Description
Telling the story of the places I’ve traveled hiking through art
In 2017 John Zahorian and I set out to climb Mount Shasta. A mountain that commands attention from far and wide, we had been admiring it every day from the Pacific Crest Trail the preceding week. Leaving trail to the small town beneath its domain, we slept just on the outskirts in some bushes along a road, the climb would begin in the morning. After some hitchhiking to a parking lot further up we began. The rocks crumbled under our feet and threatened an avalanche of sorts with us getting caught in it. You see we didn’t climb the typical route, we went up a face where we wouldn’t need snow and ice gear. Instead it was sheer rock all the way up. Approaching the top and the mountain got steeper, the rocks got bigger, and looking down became dizzying. We started this late in the day and were in a real hurry to beat the sunset. I let the fear get to me of having to climb down in the dark, and encouraged John to go on without me. I made it down a couple thousand feet as the sun was just setting, with no sign of John. At last light, there he was, talking of how much of a race that truly became, and chasing after false summits until finding what was real. I’m glad I went down when I did, so I can go after it again another day now with more experience.
This painting to me represents the joy of new challenges, and that large beautiful mountain in northern California being caught in the last light of the day.
6″ x 9″ highly detailed watercolor and ink on 140lb coldpress watercolor paper
All pieces come signed and dated
Northern California
