
Thanks, Andrew! I am laughing at the irony you point out…you are right, in the next few decades my own camping needs will change significantly; in fact, I might even settle for a hotel now and then.
Greg, how true.
Love the first image, which for me is about both the current beauty of this grove, but one that also conveys something of the future and the coming transition into fall. Lovely.
Thanks, Wesley. As always I appreciate your insight!
Nice post Greg! Sometimes those recharging spots show up where we least expect them. Nice work with the images here. I particularly like the seemingly half still / half blur in the first shot.
May you find a few more spots of refuge before you have lots of company! 🙂
Thanks, Mark, for your comment. I agree that sometimes the best things are the things we least expect to find…
I’m too camping with a 4 year old, so the ideal setup for photographic pursuits sure has to be balanced with the family’s needs!! Still, large campgrounds, to me, beat a hotel any day. I really like Aspen Grove 1!!
Thanks for commenting, Jeremy! I can sympathize completely with your need for balance between photography and family. I also can’t argue that the most crowded campground beats a hotel any day of the week…