For a long time I wanted to combine my interest in photography with my interests in mountaineering. Yet, I knew that in order to create a more personal record of my experience and observations, I would need to confront the Ansel Adams default aesthetic that is so often associated with mountain photos. Adam's agenda required his viewers to see vast spaces in order to understand the importance of putting aside and protecting the large areas and ecosystems that became the parks. I, too, value the grandeur and space of the wilderness. But that aloof distance that was needed to see things as a whole, at the same time, excludes any attempt to interpret or share the personal meaning and experience of that place at a variety of different moments. Much of my interest in mountaineering has been the appreciation of a context that supports a sense of presence, of being in the moment. I was thinking about this as I was hiking, while looking at the ground. I'm always looking at the ground as I hike, watching my steps. The distant views, the parts that get photographed, are such a small part of the expedition. The steps are where the rhythm, the transformation, the flow of ideas takes place. For the most part, it is the ground that significantly marks the outing.