Here in Acadia (yes, again) I spotted a man and a woman of about my age peering up at a ten or twelve foot ledge in front of them, around 500 feet off the Ocean Path trail. My first thought? “Oh, no, they’ve jumped down and aren’t able to reach the top.” (There are quite a few spots like that on the rocky Acadia shore.) I watched as the first of the two tried to jump up without success.
I decided to wait a second before heading over to help. The woman grabbed the rock, found a good hold for her foot, and slowly climbed her way to the top of the ledge. Once she reached the top, she brushed her hands together and darted back to her starting point down a gradual slope that I had failed to see. The man followed suit, climbing the rock and then returning to the bottom of the ledge.
I watched the couple for a few minutes and thought about practice. Why do I return to this island after dozens of trips, grasping my camera in my hand even though I know every trail and every rock in some parts of the park?
Photography is my hobby, just as those two enjoy rock climbing. You may know a ledge like the back of your hand, but every time you climb offers you another chance to practice and another chance to take a new route to the top. Yes, I’ve seen Bubble Pond in the past, but I’d never seen a damselfly on a leaf there. That happens every time I’m here.
Every day, every trip, every climb is a new chance to reach where you want to go.