karstosis.photography

“Okay honey, next time humans throw garbage into our wetland, we’ll organize the neighbourhood watch, and guano bomb the heck out of them.“

—–
A Beautiful Wetland Preservation Area
Salmon Arm, BC
—–

Our wetlands are invaluable. They clean our air, they filter our water, they are incredibly biodiverse, and they provide a much needed home for migratory birds. Sadly, our culture seems to love to destroy them in order to construct gigantic monoliths to house our warl-marts and parking lots.

Please Visit Ducks Unlimited at:
http://www.ducks.ca

Merci.

Stealing moments
Capturing a breath
Of fresh air

Meditative moments
When the sun hits that magic angle
And the fresh life of spring
Hits your senses explosively
In a euphoric melody of colour.

Climbing in Cougar Canyon, Vernon, British Columbia.

It is incredible
How free ones mind can be
When relaxing
Whilst Climbing
A wall of gneiss.

Spring has sprung, which means there are rocks to climb! I’ve been out to Cougar Canyon numerous times over the last week now, including this fantastic day. This was photographed on Small Arms, 5.10c.

Now back to writing papers…

As you can surely see, I am taking some time off from the photoblog.

I am on hiatus, prefering instead to focus on enjoying the beauty of the Okanagan in the springtime, as well as focusing on writing my term papers and rediscovering my passion for rock climbing.

I also am preparing to move to a new home, a new city, a new life. I am very excited for the end of April, when I will take up residence in the glorious, hippy laden city of Victoria, British Columbia. This will do wonders for my social life, my rock climbing, and my photography, not to mention educational opportunities (UVic!).

Keep posted in a month for some photographical wonders, and great essays on: a) Work. b) Water. c) Renewable Energy and the End of the Age of Oil.

Good day, my cheery viewers.
-karsten

10 Reasons to be Nocturnal:

1. Starry starry night. Paint my canvas
   with star trails and accursed contrails
2. One cannot see
   In the night
   Beyond his feet
   Meditative Bliss
3. Ghosts lurk in the shadows
   Perhaps a rains will come
4. Lights of passing cars
   Turned into rivers
   At ISO 200
   Streaming to the ocean
   At the edge of the frame
5. Sometimes I eat
   dates while I shoot
   alien spacecraft
6. When the world ends
   Perhaps it will look like this
   A billion stars is only a tenth
   of a millionth
   of the universe
7. It’s really cold
   Focusing leneses
   In lieu of focusing bodyheat
   Mirror lock-up
   Avoid shiver shake
8. Eight A.M.
   Is hours away
   Skies full of sattelites
   Which are gone with the light of day
9. An once upon a time
   I even stayed up
   past midnight in the mountains
   Orion spoke to me
   “On tops of mountains
   as everywhere to hopeful souls
   it is always morning”
   Orion too
   reads Thoreau
10. Once upon a time
    Far far away
    Somebody shot the night sky with an alien camera
    Perhaps that light
    thousands of years
    later
    is in this photograph.

karstosis
—–

So last week was our college reading break, and in the true spirit of Reading (sic) Break, my friend Vanessa and I decided to go on an adventure, and drove our visiting friends Rick and Faeryll home to their humble little Island on the West Coast. This humble little island is Hornby Island, located in the Straight of Georgia, south of Comox and North of Nanaimo, and is just as mystical and lush as New Zealand. Filled with artists and hippies, life here is blissfully slow. There was much joyous laughter, much photo-geeking, much hiking, much wonderful eating, and an impossible amount of good times.

This was by far the best two days I have lived since my travels to New Zealand last Spring.

Enjoy the photographic adventure:

The last ferry to the majestic Hornby Island. Amazing times await!

—

This is Rick and Faeryll’s hobbit house. Complete with rainwater tank, composting toilet, prayer flags, and the best reading nook I have ever encountered!

—

One of the first tasks after waking up on our first morning on the island was to hike out to the ‘Snag’. After the snag, Rick and I, being Rick and I, decided to explore further. Eventually we stumbled upon this shack being built in the middle of the woods. We approached, realised it was unfinished, as well as unlocked. We entered. It was actually a lot like a D.O.C. hut in New Zealand…another kiwi analogy…it’s true!

—

Rick was keen to show me a bridge constucted out of logs, which stood over the creek near their house. Indeed, it was an impressive sight!

—

This is Rick and Faeryll’s driveway on a foggy first morning on the island.

On the first morning I awoke just after sunrise, got dressed warm and ventured out for a morning walk through a fantastic foggy land. I ventured up, and then down, what I learned to be the road to Ford’s Cove. I soon learned that I was falling in love with this island. The birds were chirping in February, the fog was impossibly thick, in the background, the sea lions were barking in all directions…impossible to tell where exactly because of the lack of visibility.

I even encountered the locals, who are apparently ever so eager to offer a lift to the lone walker they are driving bye.

I kept thinking I had arrived back in New Zealand.

—

Our friends and hosts, Rick and Faeryll.

Night one on Hornby Island consisted of an absolutely fantastic meal, some Funky Llamma Argentinian Shiraz, and an old school game of Uno. It was like New Zealand, but with one more person and a slightly colder climate. Good Times!

—

A Vista framed by Arbutus limbs. Gosh this island is amazing.

—
After lunch, Rick, Vanessa and I headed for the Shingle Spit trail. This hike was beautifully wedged between the ocean vista on one side, and a forest full of Arbutus and gigantic evergreens on the other.

I got Rick to hold my camera while I ran a short distance back to the car and back to retrieve my sunglasses. He shot proof I actually ran!

Rick taking hiking one step further.

By Froliking! Kudos for bringing back the frolik!

Vanessa saying “Gosh those trees are BIG!!!”, bending over backwards for nature.

Vanessa and Rick ponder the view towards Denman Island whilst basking in the warm westcoast wind during the walk down the trail to Shingle Spit.

On our last afternoon on Hornby Island, the four of us ventured down to Fords Cove for a walk on the low-tide rocks and check out the amazing seaside geology. The walk was fantastic, and we spent a long time out there, so long in fact, that we returned in the dark.

Faeryll ponders the next step, the water recedes to low tide, and Denman continues to stay put.

Rick and Faeryll ponder a crossing, and are reflected in the pools below. The lanscape here is fascinating!

At the furthest extent of the Ford’s Cove hike, we encountered this fellow. He must have been sick or injured, as he was not very mobile, and was a far distance from the rest of his companions. He was not happy to see us approach, and we left swiftly.

Like I said, we returned at dusk, but were greeted by this sublime scene of the Ford’s Cove marina, illuminated in the night.

This trip, albeit far too brief, introduced me to an incredible part of the world, essentially in my own backyard. It is someplace I already long to return to. It makes me all the more excited to be moving to Vancouver Island in 2 months!

Ciao for now.

Escaping once desireable demons

Adventure On Ngauruhoe
Enlightening epic
Woeless
Utopic
Medicinal
Mind mending

Medows of once molten magma
Interspersed with white wedges of pulverised pumice
Sparkling streams stream
Sly, coyly crossing crevasses of light and dark
Devious terrain
Transforming traversing trampers
To ascending ascetics
Escaping once desireable demons
To dance amongst geologic genious

Gone is the world, birthed is the world
Resolve
Calm
Attentive
Trancendance.

-karstosis : Photograph: Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Another from the never uploaded "Photos of Last Summer" folder.

This was shot at the Lost Lake area atop the Monashee Summit on Highway 6, east of Cherryville BC. Also known as the middle of nowhere.

I remember being in awe of the clouds that day, along with the lighting.

There are a lot of these pictues kicking around that I never got around to uploading. I spend alot of time outside in the summer, and far less time processing photographs.