Shapes and Spoons
FEBRUARY 6, 2024
A granite pool next to the Tuolumne River near Waterwheel Falls.
Some of my favorite Ansel Adams photogrpahs are black and white granite shapes and reflections. So when I see one, I do the picture just to see what it might look like. I loved the grays, blacks, and small amount of white in this picture. The Yin and Yang of water and stone.
This trip yielded quite a few pictures that I love and show up on this website. The pictures aside, something else happened that was a lesson to remember. On the first day of the backpacking trip down the Tuolumne River canyon I stopped for lunch after walking about nine miles. I'm sitting there getting my stove, freeze-dried food, pot, gas, and sitting pad all set up. Plus the food storage. In Yosemite you must use a National Park ranger tested and approved bear-proof plastic can for the food storage. Getting this thing out usually means unpacking everything because for weight distribution it's at the bottom of the pack with the sleepig bag stuffed around the extra space. So it's not just the stove, pot and whatever. It's pretty much everything out and all over the place. So I"m all unpacked, delicious freeze-dried meal picked out, and ready to get started.
Where's the spoon?
The stinking spoon was nine miles up-canyon someplace in my truck. What to do? I hunted around and found a roughly spoon shaped piece of wood and whipped out the small pocket knife I bring on trips. Twenty minutes later I had a useable spoon that was used three times a day for four days.
My temporary backpacking spoon.
A few lessons were learned.
The first was to always keep a small knife handy. You don't need something to battle grizzly bears with, but it needs to be useful. The teeny tiny Swiss Army knifes are too small. The slightly bigger one works well. Especially if it has the reaming tool. Toothpick and tweezers are absolutely necessary.
Secondly, I immediately hit REI after getting home and bought a long handled titanium spoon with a little carabiner attached. This stays with my titanium pot at all times. The long handle allows for stirring the contents of the freeze dried food in the packets they wait in, lurking like a freeze dried troll waiting for you to enjoy the delicious goodness. Your hands are dirty, keep them away from the food you're eating.
Third, I started making packing lists for the sundry types of trips I do. You don't need the same items for backpacking as for going to Spain to the Aquabike world championships. Then, and this is important, I make a list during the trip of things I forgot. Then those forgotten items go onto the main list for the next trip.
Finally, when I go backpacking I now pack everything into the backpack before leaving home. Every single piece of equipment is laid out and checked off the list before going into the pack. Then everything goes into the truck and on the trip. I even pack the cameras and don't bother with pictures before starting the hike.
So, keep your eyes open when out doing pictures because nice pictures can be found and made in what you might otherwise walk past. You won't always get the amazing breaking storm or clean light sunrise/sunset. Oftentimes a person needs to make lemonaide from a lemon. You might surprise yourself with your creativity with making these happen.
As always I need to link to my Bend wedding photography and Bend portrait photography sites.