leaving salmon (2023) (Patreon)

Salmon is my local National Forest out here (I never mention where I live exactly online, but suffice it to say, it's pretty close to the heart of it). I haven't actually really explored it as much as I should have since moving out here; the extremely long and harsh winter and several close calls I had with people threatening me while I was out taking photos didn't help my drive to explore. Those close calls, the long winter, and a general sense of depression have kept me in a sort of stasis for the summer, at least when I'm at home. I apply for jobs, write a couple of stories here and there, and poke at my phone, simply because it feels like there is nothing else to do.

I am trying to leave Idaho soon, and although I've made almost no progress on that front (fun time to have a resume whose experience is "digital media" and "software"), the mere idea of life moving forward again has been enough to shock me out of my doldrums and want to be active again. I have started making life changes I was putting off until an unspecified future (quitting smoking, eating healthier) and I've started going back out to shoot photos again, which has proved to be its own well of joy and inspiration.

This shot is from my trip to Bannack; I took it on Idaho 29, which is a two-lane gravel road cutting through an incredible mountain pass (which you'll assuredly see a photo of at some point in the near future; it's stunning). Idaho 29 is not that far from me and I'd never driven it since I moved; seeing something so gorgeous so close has made me want to go out and take even more photos. I've started making a list of winding roads and ghost towns and mountains I want to go shoot, and it feels good, like I'm out of hibernation and back to being myself. I've often said I couldn't quit photography if I tried, but I never realized how crucial regularly shooting is to my overall mental health. 

I hope I can keep the momentum going even if I don't end up leaving Idaho, but I guess I will find out with time. In the meantime I'm going to go shoot more photos until inspiration either moves me onward, or leaves me.