Fortress of Solitude

Modeled (extremely) vaguely on Superman's abode.

I took my view camera out with me today to take some shots of Mt. Rainier, but by the time I left the house, clouds had moved in and that was not going to happen. I remembered an area along the upper stretch of South Prairie Creek where I had gotten some almost good shots, and headed there to try to do better ones.

I have been using photography as my exercise time; I have been trying to recover some strength because my endurance has been really terrible for the last year or so. I got as far as where you can see above when I had to set the view camera down; footing was treacherous and I didn’t trust myself to carry it safely across the stubble on this path. (Someone had come in with a big mower and chopped through big blackberry vines, and I wanted to see what might be available for a photo.)

So I set the tripod and camera down and continued with just my 35mm Sony and a very small, light lens. I was disappointed to find that the new pathway comes to a place where I’ve been before—and there is a much safer path to it higher up the hill. Ugh!

When I turned around to walk back—I had to pick up my tripod and camera; no way to use the easy path—I saw the equipment outlined in the sunlight, which had come back for a few minutes. I thought immediately of how safe and strong the enclosing forest looked. Despite my mobility issues, it gave me a huge feeling of pleasure; I really love still being able to do photography out in nature. That lonely but strong tripod sitting there explains, for me, why I do it: it’s where I belong; nature is my fortress.

Hence the title at the top of the page. Superman’s fortress was in the ice at the North Pole; mine is in the mush and bramble of the Pacific Northwest. I don’t think it matters what one’s personal fortress looks like; it’s having one that matters.

Photo with Sony A1 camera and Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2.8 lens.

And what did I find at the end of that path? A nice open view of South Prairie Creek. Pardon the odd-shaped composite image; I assembled it from some handheld shots I took before I headed back to pick up the tripod.