I recently embarked on a new photo project with deep family roots. My mom grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland as a Nagel. Her father Brooks (Pop Pop to all the grand kids) was a farmer and grain mill operator in Preston, MD. A deep faith and an entrepreneurial spirit marked his life...
Last week we hosted a retreat for 50 Cru student leaders near Roan Mountain. We raced to finish dinner in order to catch the last rays of the day atop the Roan balds. We hiked through a misty “Hobbit forest” (as Clement described it) along the Appalachian Trail. Just past the treeline, the misty clouds...
Two trails, two dear people, two journeys through a misty wood. I love what trails represent: a passage to a hidden world. I believe Wendell Berry got it right when he said, “To live on this earth necessarily means that we break the body of this creation and shed it’s blood in order to live....
There’s nothing like a summer shower to break the humidity and make it fun to be outside again. One of our favorite summer traditions is Music in the Valle. Banjos play while the kids run wild and adults reconnect with old friends. Here’s a few images that I snapped with my point and shoot camera...
Most of the country is simmering in the triple digits. We beat the heat at Watauga Lake, a beautiful gem just 30 minutes from home.
The summer mornings here in the Blue Ridge Mountains are converting me from my winter ways. Maybe that will change when the humidity arrives. For now, it’s a joy to wake up early every morning and soak in to the glory. Below are a few sunrise shots from a morning run on the Appalachian Trail...
Every spring some of my cousins get together for a weekend of camping and outdoor adventure. This year we chose the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, WV. Spanning the gorge almost 900ft over the New River, the bridge is a worthy attraction in it’s own right. Once a year, the bridge is legally open to...
So it wasn’t exactly a dump, but in a dry winter like this, 3″ of snow is something to celebrate. I mounted my GoPro to a snow shovel and got to work. Extra thanks to Christopher Ward for helping me clear my driveway. Later in the day we went sledding.
At 5am I roll out of a painfully short night of sleep and into my dad’s waiting cup of coffee. Along with brothers Wes and Glenn, dad drives us down dark country roads until we arrive at Harry Nagel’s farm. A lineup of pick up trucks already flank the main barn. We park our foreign...
