Moose Droppings

“It’s not about your destination, it’s about the journey.”

Apr 19, 2007 @ 09:44 am by Moose

Photo I captured while in California looking for Big Horns among other things

I’m in the process of planning a trip to Wyoming in the near future with the main goal to capture some great wildlife photos. I stumbled across this article by an outdoor photographer Michael Smith and his quest to capture some wolf photographs and what all he discovered on this outing.

The sun started to peek through the clouds when we saw some Big Horn Sheep along the road to the feeding grounds. These rare creatures could care less about our presence and wandered within thirty yards of us. My excitement grew with every frame I shot. The sheep appeared to be strutting like models for the camera, and I laughed as my camera - at eight frames a second. A lot can happen in one second.

Big Horn Sheep was not what he was after but certainly a specie that is not as rare as a wolf but certainly not always the easiest to come across. Big Horn is certainly one of the creatures I’d like to get a chance to photograph. I dragged my wife through some mountain areas in California this past summer on our trip looking for some to no avail. I did briefly see some a few years back while driving the Apache Trail but not long enough to get the photograph.

As a hunter and as a photographer I have learned to enjoy the present and try to worry too much about the creature I seek. The photography has really helped me better develop that inner peace as I go afield.

It was obvious there would be no wolves photographed today. As we all loaded our gear, I couldn’t help thinking that I didn’t want to leave. I had yet to shoot my wolf.

For all the success of this trip - the wonderful wildlife I witnessed, the beautiful photographs shot and the opportunity to be in the outdoors - I felt my job, my journey was not complete. Like Buck in Jack London’s “Call of the Wild,” I wanted to ignore the call of civilization and remain out here. But I couldn’t ignore the bills to be paid back at home or my work. Most of all, I missed Marissa, so I had to go back.

We grabbed a quick breakfast when we got back to Jackson. During the long trip back to Cheyenne, I started to think once more about my old professor.

One of his colorful anecdotes pushed away the years to return to the front of my consciousness: “It’s not about your destination, it’s about the journey.”

Some sound advice for a lot of aspects of life not just photography and hunting.