I knew photographing the Ice Age Trail would be a unique challenge. From a purely photographic standpoint, the worst possible way to photograph the Ice Age Trail is to backpack the entire Ice Age Trail. But I knew hiking the whole trail would be the best way to experience the Ice Age Trail. So there are many tradeoffs. Even though this is a photography project, photography often took a back seat to covering miles. Backpacking an entire National Scenic Trail and creating a photography book simultaneously was full of physical, mental, and photographic challenges
On Foot
When your only means of getting anywhere is walking, it severely limits your ability to be in the right place at the right time, which is the most essential element in photography. Without a car, I am where I am throughout the day and again when I finish for the night. Sometimes I’d pass through a town and not photograph anything at all. Every town on the Ice Age Trail is full of great stories and photos, but sometimes I had to keep moving. For example, when I passed through the Village of Valders, it was 9 am on a Saturday, and I was headed for St. Nazians, where I would be a guest of the Holy Resurrection Monastery. I wanted to get there in time to photograph a day in the life of the Monastery. So Valders, unfortunately, isn’t included. This was the case for many towns, businesses, and sometimes an entire trail segment. The timing just didn’t work out.
Tradeoffs
I wanted most of the images in the book to be from the hike. I made a few exceptions and returned to places Like the Dells of the Eau Claire. When I passed through late on a 95-degree day after completing a 17-mile day. I was exhausted even experiencing some vertigo. If I had a cell signal, I think I would have called Nazan and had her come get me and abort the hike for rest of the week. It was one of the few times on the trail I had serious worries about my well-being. The following morning I was still not feeling great, so before I continued the hike, I rested rather than climbing around on slippery rocks photographing the Dells. Later on, I did get a chance to return with my car and in better health to get some photos. It’s a lot easier to create good pictures when you are comfortable and well-rested.
One mile at a time
Backpacking almost 1200 miles at 2 miles per hour adds up to 600 hours of just walking. That is equal to fifteen 40-hour workweeks. After spending a long day on my feet with a pack on my back, there was cooking dinner and setting up camp. Then I had to put the camera around my neck and attempt to create some photos. Sometimes I had the energy and forced myself to do it. Other times getting some rest seemed more important. Occasionally when I chose to rest, a beautiful sunset would suddenly materialize out of a grey, overcast evening, sending me scrambling for my camera. I’d be cursing at myself that I hadn’t scouted out a better location to better frame the intense sunset. The opposite would also happen, I had a great location, but the light was disappointing.
Good days and bad days
There was never a day I didn’t take any photos, but I came very close on several days. The day I hiked into Birchwood, I woke up to a beautiful sunrise and rainbow over a lake I set up camp beside. I didn’t even get dressed before grabbing my camera to get photos in the few minutes before the rain started. Then I packed up camp and had breakfast in a downpour. The wind and rain didn’t let up the rest of the day as the cold front advanced. I finally arrived in Birchwood in the early afternoon, completely soaked and freezing. I had lunch in a diner and checked into a hotel instead of camping. I pulled my wet gear out of the pack in the hotel room and hung it up to dry. I did laundry in the sink, took a long hot bath, and then a nap. Instead of taking any more photos that evening, I sat on a dry bed with a bottle of wine the rest of the evening, just relishing being indoors after six days on the trail.
Overall I am happy with the photography I captured on the Ice Age Trail, although there are many things I wished I had the time or the energy to include. There are many images that I wish were better executed or better light. Not every individual photo is my best work, but that is the nature of photojournalism. You do the best with what you have in front of you. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the challenge, had a great adventure, and I hope you enjoy the photography.
