We live in an epic place. Knotted old trees, wild rivers, snowy peaks, and a view around every corner. Few spots make you feel as small as standing by the river at Smith Rock.
The cliffs that climbers come from all over the world for (it’s called the birthplace of American sport climbing) are hardened volcanic ash. About 30 million years ago a massive volcano collapsed into what’s now the Crooked River Caldera, and this is what it left behind. Up close you can see the pockmarks where gas got trapped in the ash as it set.
That’s what I was thinking about while I set up this late-afternoon shot. One hiker, one path, and a rust-colored wall that seems to go up forever. She still had a long way to climb, and the light was running out.