Welcome to
paths untraveled!
What you will find here
Paths Untraveled is a sandbox to share experiences, ideas, and thoughts about the natural world. It is a theme that I keep in mind whenever I am out exploring – the quest of discovering places and things that are just out of sight (and mind). I have found immense satisfaction when taking that unfamiliar dirt road into oblivion, only to find views worthy of National Park status. Or scouting that faint social trail, up to hidden areas. There are still many places like this, you just have to be willing to look for them.
You will also likely find content from popular places that are just too good not to visit, despite their relative popularity. Like a frozen Dream Lake, in the photo to the right. Even on the busiest of trails, one can hold a “paths untraveled” mindset, by exploring side trails or simply slowing down on the main thoroughfare; taking in the sights and sounds that are often missed in the hustle and bustle of a well-trafficked trail. Paths Untraveled is, after all, a mentality – a lens through which to enjoy the great outdoors.
I started building this website because I thought social media wasn’t enough to capture the experience of wilderness. While still imperfect, this site can be thought as an “upgrade”, offering a wider variety of media that helps to illustrate not only what I saw, but what I felt during that sunrise in the wilderness.
I illustrate these things via trail guides, blog postings, photo galleries, and aerial video content. I may also share some poetic musings, as many of the sights I see are evocative in this way.
Multi-form content
A picture is worth a thousand words, but do a thousand words really cover it? My aim is to capture the experience of my travels in as many ways as possible; including writing, photography, and recent video ventures.
photography
Photography is a primary focus of Paths Untraveled. Back in 2018, after having moved to Colorado, I bought my first camera – the Sony A6000. It was a great starter camera, and allowed me to capture the essence of my hikes with a simple press of a button. In 2020, I decided to upgrade to the Sony Alpha a7iii, with the goal of actually learning the mechanics of photo-taking. Since then I have learned a lot about light, camera settings, and have expanded my skillset to include things like astrophotography. For the record – most the images you will see here are edited in post-processing. It is my aim to use post-processing as a means of color correction, and steering the photo towards what I was seeing/feeling at the moment.
videography
A recent endeavor, I have been learning about videography in both its capture and production. I have been learning how to pilot a small drone – the DJI Mini 2 – and experimenting with different ways of capturing video. On the production side, I have been toying with video editing software, primarily Adobe Premiere Pro. All videos may be found on my YouTube Channel, or the “Videos” page on this website.
Words
I have kept a journal since I was nine years old. Lately my journal has accompanied me in the wilderness, as the outdoors evokes feeling and emotion that are difficult to tap into after the moment has passed. A big motivator for hosting this site is that I often have too much to say for an Instagram post, a tweet, or reel. On Paths Untraveled, you will find my writings in the form of trail guides, blog posts, and the occasional journal entry. I am still figuring this out myself, so consider it a work in progress!