The Trees With Orange Rings - Official Trailer. Watch on YouTube.
An Otherworldly Realm
The year-long anticipation, the waiting, hoping, wondering if, wondering when, the frustrations arising from pulling a story together, the wishing we had done things differently, the lightbulb moments, the wet boots, wetter cameras, anxiety, excitement and finally realization each in its own way fulfilling this dream. How could it all so perfectly find itself summarized into one image? The lush green tones of that old forest, the yellow in the owl’s eyes, every fine detail all the more capable of telling the story than I.
As the summer begins to wind down, I find myself reflecting on the brightest moments. And ironically, those brightest moments found their origin in the darkest places.
It is truly a portal, that place. A portal into an otherworldly realm.
Only Nature
Traversing through the various realms of the natural sciences over the course of a lifetime reveals a common theme: answers. For the purpose of science is to understand, to put two and two together, to solve problems and to find out why. In most cases, those answers are attainable. I find myself coming back to this theme frequently, that although science has and forever will shape who I am as a person, I hold within myself a sense of wonder that doesn’t always need an answer. Like appreciating the night sky for the way it appears, not worrying about the formula for its creation. And while I consider it my obligation to understand the workings of nature and to interpret those workings to others, I do not wish to speak irresponsibly for them. Only nature knows the true story.
Other than a few months worth of brief glimpses through thick timber, the story of this black wolf is unknown. There is something beautiful about that. In an age where most of the wolves in and around Yellowstone National Park are studied intently, it is comforting to know that anomalies still exist. The cutting edge wildlife research conducted here is the reason why wolf populations are allowed to thrive once again in the west, but I’d be willing to bet that the wolves we don’t see on a daily basis, those living their lives out of the reach of optics and radio telemetry devices are the ones making our most admired wildlife biologists smile the most.
This one made me smile, my young client too, laying eyes on his first wolf. I explained to him the mystery that this individual is to all of us, and that I didn’t expect to happen upon him in the way that we did. And I don’t expect it to happen again soon either.
Lines
Upper Hyalite Creek, Bozeman, Montana.
There Was a Forest Here
A few months ago, there was a forest here.
Now all that remain are the few.
All this time, I’ve been telling myself that the trees with orange rings are a good thing. For they are the trees that won’t be cut, the trees that will be here long after the loggers come through. While this is true, the actual image is more horrifying than I ever imaged it could be. This place I once knew, this beautiful forest along Brackett Creek in the Bridger Mountains, the forest that held some of my favorite experiences in nature, unforgettable moments with great gray owls and other wild things, will never be the same. The forest I walked countless miles through is hardly recognizable anymore, despite the few familiar trees that stood through it all. It’s hard not to think of hungry owlets crying out from the tops of them. Where did they go?
Where will I go? Is it foolish to continue to look for a bird that dwells in dark forests, when an industry wishes to let the light in? It seems that dreams of disappearing into nature are no longer attainable in the places they once were. This was one of those places, and not even three years after falling in love with it, it’s gone.
I long for new trees to walk through.
