After hiking in the Columbia Gorge for over 20 years, I began to see the commonplace in new ways.  Streams I had walked by and admired in the past became subjects for the camera, and I watched them more closely on my travels.  I started to find places where the water and the light somehow combined to make something that was not just water, not just light, but a new and magical substance that could be captured on film.   It took a lot of practice and careful observation to develop the technique of creating the photos of water that I do.  They help me recall the experience of a place so much better than my early attempts.  

The thrill of exploration and discovery is what keeps me returning to wild places.  Without it, my life would become far less interesting and fulfilling.  My belief is that wilderness nurtures and restores the soul of those connected to it.  We are all connected in different ways.  For some it is a deep and intimate connection; for others the benefit is simply to breathe the clean air the forest produces for us, drink the pure water from its lakes, or eat a delicious fish spawned from its rivers.  For many, we are unaware of these benefits.  

It is not necessary that we travel to the woods to experience that connection.  But I ask people everywhere to look for that connection in daily life, to realize its value and what would result if we lost or destroyed it.  The land nurtures us in many ways; in our modern world it is easy to overlook Nature's role and lose it behind layers of technology and the pressures of society.  Nature offers many rewards unconditionally to every living being, whether or not we accept a responsibility for protecting it.  That realization has enriched my enjoyment of the wild, and keeps me whole.