Journey's End – Ten Years After

 

The original Odyssey was designed to have a beginning, a middle and an end. I returned to the field one last time in November 2022, sure that I'd reached my end in more ways than one.

I carried with me all the film in the world I had left. It wasn't much.

 

Late season light along Superior's southern shore ranges from stark to sublime with little room between. Given the limitations of film, the light often proved nettlesome.

By then, I was well prepared for that.

 

Each successive day of fieldwork got squeezed a bit harder at both ends. There simply weren't many productive hours to be had, regardless of conditions.

And it was cold.

 

The final day of my Superior Odyssey went by lickety split.

As light ran short, I headed to where the wild Presque Isle River enters deep Ottawa National Forest on its way to the big lake.

In other words, I went home.

 

That afternoon, the woods were silent.

 

Not even birds uttered any sound.

 

Only my beloved wild river spoke softly to me.

 

With the last of my film, I responded.

 

The light grew increasingly difficult.

 

Time ran out.

 

After 26,000+ miles over 14 grueling months and with 20 sheets of short-dated large format transparency still left to my name, I shut down 30+ years of fieldwork and called it a career.

By then I was physically, emotionally and professionally spent. Can't say I was exactly unhappy to see it all end, in the moment.

The car at least, could be made warm.

 

A year or so later, Heather informed me I couldn't not be a photographer any longer.

The wholly unexpected transition over to digital capture caused this entire project to evolve from original intent into...

Something else, over time.

They say Man makes plans, god laughs.

So here we are, ten long and still reasonably productive years after.