One day in November I decided to hike the trail around Eagle Butte, carrying only two lenses: my ancient manual focus 24mm with polarizer, and a telephoto (for any chance wildlife encounter). Mostly, though, I just felt the need to walk, to move easily through a quiet place far from the nose, schedules, and concerns of humanity.

This somewhat monolithic sandstone outcrop has long intrigued me; many times I've stood on that ridge looking down at it. On this day, far below it, I noticed a deer trail going up the slope and decided, "What the hell, I can do this!"

It was a steep scramble over loose rock, but not a problem. I used to do this sort of thing all the time and I can still read terrain and make good decisions as to what is safe and what is not. The light was wonderful that day, and it felt good to be alone, moving and breathing under the limitless sky.

Photographed at Eagle Butte in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D850
Exposure:	0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture:	f/16.0
ISO Speed:	400
Focal Length:	24 mm
Lens:	0.0 mm f/0.0