This was the photo I had. Simple. Where we see Kirk in the lead, being followed by Todd and then Dick up a path in the mountains near Aspen. I thought it was a striking photo even though I didn’t understand why Kirk and Todd would be hiking in plastic coats. Surely they’d be too hot and uncomfortable to want to hike in them. Both boys are wearing jeans and Muller Elementary shirts, with plastic coats over them. Since the photo is centered on the individuals, you see Kirk’s smile and Todd’s concentration, with Dick’s presence in the background. There is emotion to this photo.

To me, it looks like this could almost be anywhere. From a field in Oklahoma to the Flint Hills that surround Manhattan. So when Cris told me this was taken outside of Aspen, Colorado, I could kind of see it.

But then Cris sent me this…

The differences are so striking. While Kirk, Todd and Dick are still the focal point, in this photo you see the expanse of the mountain and the feeling that there is a scale to the environment. You see the rugged beauty in the Aspen Wilderness. This photo shows the journey that they are walking. The expanse of the mountains and the height of the trees. It reminds me that our world is far bigger than we might first think. And when we set out on that trail that great things can happen when step beyond what we know and put on plastic coats 🙂