Welcome, or welcome back to Backwoods and Beyond. For the past few years I haven’t been posting as I got overwhelmed by the news, social media, the pandemic and life in general. But I am about to embark on a new book and I wanted to share the process of its creation.

There is a photo project I have working off and on for the last 6 years or so. It started out as a portfolio of images taken in Yellowstone each winter. At the same time I have been journaling about my experiences skiing in the park and also studying the natural and cultural histories. In 2018 I created a show incorporating images printed with gum dicromate-the first color printing process that produces prints echoing the early paintings and hand-colored photos of Yellowstone. (To see how this process works click the Exploritorium tab in the menu) This past year I have been experimenting with using natural pigments made from rocks in the process. This has sparked an idea for putting together a handmade book incorporating those images and a series of micro–essays that explore the complicated questions arising from our relationship to wilderness, to the more-than-human world and the profound impacts of our disconnect from nature. If we have any hope of responding to climate change, it will require us to reimagine our world view and reintegrate our way of living to be part of rather than apart from the rest of the ecosystems we depend on for our survival.

The book will be a chronicle of my personal journey toward that new vision. As a way of keeping myself accountable and focused, I will be posting periodic updates here of the process of creating the book, both the photographic and writing, as I develop it. If you are interested in following along on my journey please subscribe to the blog–or simply check in here at Backwoods and Beyond whenever you like.