A Walk in Point Reyes

“Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.”

Henry David Thoreau

I first visited the lonely rolling hills and beaches of Point Reyes during college. I decided to go camping there with a girlfriend (now wife) and having no car we hitchhiked, which one could do pretty easily in the early 90s. Since then I’ve been back many times to escape San Francisco and find open spaces and peace of mind. This walk, however, was the first time I did as a student of photography, bringing a “new” old medium format camera from the 50s. I also brought my dog Cooper for a walk so it got a bit “hairy” at times with other dogs on the Kehoe Beach trail. So we took to the hills and avoided folks and pooches. I think I was fortunate that I did since I was rewarded with elevated views of the valley and the nearby hills. On the same trip, stopping at a bookstore in Point Reyes Stations, I discovered Elegy From the Edge of a Continent, a photo book of Pt Reyes by Austin Granger that I will use as inspiration for future walks in Point Reyes. I see this walk as a work-in-progress and plan to go back to capture more of the beauty of its hills, beaches, lagoons, and old ranches.