I discovered the NJ Pinelands in early 2018. Ok, they were discovered hundreds of years ago and long before my time. But I found out about them and started exploring them in early 2018. I was immediately hooked by this stunning area of wilderness right next to the most populated area of our country.
The Pinelands have been set aside as a National Preserve and they are worth protecting. It is a combination of pines, hardwood trees, sand, marsh, rivers, and wetlands that are incredible to see. I have been hiking and photographing in the Pinelands many times now. Marilyn and I have spent afternoons driving through the sand roads in our Jeep Trailhawk. We’ve had lunches by the Batsto River. Rich and I have done multiple long kayak tours down the Mullica and Batsto Rivers. And I’ve watched many sunrises and sunsets over the beautiful still water. I plan to go back many more times. I also have a short photo essay entitled A Walk in the Wetlands which is a small collection of images from a single morning at the Forsythe NWR which is part of the Pinelands.
My Autumn In The Pines
With my recent retirement, I had the opportunity to spend many days hiking and photographing in the Pinelands. Instead of sitting in an office doing business reviews I was out at sunrise on foggy mornings, I was walking in the late afternoon light among abandoned cranberry bogs, and I was wandering sand roads I had never been on before. The light and color in the Pinelands in autumn is remarkable - and I can’t wait to see it again and again and again!
24 Hours of Light
The images below were all made in a single 24 hour timespan one early summer weekend in The Pinelands. I think they capture the essence and variety of this interesting place so remote, yet so near. On a summer afternoon I witnessed that magical condition where golden sunlight is strong on the scene in front you, but with a background of foreboding storm clouds and thunder making you consider running for the car. As the storm passed, I watched it slowly reveal patches of pastel blue sky reflecting on the water - finally culminating in a Kaleidoscopic sunset. Not to be outdone, the following morning’s sunrise cloaked the water and woodlands in mist that emphasized the mystery of The Pines.
