A Week At Waubonsie…Day 3
Pictured above: Mincer Trail
Mincer Interpretive and Picnic Area trail is short and uncomplicated. Measuring only around .3 miles and surrounded by forest it’s the perfect place to slow down and explore. The intricate webbing of endless branches and the constant chatter and chirp of the local wildlife provide a haven of rich nature. I was able to easily wander off the trail when it suited me and get different perspectives. I enjoyed it immensely. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t emerge until two hours and about three hundred photos later.
One of my goals while at Waubonsie was to slow down and be more patient and mindful before pressing the shutter button. Somewhere along my photography journey I have developed a habit of rushing through the photographic part of my process. I cannot say why exactly, I just know that it is rare for me to leave a location and not feel as though I just rushed through and snapped a bunch of pictures. A feeling often confirmed while culling (choosing which photos to keep and which to trash) and editing the photos. I was not entirely successful at Waubonsie in changing this habit and, to be fair, several years of routine cannot be changed in a single week, but I did learn that listening is key.
The Picnic Trail was peaceful and calm in the chilly morning air. I fell into an easy walk and took in my surroundings feeling tranquil and reflective. I could pick out the skitter of ground squirrels and the rat-a-tat of red headed woodpeckers. I found myself standing still for several minutes as the branches above created a slight hum in the wind. I moved on walking slower and listening…sometimes stopping to photograph, sometimes wandering off the trail into piles of decaying leaves, enjoying the sound my boots made on along the way. The slowing down became more about listening than picture making.
That evening I took my camera and decided to wander around the area near the cabins. Behind one of the other cabins I noticed a deck just inside the tree line and decided to check it out. I was excited to find a trail leading through the trees, past the deck and down along a ridge line. On either side the ground sloped gradually into leaf filled crevices. Again, I couldn’t help but notice the quiet. Even the squirrels seemed to have gone for the night. About midway along the ridge, completely caught up in the peace and surrounding trees I got a weird sense I was being watched. Standing as still as possible I glanced to left. My heart leap when I caught sight of something sitting a couple hundred yards away on a fallen tree trunk. An owl! A gorgeous, barred owl! Until now I had completely forgot about the camera in my hands. I quickly worked to get the settings right and then hoped that somehow at least one of them would turn out. It was only my second encounter with an owl and I knew my time was limited. After a few quick snaps the owl swung his head away from me, hunched a bit and then flew away. Those were the only photos I took that night.
Barred Owl at Waubonsie.
I had not been through all the photos from my hike along Mincer and the Picnic trails until recently. There’s nothing about them that is award winning or even print worthy but they do transport me back to that morning and that feeling of tranquility. The photos themselves are of the trails and trees and the wildlife. They’re simple and quiet. They show me that sometimes listening is far more beneficial than clicking.
Pictured above: Tree branches in the morning light on Picnic Trail.
A “Week in Waubonsie” is my latest series I created after spending my first artist in residency at Waubonsie State Park in the Loess Hills. I’m excited to be sharing this journey over the next several weeks as I also begin the process of developing my first official collection, also titled “A Week in Waubonsie”. I hope you return soon to see the latest release or you can sign up below to receive automatic email notifications.
