Doing With Less to Achieve the Most

 I stirred back to life from a questionable sleep to discover a sharply defined night sky filled with chandeliers of stars. No moon was out and light pollution was virtually nonexistent. I had slept little. Just dozed, here and there, waiting for the constellation Orion to climb high enough to breach the top of the ridge surrounding my campsite. Thought it might peek through the canopy of tall, ancient trees outlining the blue-black sky dome inside of which I was encased.

It must have been around midnight when I climbed out of my sleeping bag. The dog days of summer were but a distant memory, and winter hovered a few weeks away, so the air possessed a refreshing chill to it with the aroma of dry, late fall leaves covering the ground. Smoke from the campfire was but a smoldering ghost of itself by this time, but remnant aspirations settled low across the ravine below me illuminated by the ambient glow of thousands of stars. My purpose, well, first of all I just wanted to get away for a while. Secondly, I wanted to do some nature and woodland style photography and should clear skies prevail, do some night sky photography taking advantage of the dark skies of Mammoth Cave National Park.

My camp for early December was spartan; a small tarp draped over a stretch of paracord with a small ground cloth, sleeping pad, and a sleeping bag tucked underneath. I had backpacked into the backcountry of the park, and contrary to what I would normally carry, to save weight I purposely reduced the amount of gear I carried including my camera gear bringing only a Nikon for the main video both the A-roll and B-roll segments, a Sony for still shots, plus one extra lens and a few extra batteries. 

The only luxuries I afforded myself were two tripods, a smallish one for video, and my regular one for the still photography. I could have gotten by with but one, even so, the camera gear alone added several pounds to my packing gear which had mysteriously grown heavier by the time I reached my destination the day before.

Camping gear was basic with the tarp and sleeping bag being the most important portion, but I also brought along enough food and cooking gear for a two day stay, a small camp stove in case it rained, and a water filtration system to provide for clean water...

...not far from the camp, a spring created a light shower of water that gently tumbled off the top of a bluff to provide more than enough clean water... A few other basic extras completed my gear list. 

Doing with less to achieve the most, became the theme of this nature outing. Being somewhat hobbled with a troublesome hip encouraged me to reduce the overall weight of my gear. I was still able to limp along at a good pace, just had to take more breaks along the way.

 Doing with less prompts one to fully use what you do have. A tent would have been a nice luxury, but not necessary for the weather report indicated little chance of rain. The tarp would be more than adequate and I preferred its simplicity. Even in a moderate rain the tarp would provide enough protection. More camera gear would have only added more weight and not improved my chances of capturing some good photos. I actually carried more than I really needed, but used all of it.

I brought plenty of food, some dehydrated things, along with packages of oatmeal, and trail snacks, plus warm gear for the season and could have stretched my food into a third day if I needed to. Doing with less actually made the outing more enjoyable. There certainly were far fewer things to keep up with. I was able to spend some quality time just relaxing around the campfire writing in my adventure journal. 

Life is too easy sometimes. Being retired makes it too tempting to just do nothing, which is okay for a while, but not all the time. Forcing yourself to rough it and to become more self reliant strengthens resolve and confidence. It transports you into another realm where physical activity combined with a purpose lifts your emotional state to where satisfaction becomes the end result. Even as a photographer, being forced to use lesser equipment encouraged me to think through the process more thoroughly.  Instead of simply shooting a lot photos hoping one or two might turn out, I began to search for, and then see specific photo opportunities. Observing how the light filtered through and highlighted the landscape, I was able to focus more on moment defining shots.

 After doing so, checking out the finished photos reminded me of how enjoyable the outing was, and how rewarding roughing it can become. Those photos might be some of the most memorable ones I may ever take, because they are forever tied to a place and time, places and times locked into my memory banks by aromas, sounds, stillness, and visual beauty.

A backpacking photography adventure removes the boredom one might possess by sitting around the house. Got my heart to pumping again, lungs to working more deeply, and more calories were burned by limbering up the legs, shoulders, back, and...well pretty much the whole body. By the end of a couple of days, the beltline seemed looser as well. Although I'm in reasonably good shape for an old guy, all the new aches, additional stiff joints, and surprisingly sore muscles, helped me to appreciate more fully the luxuries I too often take for granted.

Time seemed to slow down, as a contrast to the often self imposed hurried and hectic life. The day seemed longer, the evening tarried well into the night, and a tired but relaxed state of mind prevailed. Yet, when it was over and time to pack up, it all seemed to fly by much to fast. This was my third backpacking trip into Mammoth Cave NP that season, and since then I have longed to return, and will do so when the season changes again. Until then, I will do much the same kind of thing, biding my time by paddling my canoe toward new and exciting outdoor adventures. A canoe fishing/camping/photo trip appears to be on order sometime soon. Much too hot to do more than plan for it now, but the heat will soon break and with proper planning, I look to make a multi-day, adventure photography outing...to video and write about the how to's and what for's of that adventure. That, after all, is what Beyond The Campfire is all about.

As a photographer, during that late fall backcountry outing, nature began to present herself in ways I may never experience again, plus that night sky, oh what a special evening that was. Orion never glowed so brightly, and the heavens opened their door allowing me to enter into its realm. The memories...well, they will last forever, and I plan on making new ones soon. Doing with less to achieve the most out of life, there's something to be said about roughing it outdoors, even as a photographer.