This photograph is now in a group show.
Over this last summer of 2009, I've been going on a lot of hikes along the Columbia River Gorge region between Oregon and Washington forests and mountains. I go with my friends who are expert hikers. They are my guides. They have seen incredible views of St. Helen, and other Colorado range. I'm always amazed that they rarely photograph the views. I climb the hills for the views. I've been lead up to Indian Point's secret spot. Some of the trails are hidden like this particular spot of Indian Point where I took this photograph. I gaze down and out towards the mighty Columbia River. My guides points to the opposite side of the River to Dog Mountain's peak. The ground below has signs of modern industries, cars, and damns. There are signs that the landscape is changing. I try to imagine the time when the Native Americans looked out to these majestic land before industrialization. These are some of the most sacred spots. On Silver Star Mountain trails, there is a path through huckleberry berries and brambles which leads to a sacred spot. The Native Americans build a shallow pit made of rocks. The initiate will then lay in the pit for a day perhaps night and wait for a vision. For me, the hike is a meditation of breaths, and exhaustion of body and mind. I carry my problems with me in my head and try to unpack them along the way, to work them out and wait for insights. Dropping a problem here and there and picking up new vision, insights and preserve them in my camera. I always carry a camera or two with me on these excursions. The images show a privilege view and make my physical exertion worthwhile. I carry these visions to the flat land and share them with my friends. I'm always proud of them and know that someday I won't be able to climb any more and will be glad to have the hard earned views. Photography allows me to capture the vision, a modern invention to express what has always been inside for those who choose not to share.
The blog post regarding show is flatfile.blogspot.com
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